Microsoft SQL Licensing

The relational database management system SQL was released by Microsoft in 1989 with version 1.0. Since then, it has undergone many changes and a lot of development. It brings functionality to the corporate infrastructure and facilitates data and data management in organizations of various sizes, from small businesses to large corporations.

What can SQL Server do?

Microsoft SQL Server can handle almost anything you need. It is a great option for data handling, analysis and storage. It features a wide range of applications that make working with data easier.

Tools that are part of SQL Server include, but are not limited to:

SQL Server Management Studio - A productive tool for creating and managing any SQL infrastructure. It is a graphical tool that allows you to interact with and retrieve information from the database.
Database Tuning Advisor - DTA is a tool for tuning the performance of SQL Server itself for better query processing. It suggests recommendations for the best combination of indexes. It examines in detail how queries are processed in the database and recommends methods to improve them. The result is then an increase in SQL Server performance.
SQL Server Profiler - Allows you to monitor all activities and operations that take place inside a Server instance. The operations performed can then be re-run and analyzed to quickly and easily identify poorly performing queries. You can also access events from visitors, where you can see who, how and when they access the instance.
Business Intelligence Tools - BI tools allow you to easily process large volumes of data. The goal is to turn data into useful information that the organization can then use to make important and strategic decisions.

SQL Server Licensing

In the on-premise solution, SQL Server can be purchased in two basic editions, Standard and Enterprise. The Standard edition provides basic database, reporting and analytical functions. It is limited by database size, memory and number of cores. The Enterprise edition is suitable for working with large volumes of data. It delivers great performance, unlimited virtualization, and additional services for mission-critical workloads.

Microsoft uses two models for licensing SQL Server: server-based licensing (Server+ CAL) and per-core licensing (Per Core).

Both licensing models are available for the SQL Server Standard edition. The SQL Server Enterprise edition is only available through Per Core licensing

Server-based license - Server + CAL

The server-based licensing model is a combination of SQL Server and access licenses, called SQL Server CALs. In this model, SQL Server licensing rules are the same for both physically and virtually installed servers.

A license must be purchased for each server running SQL Server software. Access to the server is then secured by CAL licenses. Two types of access licenses are available for SQL Server: User or Device CALs. SQL User CALs allow access to one physical user from many different devices, while SQL Device CALs allow access to a large number of users from a single device.

Per Core Licensing

The Per Core licensing model allows you to license any device that accesses SQL Server. An unlimited number of users can also connect.

Under the Per Core licensing model, each server with a SQL Server instance must be assigned the appropriate number of core licenses. Licensing differs for physical and virtual environments. The licensing method then determines the number of core licenses required.

For a physical server, a license is required for each physical core of each processor. It is important to keep in mind that Microsoft's licensing terms require a minimum of four core licenses per physical processor. Therefore, if you own a dual-core processor, you must purchase a minimum of four core licenses. Standalone licenses are sold in a bundle of two cores.

A license is required for each physical core, but always at least four cores per physical processor.

Licensing SQL Server in a virtual environment is more difficult.

The first option is to license individual virtual servers. In this case, all virtual cores running the SQL Server software must be licensed for the appropriate number of cores. Again, a minimum of four core licenses are required for each SQL Server virtual.
The second option is to license the physical hardware on which the virtual server is installed. In this case, all physical cores of all processors of the physical server need to have a core license assigned.
SQL Server licenses can be distributed as SQL Server Standard 2 Core or Enterprise 2 Core, i.e., the minimum license increment covers two cores.