Error in License Change Log During Provisioning – “Subscription Is Not Ready to Be Updated”

Applies to: Work 365 (Subscriptions & Provisioning)
Audience: System Administrators | Billing Teams | Support Engineers

Overview

During subscription provisioning, a License Change Log (LCL) may surface this Partner Center response:

“Subscription is not ready to be updated. Please try again after sometime.”

This message originates from Microsoft Partner Center and typically signals a temporary backend condition (ongoing propagation, API latency, or throttling). Work 365 is connecting and requesting correctly—the provider simply isn’t ready to accept the update yet.

Key Concepts

• License Change Log (LCL): Records subscription changes (quantity/price/activation) along with Effective Date and provisioning status; drives audit and billing.

• Provisioning Job: Background process triggered by LCLs to apply changes at the provider (e.g., Partner Center).

• Automatic Retry: When Partner Center is temporarily unavailable, Work 365 retries the request several times before marking the LCL as Failed Provisioning.

How It Works

1. An LCL is created/updated → Provisioning Status = Awaiting Provisioning.

2. Work 365 calls the provider to apply the change.

3. If Partner Center returns “Subscription is not ready…”, Work 365 will retry automatically (multiple attempts).

4. If all retries fail, the LCL moves to Failed Provisioning. You can then reset and re-queue it.

Common Scenarios

• Prior action still processing: A recent conversion, term change, or quantity update is still propagating in Partner Center.

• Overlapping updates: Another LCL on the same subscription is in progress.

• Provider throttling/instability: Temporary API throttling or service degradation on the provider side.

Steps to Resolve

1) Re-queue the LCL

• Open the affected LCL.

• Set Provisioning Status → Awaiting Provisioning and Save.

• The next provisioning cycle will retry automatically.

2) Monitor Provisioning Health

• Use Work 365 Exceptions Dashboard → Change Logs Pending Provisioning.

• Review Failed Work 365 Jobs and the Provisioning Message on the LCL for patterns (timing, throttling, overlapping changes).

3) Avoid Overlapping Updates

• Do not submit multiple changes for the same subscription until the prior LCL is Provisioned.

• For bulk updates, stage by customer/product family and allow time between cycles.

Quick Triage Checklist

• ✅ No earlier LCLs in Awaiting/Failed for this subscription

• ✅ Effective dates are valid (not in the future unless intended)

• ✅ Parent/add-on dependencies are Provisioned

• ✅ Provider integration Verify Connectivity succeeds

• ✅ Provisioning Message indicates temporary provider state (not a policy rejection)

Use Cases

• Seat reduction after a prior add: Wait for the add to Provisioned, then re-queue the reduction LCL.

• NCE term change then quantity change: Allow the term update to finish in Partner Center; re-queue the quantity LCL afterward.

Best Practices

• Monitor daily during billing periods; aim for zero failed/long-pending provisioning jobs.

• Stagger bulk operations to reduce contention and throttling.

• Re-queue, don’t recreate: Resetting Provisioning Status is safer than duplicating LCLs.

• Document retries (Notes on the LCL) for audit clarity.

• Respect provider rules: Provider policies (e.g., NCE reduction limits) can still block changes even if Work 365 accepts them.

FAQs / Common Questions

Q: Is this a Work 365 configuration issue?
A: No. The error is a Partner Center response indicating a temporary state.

Q: How many automatic retries occur?
A: Work 365 performs several automatic retries. If they all fail, set the LCL back to Awaiting Provisioning to try again.

Q: Can I submit another change while this is pending?
A: Avoid it. Overlapping updates on the same subscription often trigger additional rejections.

Q: The LCL keeps failing after retries—what next?
A: Check Partner Center service health, ensure no concurrent changes are pending, and review the Provisioning Message on the LCL. If needed, contact Work 365 Support with LCL ID, subscription ID, and timestamps.

Summary

“Subscription is not ready to be updated” reflects a temporary provider condition, not a Work 365 misconfiguration. Work 365 retries automatically; if still failing, reset the LCL to Awaiting Provisioning and avoid overlapping changes. Regular dashboard monitoring and staged updates help keep provisioning smooth and reliable.