Managing match rules

Match rules are the method used to link source inventory to catalog entries. Match rules can be assigned to a specific:

Version of a product - typically used if the product is not an edition-based product

Edition of a version of a product - typically used if the product is an edition-based product.

For example, the inventory source holds the following information about a software title:

Source Vendor = Microsoft

Source Title = Microsoft Visio Professional 2013

Source Version = 15.0.2.355

However, the corresponding entry in the Catalog has a different vendor and title resulting in a mismatch. To resolve this, the Catalog contains rules which directly match these types of entries. In this example, the product is edition-based (Visio) so the Catalog match rule is an edition match rule – linking the source to a specific edition of a specific version (15.0.2.355) of this title.

Vendor Microsoft resolves to Microsoft Corporation

The Microsoft Visio Professional 2013 title resolves to:

Title = Visio

Edition = Professional

Colloquial Edition = 2013

Version 15.0.2.355 maps directly to 15.0.2.355

This is how the Catalog normalizes the source inventory. The same match rule principles apply equally to devices and processors in the Catalog.

Adding a match rule to a version of a product

To associate a match rule to a version of a product:

On the Product screen, click Filtering and enter your search criteria.

Click the Versions link to the right of the product.

Filter by version number to narrow the list and select the product version you want.

Under the Actions column, click the Match Rules link for that specific version.

Click the Add a new match rule link.

Enter the source inventory data that will be used to link to this product and version combination:

Source - the source for this inventory, for example SCCM

Source Vendor - the text that's in the Vendor field in the source data

Source Title (mandatory) - the text that's in the Title field in the source data

Source Version - the text that's in the Version field in the source data

Source Colloquial Version - the text that's in the colloquial version field in the source data

Source Edition - the text that's in the edition field in the source data.

Click Save

When a source inventory contains all the information that's recorded in the match rule fields, it's linked to the product version containing that match rule.

To add a match rule to an edition of a version, follow steps 1 through 3, and then:

Under the Actions column, click Editions.

From the list of editions, choose the one you want and click the Match Rules link to the right of it.

Repeat steps 5 to 7 above.

You can add match rules to Devices and Processor by simply following the procedures above in the respective Devices and Processor sections.

Removing an existing match rule

You can disassociate the link between a source inventory and a catalog item by deleting its match rule.

Follow the steps above to navigate to the product or version the current match rule is associated with, or the product, version, or edition.

Click on the Match Rules link on the right-hand side of the specific version, or edition.

Then click delete on the match rule to be removed:

This unlinks the source inventory from this catalog entry.