SoftwareCentral · Shop administration

Software Administration

Software Administration decides which packages, applications and software groups are in the shop, and how each one is presented, approved and handled. It only changes SoftwareCentral's own information — nothing in Configuration Manager or Intune.

What is in the shop Edit an application Six tabs

1 The list

Software Administration: a search box, and a list of packages and applications with Install and Uninstall checkboxes, icon, source, package name, friendly name and Edit
Shopping › Software Administration.
ColumnWhat it tells you
Install, UninstallWhether shoppers may install and uninstall it. See below.
IconThe picture in the shop.
SourceConfiguration Manager (SCCM) or Intune, when both are used.
Package Name (SCCM)The name in Configuration Manager — App name (Intune) when SoftwareCentral only manages Intune.
Friendly Package Name (SWC)The name shoppers see.
ServiceNowWhether orders create a ServiceNow ticket, when ServiceNow is set up.
Available toThe groups and user collections the application is available to.

Search at the left, choose the site or Intune tenant at the top, and export the list with the CSV and Excel buttons above it.

2 Install and uninstall

Install is the minimum: an application without it is not in the shop at all. Uninstall lets shoppers remove it again; software groups cannot be uninstalled. The checkboxes save at once — there is no Save button for them — and only roles allowed to change install permissions can use them.

Who sees it Install permission does not show an application to everyone: the shopper must also be allowed to get it — through the groups or user collections under Available to, or a package security group.

3 Editing an application

Click the name or Edit to open Edit properties. It has six tabs; your security role decides which you see and whether you can change them. Nothing is stored until you click Save.

4 Software Properties

The Software Properties tab
Software Properties.
FieldWhat it does
Permitted client actionsInstall, uninstall, and whether it can be ordered for a phone.
Friendly NameThe name in the shop.
Short DescriptionOne line under the name. In the new shop it replaces the publisher on the card.
DescriptionThe full text. Switch to HTML to add tables, links, images or video — see HTML in descriptions.
PriceA price, or Free, Unknown, per year, per month or a one-time cost.
LeaseTick Lease this product in and choose 1–24 months (Lease in months). The software is installed immediately or when approved, and is uninstalled automatically after the selected number of months. The button becomes Lease.
FeaturedPuts it on the new shop's Featured shelf, at the position given. See Featured and Trending.
Show Software VariablesAsks the shopper questions before ordering. Select visible variables chooses which, and in which order (drag them). See Software Variables.
Product CategoriesThe categories it is listed under. See Product Categories.
Deep LinkA link that opens the shop on this application. Copy to clipboard copies it.
Application life cycleProduction is normal. Maintenance and Inactive are shown but cannot be ordered. Test is marked as test in the classic shop.
ServiceNowCreates a ServiceNow ticket for each order, when ServiceNow is set up.

5 Icon

The Icon tab with a file explorer of uploaded images and a preview
Icon.

Choose an image from the uploaded images, or Upload a new one. Default Icon goes back to the standard picture. Use square images; the shop shows them small, so keep the files small too — SoftwareCentral can offer to shrink large icons for you.

6 Additional Languages

The Additional Languages tab with a language choice, a display name and a description
Additional Languages.

Choose a language and write the name and description in it. A shopper whose language is empty sees the default text. Get Default Values copies the default text in as a starting point.

7 The other tabs

TabSee
Custom ActionScripts that run when the application is ordered, approved or declined — Custom Actions.
Approval FlowWho approves — Approval Flow.
Additional InformationContacts (super users, support, prime contact, technical know-how, application owner), administrator comments that are never shown in the shop, search tags and your own info fields — Preparing applications.

8 Best practice

  • Give every item a Friendly Name and a Short Description, so shoppers recognise it without the SCCM package name.
  • Tick Install only when an item is ready: an item without it is not in the shop at all, and ticking it saves at once.
  • Remember that Install alone does not show the item to everybody. Check Available to or the package security group as well.
  • Use Application life cycle to take an item out of use without deleting it: Maintenance and Inactive items are shown but cannot be ordered.
  • Use small, square icons. When Analyze shop settings is on under Settings › General Settings › Maintenance, SoftwareCentral offers to shrink large images, and keeps a zipped backup of the originals in the Uploads folder.
  • Click Save in Edit properties: nothing in the window is stored until you do, and only the tabs your security role shows can be changed.

9 Troubleshooting

SymptomCauseWhat to do
“This user does not have a mail address registered in Entra ID.” is shown when you add an approver. Approvers are read from Entra ID, and the user you chose has no mail address there, so the approver cannot be added. Add a mail address to the user in Entra ID, or choose another approver.
The Software Properties and Icon tabs are missing. Your security role has no right to view or change software properties, so the tabs are hidden. Ask your SoftwareCentral administrator to give your role the right you need.
The fields in Software Properties are greyed out and there is no Save button. Your role can view the software but cannot change it. The Save button is hidden when your role cannot change any tab. Ask your administrator to give your role the right to change the tabs you need.
Install Allowed or Uninstall Allowed is greyed out. Your security role does not have the right to edit install and uninstall permissions. Ask your administrator for that right, or ask them to make the change.
You want a lease longer than 24 months, or shorter than 1 month. A lease can only be set from 1 to 24 months. Choose a period from 1 to 24 months.
“Are you sure you want to overwrite the approval flow for n packages?” appears when you click Save. Replicate Approval Flow is set, so the approval flow is copied to the other selected packages and replaces the flow they have now. Click Cancel to stop the copy. Click OK only if every selected package should get this approval flow.