SAM tooling – verified by Oracle – what does it mean in a nutshell

SAM tooling and how does it work with Oracle license management ? Informed companies do not trust a SAM tool to be 100% accurate when it comes to Oracle licensing. Software asset management tools cannot measure Oracle middleware or Oracle application licenses at any acceptable level. If you are using a third party verified by Oracle tool, for database accuracy is at best 80%.

Being verified by Oracle does not mean that the SAM tool is verified to measure and create licensing position for Oracle.

Oracle never test the SAM tool capability to perform licensing measurement, that is not part of the “Oracle verification process”.

This is a simplified version of the verification process for SAM tools.

Oracle SAM tooling verification process

Oracle hands a version of its LMS scripts to the SAM tool vendor.
Oracle asks the SAM tool vendor to show that their tool can run the LMS scripts and create a raw output file that is acceptable to Oracle.
Oracle also asks the SAM tool vendor if they can accurately measure hardware specs on the server running Oracle software. (Hardware inventory is usually never the challenge when it comes to Oracle software license compliance)
SAM tool vendor sends the raw output file to Oracle for verification, its very similar to what it looks if Oracle would ask you to run their License Audit tools during a license audit.
SAM tool vendors marketing team proudly announce that now customers can rest easy as long as they use their tool their Oracle license compliance is managed.

That’s it! – Note that Oracle performs no test to verify if the SAM tool can measure which Oracle licenses are installed/used/required.

Who really benefits from a SAM tool being verified by Oracle?

SAM Tool vendors who can boost sales figures and you have to wonder if their marketing understand what “verified by Oracle” truly means.
Oracle who can more quickly and easily audit its customers. You have less reasons to decline running Oracle LMS scripts, when you already have a version of it running in your data centre. Oracle customers who dont have a verified by Oracle tool, can often argue that they dont allow Oracle LMS scripts to run in their data center.
Oracle licensing experts, as we can more quickly review the LMS script output under the SAM tool.

A quote from the program manager for tools verification at Oracle.

Garrick Brivkalns, program manager for Oracle Global Licensing and Advisory Services, surprised some when he said that Oracle verified the accuracy of these tools only in terms of raw usage data.

“We’re not working to verify any other aspects that the tool might possess such as entitlements tracking, matching entitlements, the usage, and compliance position determinations,”

SAM tooling – verified by Oracle – what does it mean in a nutshell