Monitoring Float License Usage

Author: Steve Gotsch

Date: August 2022

Updated: September 2024

Audience: Everyone - System and Org Admins

Summary

System and Org admins can view float license usage trends and current logins by visiting the License page in the Admin section of Connect. The chart will indicate the cumulative float usage per unique individual by the day and hour; the minute chart indicates the number of concurrent users, all updated via real-time login data.  This means the list of active logins may be greater than the number of float licenses purchased because multiple individuals may have used the floating license within the hour/day.

By default, the license chart shows the last seven days in a day-by-day breakdown. Click on the chart line to drill into a specific day to see an hour-by-hour breakdown, and you may click again on the chart line to drill in a third time to see a minute-by-minute breakdown.

Admins may configure an option for an email alert when a usage threshold is crossed by selecting the gear icon above the chart (see screenshot below). The intention is to help admins monitor overall creator float use and determine if/when new float licenses may need to be purchased.

Current User Activity

The list shows all current logins according to the license type chosen in the dropdown above the chart. Within the table are values for the time of login, length of the session, and the last time the system detected an activity. 

Denials, Downgrades, and Rollups

• The percentage of creator float licenses used daily indicates the average utilization of available licenses.
• The number of users assigned a downgraded license because a creator float license was unavailable indicates a successful user login, albeit under a downgraded reviewer float license instead of a creator float license.
• The number of users denied access because no licenses were available reflects users who could not log in because no creator float or reviewer float licenses were available. 
• The number of days where XX% or more of your creator float licenses were in use indicates the number of days the specific threshold set by your organization to be monitored met or surpassed based on the timeframe chosen to be displayed in the chart. 

License Session

Float licenses are shared among a pool of Jama Connect users. No limit exists to how many users can be assigned to a floating license. When all float licenses are consumed, the user will either receive a message that no licenses are available or will be downgraded to the review-only license if reviewer float licenses are available. A downgraded user must log out and log in again to see if a creator float is available.

Multiple scenarios may affect a license session, including system maintenance, SAML or Auth0 SSO sessions, browser cookie management, and the configured Connect session timeout. The Connect session is managed in system properties with a value of 120 minutes. Changing user license types may require the user to log out/in for the updated setting to take effect. A 'Log out all users' option is available for immediate updates for Root admins. 

A session will end when the Connect application does not detect any activity from the user for the configured timeout period or the user logs out of Connect. Closing the browser or browser tab or shutting down the machine will not end the user's Connect session.

Working With the Usage Chart

The chart is updated with real-time login data and shows the cumulative usage for the selected period.

• The system retains 100 days of license usage data.
• The threshold is a value configured by an admin.
• By default, the chart shows 'All' license types used over the 'last seven days.' You may change the dropdown values at the top of the chart to view an individual license type or a different timeframe

What information would you like to understand from the license page?

• Downgrades:
  • How many users have been downgraded to a review-only license?
  • How frequently are users being downgraded?
  • Do I have specific users that are being downgraded more often than others?
• Usage trends:
  • When is my peak usage occurring? (hourly/daily/monthly/yearly)
  • How much time are users spending in Connect?
  • Are there specific users spending significantly more time than others?
• License assignments and utilization:
  • Do I have the right mix of licenses? 
  • Do you know if the ratio of float licenses to assigned users is correct?
  • Do I need to plan/budget for more licenses?

How do we answer these questions using the license information and export data at a glance on the admin page?

At-a-glance information on the admin page

How many users have been downgraded to a review-only license?

1. Log in to Connect > Admin > License
2. Set the license type dropdown to Creator (float)
3. Set the timeframe dropdown to whichever duration you'd like to evaluate
4. Observe the second metric underneath the chart, X number of users assigned a downgraded license because a floating license was unavailable.

When is my peak usage occurring? (daily/hourly - monthly, and yearly will be under the exported data section)

1. Log in to Connect > Admin > License
2. Set the license type dropdown to Creator (float)
3. Set the timeframe dropdown to whichever duration you'd like to evaluate - in this example, the last 90 days are selected.
4. Observe the peak dates on the chart - in this example, peak days are 6/29-6/30 and 7/28; both are at month-end, which may be a trend for my organization.
5. Drill into any of the peak days by clicking on the chart line for a specific day (or any day you would like to evaluate) to observe the peak hours - in this example, peak hours for 6/29 are 1:00 am and 7:00 am; these peak hours may appear as a trend for my organization and can be further evaluated in the exported data.

Do I have the right mix of licenses? Is the ratio of float licenses to assigned users correct? 

The best way to analyze your license usage to determine if you need to adjust your license-to-user ratio would be as follows:

• Review the volume of logins (in the chart data)
• Review the percentage of licenses used daily (metric on license page for the chosen timeframe)
• Review the number of downgrades (metric on the license page for the chosen timeframe)
• Review the number of denials (metric on the license page for the chosen timeframe)
• Review the number of days above the set threshold (metric on the license page for the chosen timeframe)
• Review the current ratio of licenses to assigned users (licenses owned versus assigned at the bottom of the license page)

1. Log in to Connect > Admin > License
2. Set the license type dropdown to 'All.'
3. Set the timeframe dropdown to the duration you'd like to evaluate - in this example, the last 90 days are selected.
4. Observe the metrics within and beneath the chart (mentioned above) for the following information:
   • If the volume of logins is high, but there are no downgrades/denials, the percentage of licenses used is close to or below 100%, and the number of days hitting the license threshold is low -- then your mix of licenses is likely close to optimum
   • If your volume of logins is high, and your percentage used or days over the threshold are high, BUT you have no downgrades/denials -- then you have some risk of future downgrades/denials occurring. Still, if you continue monitoring and no downgrades occur, you likely have an ideal mix of licenses without excess.
     • If downgrades start occurring, reviewing your owned licenses to the assigned user ratio may indicate a needed adjustment.
   • If your downgrades/denials are high regardless of the other metrics, you likely need to have the correct mix of licenses and should evaluate other options.
   • Note: Deeper analysis is covered in the export section below
5. To evaluate just your creator float license mix, set the license dropdown above the chart to show only the Creator (float) licenses
   • Determine your current creator float to the assigned user ratio -- example, If you own 40 creator float licenses with 258 assigned users, you have a 1 : 6.45 ratio
   • Perform the above review for just the creator float license type
   • If you observe the scenarios listed above under 4. a or 4. b, your ratio works for your organization. If you observe the scenarios in 4. b.i. or 4. c then you may want to either increase the number of creator float licenses owned or decrease the assigned users for a lower ratio
   • Note: Deeper analysis is covered in the export section below.

Analyzing License Usage in Excel with Exported Data

The Admin license page stores data up to 90 days. Therefore, it is recommended to export the license usage data every 90 days for all license types to maintain a historical record locally for year-over-year analysis and identify longer-term trends.

All of the following examples will assume you have already performed these steps within the Connect Admin License page:

• Log in to Connect > Admin > License
• Set the license type dropdown to 'All.'
• Set the timeframe dropdown to 'last 90 days.'
• Select the 'Export' button and save the Excel file locally
• Open the Excel file and perform the following data sanitization steps necessary for analyzing with PivotTables:
  • Insert a new column to calculate the Duration in Milliseconds into an HH:MM:SS format
    • Place your cursor in the second row of the new column and enter the following formula: =DurationInMilliseconds/86400000
    • Copy the formula down the entire column
    • Highlight the column and set the cell format to Time as hh:mm:ss

• Prepare the LoggedInAt column for the proper date and time formatting and analysis
  • Highlight the entire LoggedInAt column > select Find & Select > Replace... and complete the following three Find/Replace steps: 
    • Find what = " UTC" (be sure to include the space before UTC) and leave the Replace with field empty > select Replace All
    • Find what = " AM" (be sure to include the space before AM) and Replace with = "AM" with no space preceding
    • Find what = " PM" (be sure to include the space before PM) and Replace with = "PM" with no space preceding
    • The resulting columns should appear in this format: MM/DD/YYYY hh:mm:ssAM or MM/DD/YYYY hh:mm:ssPM
  • With the entire LoggedInAt column still highlighted, copy and paste the data into an empty column next to it and rename the original column 'LoggedInAtUTC.' You may name the new column 'LoggedInAtDate' as we are about to split the date and time values into separate columns
  • Highlight the new column 'LoggedInAtDate' and complete the following actions:
    • Select the Data tab > select 'Text to Columns.'
    • Step 1 of the wizard, choose 'Delimited' > Next.
    • Step 2 of the wizard, choose 'Space' and ensure 'Treat consecutive delimiters as one' is checked > Next
    • Step 3 of the wizard, set the first column data format to 'Date: MDY' and accept the default for the remaining columns > Finish
    • Once the columns are split, highlight the 'LoggedInAtDate' column and format it as a short date (MM/DD/YYYY)
  • Label the new column that contains only the time to 'LoggedInAtTimeUTC,' then highlight the entire column > select Find & Select > Replace... and complete the following two Find/Replace steps:
    • Find what = "AM" with no space preceding and Replace with = " AM" (be sure to include the space before AM) 
    • Find what = "PM" with no space preceding and Replace with = " PM" (be sure to include the space before PM) 
  • With the entire 'LoggedInAtUTC' column still highlighted, format the column for Time (either 12:30:00 PM or 13:30:00)
• (Optional) If you wish to convert the UTC to your organization's primary time zone, you may choose to add a new column for 'LoggedInAtORGTIMEZONE' with the following formula:
  
  • If you have not yet split the date/time columns
    • =datetime+(hours/24) if your timezone is ahead of UTC
    • =datetime-(hours/24) if your timezone is behind UTC
    • example: =E2-(7/24) --- if UTC is in cell E2 and you are converting to PDT (7 hours behind UTC)
  • If you have split the date time columns
    • =MOD(datetime+(hours/24),1) if your timezone is ahead of UTC
    • =MOD(DateTime-(hours/24),1) if your timezone is behind UTC
    • example: =MOD(E2+(2/24),1) --- if UTC is in cell E2 and you are converting to CEST (2 hours ahead UTC)
    • You may also need to review any times that crossed over to the following day (for example, 11:59 pm UTC converted to CEST would be 1:59 am, and the date would need to be adjusted accordingly)

How many users have been downgraded to a review-only license? How frequently are users being downgraded? Do I have specific users being downgraded more than others?

• With the Excel file open and the steps above already completed, place your cursor anywhere within the data > select the Insert tab > select PivotTable
• In the PivotTable from table or range modal, the Table/Range field should already be populated; New Worksheet should be selected > check the box for 'Add this data to the Data Model' > select OK
• Return to your original worksheet and rename it 'RawData' to keep your information organized
• In the new worksheet, rename it to 'Downgrades' and complete the following actions in the PivotTable Fields pane:
  • Drag the 'LicenseAssigned' field to the Filters section > set the filter to show only creator (float)
  • Drag the 'Downgraded' field to the Columns section (Downgraded is represented by FALSE = not downgraded, TRUE = downgraded)
  • Drag the 'LoggedInAtDate' field to the Rows section (counts should be grouped by month)
  • Drag the 'UserName' field to the Values section
    • By default, the resulting number shows the total count of downgrade attempts, which could include multiple attempts by a single person
    • If you would like to see distinct counts of people instead of the total count, select the dropdown on the UserName field in the Values section > select Value Field Settings... > in the Summarize value field by section, scroll to the bottom of the list and select Distinct Count > select OK
• Evaluate the resulting PivotTable as follows:
  • If there is no TRUE column, this means that none of your users were downgraded to a review-only license when attempting to access a creator (float) license
  • If there is a TRUE column, this means users were downgraded on at least one (or multiple) login attempts
    • Compare the downgraded numbers in the TRUE column against the non-downgraded numbers in the FALSE column --- if the downgrade numbers are high in comparison, you will likely need to evaluate your owned license to the assigned user ratio
    • (Optional) You may wish to see the percentage of downgrades versus the percentage of non-downgrades; you may do this by selecting the UserName field dropdown in the Values section > select Value Field Settings... > select the Show Values As tab > in the Show values as dropdown, select % of Row Total > select OK
    • Continue the analysis below for a more informed decision on how to adjust your licenses

To create a second PivotTable, place your cursor anywhere within the data > select the Insert tab > select PivotTable

• In the PivotTable from table or range modal, the Table/Range field should already be populated; New Worksheet should be selected > check the box for 'Add this data to the Data Model' > select OK
• In the new worksheet, complete the following actions in the PivotTable Fields pane:
  • Drag the Downgraded field into the Filters section > set the filter only to show the TRUE value to represent the downgraded users
  • Drag the LoggedInAtDate field into the Columns section (counts should be grouped by month if the volume of downgrades is high)
  • Drag the UserName field into the Rows section followed by the LoggedInAtTimeUTC field (or if you converted to your local time zone, you can use this field instead)
  • Drag the UserName field into the Values section
• Evaluate the resulting PivotTable as follows:
  • Observe the UserNames to identify which users are being downgraded and if there are multiple downgrades for specific users more so than others
  • Observe the Dates and Times of the downgrades --- do they appear to be clustered at specific points in time? 
  • Example: in the screenshot below, three users were all downgraded on the same day within 15 seconds of each other

When is my peak usage occurring (hourly/monthly/yearly)? How much time are users spending in Connect? Are there specific users spending significantly more time than others?

• With the Excel file open and the steps above already completed, place your cursor anywhere within the RawData sheet > select the Insert tab > select PivotTable
• In the PivotTable from table or range modal, the Table/Range field should already be populated; New Worksheet should be selected > check the box for 'Add this data to the Data Model' > select OK
• In the new worksheet, rename it 'Usage' and complete the following actions in the PivotTable Fields pane:
  • Drag the 'LicenseAssigned' field to the Filters section > set the filter to show only creator (float)
  • Drag the 'LoggedInAtDate' field to the Columns section (counts should be grouped by month)
  • Drag the 'LoggedInAtTimeUTC' field to the Rows section (counts should be grouped by hour -- if you did convert to your local time zone, you may use that field instead)
  • Drag the 'UserName' field to the Values section
    • By default, the resulting number shows the total count of logins, which could include multiple attempts by a single person
    • If you would like to see distinct counts of people instead of the total count, select the dropdown on the UserName field in the Values section > select Value Field Settings... > in the Summarize value field by section, scroll to the bottom of the list and select Distinct Count > select OK
• Evaluate the resulting PivotTable as follows:
  • Observe the UserName counts to identify which months (columns) had the highest volume of logins, as well as which hours throughout the day (rows)
  • Remember: If you have yet to convert to your local time zone, the peak hour may not make sense initially. It is recommended you at least note next to the chart what the time conversion is for clarity
  • For example, the screenshot below is filtered to show a Distinct Count of users (instead of the sum of logins) and is sorted in Descending order by the hour based on the count of users. To the right of the Pivot Table, I have added the appropriate PDT time corresponding to the UTC in the chart for reference. From this data, we can observe:
    • The organization's peak usage was in July 2022, with a total of 1160 unique user logins, albeit fairly even from May - July, with a significant drop off in August
    • The hours of 8:00 am - 10:00 am PDT represent the highest volume of traffic on average
    • If the organization had exported license data every 90 days, this information could be added to this historical information to evaluate year-over-year trends in usage. For example, May - July may be historically a peak usage time with a yearly drop-off in August - December. This would allow Connect Organization and Project Admins to proactively inform users of the trends and let them know that downgrades to review-only licenses may occur during these peak months/hours and to plan with coworkers accordingly. 

• To evaluate Max Duration per user and identify which (if any) users are monopolizing creator (float) licenses, with the Excel file open and the steps above already completed, place your cursor anywhere within the RawData sheet > select the Insert tab > select PivotTable
• In the PivotTable from table or range modal, the Table/Range field should already be populated; New Worksheet should be selected > check the box for 'Add this data to the Data Model' > select OK
• In the new worksheet, rename it 'UserDuration' and complete the following actions in the PivotTable Fields pane:
  • Drag the 'LicenseAssigned' field to the Filters section > set the filter to show only creator (float)
  • Drag the 'LoggedInAtDate' field to the Columns section (counts should be grouped by month)
  • Drag the 'UserName' field to the Rows section
  • Drag the DurationTime field to the Values section > select the dropdown from the DurationTime field > select Value Field Settings... > under Summarize value field by, select Max > select OK
  • Set the sort order of the PivotTable to Descending by Max of DurationTime 
  • (Optional) If you would like to evaluate the Average Max Duration, complete the following steps:
    • To the right of the PivotTable you just created, place your cursor in an empty field and enter the following formula: =SUM(2nd Value in the MaxDuration Grand Total: 2nd to Last Value in the MaxDuration Grand Total) in my example below this is =SUM(F6:F2389) -- we have removed the highest and lowest max duration from the equation to remove outliers
    • The resulting SUM will show you the Total Max Duration
    • In a field below this one, enter the formula: =AVERAGE(Total of Max Duration / Number of Users). In my example below, this is =AVERAGE(G6/2380)
    • The resulting AVERAGE will show you the average maximum duration of login sessions per user
• Evaluate the resulting PivotTable as follows:
  • Observe the top group of UserNames with the most extended Max Duration login session --- depending on the length of time; these users could be monopolizing creator (float) licenses and potentially causing downgrades for other users
    • IF your downgrade metrics validate this case, these users should be considered for named creator licenses to free up creator (float) licenses and minimize downgrades.

Related Articles:

• How to Export License Usage and Calculate License Consumption in Excel 

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