Configuration Manager 2007 includes a number of maintenance tasks to help you manage the usage data collected by software metering:

These tasks are described in the following sections. By default, all four tasks are enabled in the Configuration Manager 2007 console. To configure these tasks in the Configuration Manager console, navigate to System Center Configuration Manager / Site Database / Site Management / <site code> - <site name> / Site Settings / Site Maintenance / Tasks and then double-click the task you want to configure.

Delete Data Tasks

The following maintenance tasks remove old software metering data and summarized data from the Configuration Manager 2007 site database:

Delete Aged Software Metering Data

Use the Delete Aged Software Metering Data task to delete all summarized software metering data that is older than the number of days specified.

By default, the task is scheduled to run every day and to delete software metering data that is older than five days. You can configure the number of days to be any number from 2 through 255.

Delete Aged Software Metering Summary Data

Use the Delete Aged Software Metering Summary Data task to delete summarized software metering summary data that is older than the number of days specified.

By default, the task is scheduled to run every Sunday and to delete software metering summary data that is older than 270 days.

Summarize Software Metering Tasks

The Summarize Software Metering tasks perform the data summarization to compress the amount of data in the Configuration Manager 2007 site database.

For the two software metering summarization tasks to succeed, software metering data that is at least 12 hours old must exist.

Data summarization runs daily and runs only against usage data that is older than 12 hours. Data summarization is required for all Configuration Manager 2007 software metering reports to display meaningful data. To understand what is contained in the most current set of summary data, you should know when summarization last occurred. A report for this, Software metering summarization progress is included in Configuration Manager 2007.

Summarize Software Metering File Usage Data

The Summarize Software Metering File Usage Data task condenses software metering file usage data from multiple records into one general record. This record provides information about the program name, version, language, and number of distinct users over intervals of 15 minutes and one hour. This process compresses and optimizes the amount of data stored in the Configuration Manager 2007 site database.

By default, the Summarize Software Metering File Usage Data task runs daily. For every hour and every 15-minute interval within the hour, the task calculates the total number of distinct user/computer combinations that are running the matching program. Within the 15-minute intervals, this approximates the number of concurrent users. For example:

  • If the same user is using a software program and is logged on to three different computers simultaneously, this counts as three usages.

  • If three users are logged on to a computer running Terminal Services and all three are running the software program, this counts as three usages.

  • If the same user starts and stops the software program on the same computer three separate times during the hour, this counts as one usage for that user.

When replicated up the Configuration Manager 2007 hierarchy, the software metering summary data from each site remains separated from data from the other sites. When the data reaches a parent site, each record is marked with the site code of the site where the usage data was generated. These records can be added together to estimate concurrent program usage in the network.

Summarize Software Metering Monthly Usage Data

The Summarize Software Metering Monthly Usage Data task condenses detailed software metering usage data from multiple records into one general record. This record provides information about the program name, program version and language, program running times, number of usages, last usage, user name, and computer name. Data summarization helps compress the amount of data in the Configuration Manager 2007 site database. Monthly software usage data is sent to the central site.

The summarization information includes the number of times each matching software program ran on a particular computer and by a particular user during the month. By default, the task is scheduled to run daily and the summarization period is one month. Software monthly usage data is replicated to the parent site.

See Also