Downgrade Rights
A downgrade right allows a license for a newer version of a product to cover installs of older versions. xAssets implements this through a per-license Downgrade Rule field with three settings.
The Three Rules
| Rule | Behavior | Typical Use |
|---|---|---|
| None | Covers exact product only | Default; most boxed and SaaS licenses |
| One | Covers exact product + immediately previous version | Some Microsoft volume programs; vendor-specific terms |
| Any | Covers exact product + all earlier versions | Microsoft Software Assurance; some perpetual EAs |
The default for new licenses is None, unless the catalog entry's default is set to something else.
Setting the Rule
On the license record, the Downgrade Rule is one of the editable fields:
- Open the license from Licensing → Licenses.
- Find the Downgrade Rule field (in the License Classification or Details section).
- Change to None, One, or Any.
- Save.
- Run Calculate Licensing Position for the change to take effect.
What the Engine Does
When the rule is One or Any, the engine treats the license as eligible to cover consumptions of older-version products in the same product family. The engine prefers exact-product matches over downgrade matches — downgrade is the fallback when no exact-product license is available.
See Concepts: Downgrade Rules for the full engine behavior including how grants are recorded.
Compliance vs Engine Behavior
The engine grants per the rule you set. It does not validate that your contract actually permits the downgrade you have configured. That validation is your responsibility.
If you set Any on a license whose contract does not actually allow downgrades, the engine will allocate from it to older-version consumptions, your position will look compliant, and a vendor audit could later challenge the allocations. Make sure the rule on the license matches the rule in the contract.
Setting a Default at Catalog Level
If most licenses for a product have the same downgrade rule (e.g., all Microsoft Server licenses with Software Assurance have Any-version downgrade), set the Downgrade Rule on the catalog entry. New license records inherit it. Individual licenses can still override.
See Software Catalog: Per-Product Configuration.
Tracking Downgrade Coverage in Reports
The Licensing Position has columns specifically for downgrade coverage:
| Column | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Allocated as Downgrade | Capacity from this license used to cover older products |
| Allocated from Downgrade | This product's coverage that came from a newer-version license |
Use these to verify your downgrade allocations match your contractual rights, especially before a vendor audit.
A high "Allocated as Downgrade" column on a product whose licenses all have Downgrade Rule = None indicates either a configuration error (rule not actually None) or a stale calculation — recalculate to confirm.
Worked Example
You own:
- 5 seats of a Visual Studio 2022 license with Downgrade Rule = Any
- 3 seats of a Visual Studio 2019 license with Downgrade Rule = None
Installed:
- 4 machines running VS 2022
- 6 machines running VS 2019
- 2 machines running VS 2017
The engine prefers exact-product matches over downgrade matches, allocating in affinity order until each license is at capacity:
| Demand | Covered By | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 4 × VS 2022 | VS 2022 license — 4 exact-product grants | All 4 covered |
| 3 × VS 2019 | VS 2019 license — 3 exact-product grants | 3 of 6 covered exactly; VS 2019 license now full |
| Remaining 3 × VS 2019 | VS 2022 license — 1 downgrade grant possible (1 seat left after 4 exact uses) | 1 of 3 covered by downgrade; 2 in deficit |
| 2 × VS 2017 | No capacity left on either license | Both in deficit |
Final position for the three products:
| Product | Required | Allocated | Outstanding |
|---|---|---|---|
| VS 2022 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| VS 2019 | 6 | 4 (3 exact + 1 downgrade) | 2 |
| VS 2017 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
Downgrade rights let one license type cover older versions, but they do not create capacity that is not there. Total demand of 12 installs against total capacity of 8 means 4 installs are in deficit no matter how the rule is configured.