Zoomed Image
USA
800 691 9120
UK
01225 704844

Upgrade Licenses

Software Asset Management Guide
Software Licenses

Upgrade Licenses

When you purchase an upgrade to a software product (e.g., upgrading from Microsoft Office 2019 to Microsoft Office 2021), the license records in xAssets must be updated to reflect the change. This page explains the correct process for recording upgrades so that licensing reports remain accurate.

How Upgrades Work in xAssets

An upgrade involves three actions:

  1. Create a new license record for the upgraded product
  2. Split the original license if only some seats are being upgraded
  3. Mark the upgraded portion as "Upgraded and Out of Service" so it no longer counts toward entitlement

This ensures that:

  • The old license seats are not double-counted
  • The new license is properly tracked
  • The audit trail is preserved

Example: Upgrading 10 of 35 Microsoft Office Licenses

In this scenario, you have "Microsoft Office Pro Plus 2010 — 35 Seats" and are purchasing 10 "Microsoft Office Pro Plus 2016" upgrade licenses.

Step 1: Create the New Upgrade License

  1. Navigate to Licensing → Licenses

Upgrade licenses configuration

  1. Create a new software license record for "Microsoft Office Pro Plus 2016 — 10 Seats"
  2. Enter the purchase details, seats, and software product

Upgrade license detail

Step 2: Clone and Split the Original License

Since only 10 of the 35 original seats are being upgraded, you need to split the original license into two records:

  1. Open the original "Microsoft Office Pro Plus 2010 — 35 Seats" asset
  2. Click the Clone... button (or use the Actions for this Asset link)
  3. When prompted, choose Clone as a new Asset

Clone dialog

Step 3: Mark the Upgraded Clone

  1. Edit the cloned record:
    • Change the Description to indicate it was upgraded (e.g., "Microsoft Office Pro Plus 2010 — 10 Seats (Upgraded to 2016)")
    • Set the Quantity/Seats to 10
    • Set the Status to "Upgraded and Out of Service"

Upgraded clone

  1. Save the record

Saved upgraded clone

Step 4: Adjust the Original License

  1. Edit the original license record
  2. Change the seats from 35 to 25 (the remaining non-upgraded seats)
  3. Save the record

Adjusted original

Step 5: Recalculate

After saving, you will receive a prompt with an option to recalculate the Licensing Position. It is recommended that you recalculate after changing licenses to keep compliance data current.

After the Upgrade

You should now have three license records:

Record Seats Status Purpose
Microsoft Office Pro Plus 2010 — 25 Seats 25 In Service Remaining original licenses
Microsoft Office Pro Plus 2010 — 10 Seats (Upgraded) 10 Upgraded and Out of Service Audit trail for the upgraded seats
Microsoft Office Pro Plus 2016 — 10 Seats 10 In Service New upgrade licenses

Tips

  • Always clone and split rather than simply reducing the seat count on the original — this preserves the full history
  • If any computers were assigned to the old license, reassign them to the new license after the upgrade
  • The "Upgraded and Out of Service" status ensures the old seats do not count toward entitlement in compliance reports
  • For full upgrades (all seats), you do not need to clone — just change the original license status to "Upgraded and Out of Service" and create the new license

What the Engine Does With Upgrade Licenses

In the simplified upgrade architecture, an upgrade license works like any other license — it grants to consumptions for its named product (e.g., the new VS 2022 license grants to VS 2022 consumptions). The "upgrade" classification is documentary: it tells humans where this license came from in the audit trail.

If you also want the upgrade license to cover the older version (e.g., the new VS 2022 license should also cover any remaining VS 2019 installs), set the Downgrade Rule on the new license to One or Any. See Downgrade Rights and Concepts: Downgrade Rules.