What a licensing assessment needs from your data
A licensing position is only as good as the facts underneath it. Windows Server and SQL Server licensing depends on physical cores, virtualisation and how each workload is actually used, so each gap in your inventory can move the outcome by a lot. Some key facts that move the number:
No single tool captures all of these perfectly. That is not a problem, as long as you know what each source covers and where the gaps are. This is where SOLAR steps in. It analyses your data and, based on its licensing logic, suggests an answer for every gap that you can simply accept or overrule. You decide the facts; SOLAR applies the logic and the rules.
The sources, one by one
RVTools
Dell Technologies · FreeA free Windows application that exports a detailed view of a VMware vSphere environment to Excel. Owned by Dell Technologies since 2023.
Official pageMAP Toolkit
Microsoft · Free · DiscontinuedMicrosoft's agentless inventory and assessment tool. Discontinued but still downloadable, and still the first choice of many clients and consultants.
Official pageFlexera One
Flexera · CommercialAn enterprise IT asset management platform with broad discovery, software recognition and license management.
Official pageSnow Atlas
Flexera, since 2024 · CommercialSnow Software's SAM platform. Flexera completed its acquisition of Snow in February 2024 and continues to sell and support Snow Atlas.
Official pageServiceNow
ServiceNow · CommercialDiscovery and Software Asset Management on the ServiceNow platform, with the CMDB as the central source of configuration data.
Official pageSOLAR Collector
Toolify.io · For SOLAR clientsAn agentless PowerShell script that inventories your Windows Server and SQL Server estate like MAP does, and writes it all to one Excel file.
About SOLARPros and cons at a glance
| Source | Pros | Cons for licensing |
|---|---|---|
| RVTools | Free, fast and read-only. Excellent host, cluster and VM detail for VMware. Widely accepted export format. | VMware only, so no physical or Hyper-V hosts. Sees VMs, not what runs inside them: no SQL Server instances or editions. Download only from Dell: the original website was compromised in March 2025. |
| MAP Toolkit | Free and agentless. Inventories Windows servers and SQL Server instances, including editions. Familiar to clients, partners and consultants. | No longer maintained, so support for newer releases cannot be assumed. Microsoft points to Azure Migrate instead, which is built for migration rather than licensing. Needs a dedicated Windows machine with a local database. |
| Flexera One | Broad discovery across platforms. Strong software recognition and entitlement data. Continuous inventory. | Significant investment and implementation effort. Windows Server and SQL Server rules still need expert interpretation. Exports often need cleaning before an assessment. |
| Snow Atlas | Mature software recognition. Familiar to many SAM teams. Continuous inventory. | Significant investment. Data quality depends on coverage. Datacenter context such as clusters and VM mobility is not always complete. |
| ServiceNow | Often already the single source of truth. Rich relationships in the CMDB. | Quality depends on CMDB hygiene. Licensing fields such as SQL editions or VM mobility are not always populated. Exports differ per implementation. |
| SOLAR Collector Beta | Agentless, nothing to install on your servers. Collects exactly what licensing needs. Actively maintained by Toolify.io. You review the Excel file before you upload it. | Available to SOLAR clients only. Inventories servers the way MAP does, so combine it with RVTools for full VMware cluster detail. |
Side by side
| Source | Cost | VMware detail | Physical servers | SQL editions | Clusters and mobility | Agentless | Maintained |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RVTools | Free | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| MAP Toolkit | Free | Partly | Yes | Yes | Partly | Yes | No |
| Flexera One | Commercial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partly | Varies | Yes |
| Snow Atlas | Commercial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partly | Varies | Yes |
| ServiceNow | Commercial | Yes | Yes | Partly | Partly | Varies | Yes |
| SOLAR Collector Beta | Included | Partly | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
YesPartlyNo General capabilities. The actual result depends on how each product is configured and licensed in your organisation.
The MAP Toolkit paradox
The Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit has been the free, default way to inventory Microsoft server estates for years. Microsoft has stopped developing it: the last update dates from 2018, and Microsoft now points customers to Azure Migrate instead. Because it is so widely used, it is still available for download. Ask a licensing consultant which tool they start with, and MAP is still a common answer.
The most widely used inventory tool for Microsoft server licensing is one that Microsoft no longer maintains or develops itself.
Azure Migrate is a strong tool for planning a move to Azure, with discovery, dependency mapping and cost projections. But it is built for migration. It does not tell you what your on-premises Windows Server and SQL Server licensing position is today, or what it will be at your next renewal.
That leaves many organisations running an unmaintained tool for one of their most expensive licensing decisions.
SOLAR Collector: a maintained alternative to MAP Beta
The SOLAR Collector was built for exactly this gap. It collects the same server facts that made MAP useful for licensing, and it is actively maintained by the team that builds the licensing rules in SOLAR.
- Run the scriptAn agentless PowerShell script. Nothing is installed on your servers.
- Review the Excel fileHosts and cores, clusters, VMs, SQL Server instances, editions and versions, and HA/DR. You see exactly what will be shared.
- Upload it to SOLARSOLAR applies the licensing rules and shows what it found, what it assumed and what it needs you to confirm.
The SOLAR Collector is available now as Beta, exclusively for SOLAR clients. For the complete picture, use the SOLAR Collector together with RVTools: the Collector covers your servers and SQL Server detail, RVTools your VMware hosts and clusters.
Combine sources, keep every value
Most estates are best described by more than one source: RVTools for the VMware clusters, MAP or the SOLAR Collector for the SQL Server detail, and a SAM tool where one is in place. SOLAR combines them into one view.
Where sources disagree, SOLAR does not silently pick the number that suits the calculation. If MAP reports 8 vCores for a SQL Server and the inventory reports 16, SOLAR keeps both values on record and asks you to confirm one. You can see how that works in the SOLAR test drive. Either way, SOLAR keeps the decision with you, and the rules with SOLAR.
Audit-ready, and easier every year
SOLAR is not just built to simplify the work. It is built to make it repeatable, every year, without starting all over again. Every fact, source value, confirmation and change is recorded: who changed what, when, and why. SOLAR turns that trail into an audit-ready PDF, so the position you defend at renewal is the same one you can prove later. And because your confirmed facts and decisions carry forward, each annual round starts from last year's position instead of from zero. The first assessment does the heavy lifting; every round after that gets faster.
Which source should you use?
- You already run MAP Toolkit. Keep using your export: SOLAR reads it. Consider the SOLAR Collector Beta for your next round.
- Your estate is probably virtualised on VMware. Start with RVTools for hosts and clusters, and add the SOLAR Collector or MAP for SQL Server detail.
- You have Flexera, Snow or ServiceNow. Use the export you already trust. SOLAR shows where licensing facts are missing.
- You have nothing in place. Combine RVTools with the SOLAR Collector, and you are ready for a first assessment.
Frequently asked questions
Is MAP Toolkit still supported?
No. Microsoft has not updated the MAP Toolkit since 2018 and now recommends Azure Migrate, which focuses on migration to Azure rather than your on-premises licensing position. Because it remains widely used, MAP is still available for download.
Can RVTools be used for SQL Server licensing?
Partly. RVTools gives you excellent VMware host, cluster and VM detail, which matters for Windows Server and SQL Server licensing. It does not see which SQL Server instances and editions run inside those VMs, so combine it with MAP or the SOLAR Collector.
Do I need a SAM tool for a licensing assessment?
No. A SAM tool such as Flexera, Snow or ServiceNow helps, but SOLAR also works with free sources such as RVTools, MAP Toolkit and the SOLAR Collector.
Does the SOLAR Collector install agents? Beta
No. The SOLAR Collector, currently in Beta, is an agentless PowerShell script. It writes its results to an Excel file that you review before uploading it to SOLAR.
Which data sources does SOLAR support?
SOLAR works with exports from RVTools, MAP Toolkit, Flexera, Snow and ServiceNow, and with the SOLAR Collector. You can combine several sources in one assessment. Using a different source? Reach out to us and we'll discuss it: data is data, and it can be imported.
Can we reuse last year's assessment?
Yes. Your confirmed facts, decisions and every change are kept on record, so the next annual round starts from last year's position instead of from zero. You only validate what has changed.