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Adobe License Import

Software Asset Management Guide
Importing Licenses

Adobe License Import

Adobe Volume Licensing (VIP, ETLA) provides license exports through the Adobe Admin Console. xAssets has a dedicated Adobe import path that handles Adobe's specific format and creates the right combination of agreements and license records.

When To Use the Adobe Import

Use this path when:

  • You have downloaded a license export from the Adobe Admin Console
  • You manage Adobe Creative Cloud, Adobe Acrobat, or other Adobe subscription products through VIP/ETLA

For perpetual Adobe licenses or Adobe purchases outside VIP/ETLA, use Standard License Import.

How the Adobe Import Works

The Adobe import is a four-step pipeline:

  1. Temp Table — loads the Adobe export into a temporary table for cleaning
  2. Clean Data — normalizes Adobe's column conventions to match xAssets fields
  3. Recognise — matches Adobe SKUs against the Software Catalog
  4. Agreements — creates or updates the agreement and license records

Each step is a separate transformation; the master Import Adobe transformation runs them in order.

Workflow

  1. Export your license entitlements from the Adobe Admin Console (typically as a CSV).
  2. Save the export to disk or copy its contents.
  3. Open Licensing → License Dashboard → Licensing Calculation Steps.
  4. Click Import Adobe Spreadsheet in the Create and Import License Records panel.
  5. Paste or upload the export.
  6. Run the import. It runs as a batch job — watch the batch jobs panel for progress.

After import, the new licenses are visible in Licensing → Licenses filtered by Adobe, and the parent agreement (if created) appears under Licensing → Software License Agreements.

Adobe-Specific Quirks

Quirk Notes
Subscription model Most Adobe VIP/ETLA licenses are per-user subscriptions. Catalog entries should have License Type USER or NAMEDUSER, not SUBSCRIPTION (which is per-device).
SKU naming Adobe SKUs are verbose and version-specific. Your catalog Product Codes need to match exactly — preparing the catalog ahead of the import is essential.
Renewal cycles Adobe agreements renew annually. Re-importing a renewal export should update existing records rather than duplicate; test on a pilot file first.
Bundle expansion Some Adobe SKUs (e.g., Creative Cloud All Apps) cover multiple products. The import creates one license per SKU; the per-product coverage is handled at allocation time.

Catalog Setup

Before the first Adobe import, ensure your catalog has entries for the Adobe products you license. Common ones:

  • Adobe Acrobat Pro DC
  • Adobe Creative Cloud All Apps
  • Adobe Creative Cloud (single-app variants — Photoshop, Illustrator, etc.)
  • Adobe Stock
  • Adobe Sign

Each should have:

  • License Type = USER (subscriptions are per-user)
  • A defining title that the recognition engine matches when the product is installed

After the Import

  1. Run Calculate Licensing Position.
  2. Open Licensing → Licensing Position and filter by manufacturer = Adobe.
  3. Verify the products you imported show the correct seat counts.
  4. Spot-check the Allocated column — Adobe per-user subscriptions should show user-side custodian allocations.

Per-Product Scoping for Adobe

A common policy with Adobe is "Adobe licenses purchased by Marketing should only be used by Marketing users." This is not a default behavior of the engine — it requires per-product scoping.

See Customizing the Calculation: Per-Product Scoping for the pattern that makes Adobe licenses department-bound.