Example for querying the new License Consumption (& Charge Back) REST API

[#1]

Flexera has released in early April a license Consumption (& Charge Back) REST API that us documented here.

The API makes available data for Business Intelligence / data extraction tools that provides a flat view of what / who consumed what licenses, for which entity, for what reason etc.

The response (JSON format) provides for all installed devices or users consuming a license extensive information:

• Device Name
• User Name
• Consuming installations
• Cost Per Right for license
• Consumption of the machine
• Consumption of the host
• Recharged consumption
• Recharged cost
• Recharge approach
• Computer / user Location-Cost Center - Corporate Unit
• Cores
• Installed & consuming Cores for host, cluster

The REST API is called in the context of a license and is paginated, but the attached PowerShell example shows how to loop on licenses and stack the pages. Given the volumes of license consumption, filtering the target licenses may be useful.

Each license type has its own charge back logic... In the example below, Oracle Cluster consumptions are pro rated down to the installed VMs... for Oracle hard partitioning or IBM PVU (current) consumption, the "split" logic between hosts and VMs is pretty sophisticated and factors each capping layer (capped cores on LPAR, Capped core for pool, Host cores etc.) 

Here is an extract of the attached PowerShell script that will allow to query all licenses consumption.

[johnksilverwood]

This is really interesting @nrousseau1 ! Thanks for this. Is the 'chargeback' object only available via the API, or is it also coming to the columns in the actual 'consumption' tab in the license page itself?

Also - is this generally related to specific license types like Oracle? Or is it able to be applied to any general license - i see there's a 'cost' field in the chargeback object - not sure if this is just a pre-set value or we can dynamically calculate that based on total users & total license cost.

Ability to calculate chargeback is quite an important task for us, so really curious on the developments of this feature.

Thanks ! 

[nrousseau1]

Hello @johnksilverwood ,

Thanks for your feedback!

You are right, better reporting on License consumption and charge back should not stay as an API output...

• The "chargeback" concept was implemented in the Oracle License Consumption Details and Optimizations  report (July 2021, see first screenshot) and  earlier in the Licenses Purchased and Consumed by Location / corporate unit/ cost center (September 2020, second screen shot.
• The plan is to make this license detailed consumption and charge back a report, first on premise (I will post the report in the community), then productized (a little bit later)

Best regards