American Owned and Operated
Microsoft SQL Server Licensing Explanation
Overview | Versions | Licensing | What's New | Compare Versions | Compare Years | Software Assurance | Per Core | Docs | Contact
Overview
SQL Server 2016 is the biggest leap forward in the Microsoft data platform history with real-time operational analytics, rich visualizations on mobile devices, built-in advanced analytics, new advanced security technology, and new hybrid cloud scenarios. Find out what's new in SQL 2016.
Versions
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StandardSQL Server Standard provides core data management and business intelligence capabilities for non-critical workloads with minimal IT resources. |
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EnterpriseSQL Server Enterprise delivers comprehensive datacenter capabilities for mission-critical database, business intelligence, and advanced analytics workloads. |
Licensing Information
Microsoft SQL Server licensing made simple. Learn more about Software Assurance and Per Core licensing. Per user and device CALs are also available.
License type:
License type:
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StandardThe most affordable way to get sql, this option is great for small (1 – 30) users or devices.Requirements:
Open License
Open License with Software Assurance
Software Assurance only |
Standard 2 CoreMicrosoft SQL 2 Core license comes with unlimited users and can be enhanced by speeding up storage and memory. Cost effective when you have more than 31 users on a system.Requirements:
Open License
Open License with Software Assurance
Software Assurance only |
Enterprise 2 CoreMicrosoft SQL Enterprise 2 Core license comes with unlimited users and can be enhanced by speeding up storage and memory.Requirements:
Open License
Open License with Software Assurance
Software Assurance only |
Device Client Access License
(1 Device CAL)
Your price: Purchase
User Client Access License
(1 User CAL)
Your price: Purchase
What's New for 2016
- Always Encrypted – a new capability developed by Microsoft Research that is designed to protect data “at rest and in motion”
- Stretch Database – new technology that lets allows users to dynamically stretch warm and cold transactional data to Microsoft Azure
- Enhancements to Microsoft’s “Hekaton” in-memory technologies for real-time analytics
- New in-database analytics with R integration
- Polybase — an engine that, to date, has been part of the SQL Server
- Parallel Data Warehouse Appliance, for more easily managing relational and non-relational data
- Row-level security, allowing users to control access to data based on characteristics of the user, without modifications to applications
- Dynamic Data Masking — supports real-time obfuscation of data to prevent access to unauthorized dataTemporal database support for tracking historical data changes
- Query Data Store — a “flight data recorder” for database administrators
- Enhanced server management for Master Data Services
- Enhanced hybrid backup to Azure and faster restores to SQL Server in Azure virtual machines
| Standard | Enterprise | |
Mission critical performance |
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Mission critical performance |
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Security |
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Security |
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Data warehousing |
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Data ware-housing |
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Business intelligence |
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Business intelligence |
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Advanced analytics |
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Advanced analytics |
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Hybrid cloud |
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Hybrid |
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Compare Versions
| Features | Standard | Enterprise | |
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| Mission critical performance | Maximum number of cores |
24 cores | Unlimited |
Maximum memory utilized per instance |
128 GB | OS Max | |
Maximum size |
524 PB | 524 PB | |
Basic OLTP |
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Manageability (Management Studio, Policy-Based Management) |
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Basic high availability (2-node single database failover, non-readable secondary) |
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Enterprise data management (Master Data Services, Data Quality Services) |
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Advanced OLTP (In-memory OLTP, Operational analytics) |
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Advanced HA (Always On - multi-node, multi-db failover, readable secondaries) |
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| Security | Basic security (Row-level security, data masking, basic auditing, separation of duties) |
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Advanced security (Transparent Data Encryption, Always Encrypted) |
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| Data warehousing | Advanced data integration (Fuzzy grouping and look ups, change data capture) |
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Data warehousing (In-Memory ColumnStore, Partitioning) |
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| Business intelligence | Programmability & developer tools (T-SQL, CLR, Data Types, FileTable, JSON) |
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Basic reporting & analytics |
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Basic data integration (SSIS, built-in connectors) |
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Basic Corporate Business Intelligence (Multi-dimensional models, Basic tabular model) |
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Mobile BI (Datazen) |
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Advanced Corporate Business Intelligence (Advanced tabular model, Direct query,
in-memory analytics, advanced data mining)
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| Advanced analytics | Basic “R” integration (Connectivity to R Open, Limited parallelism for RRE)
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Advanced “R” integration (Full parallelism for RRE)
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| Hybrid cloud | Stretch Database |
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Compare Years
| Features | 2016 | 2014 | 2012 | 2008 R2 | |
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| Performance | In-memory OLTP* |
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| In-memory ColumnStore* |
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| Real-time operational analytics* |
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| Resource Governor* |
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| Query Store |
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| Availability | AlwaysOn* |
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| Enhanced virtualization support and live migration |
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| Security | Always Encrypted* |
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| Transparent data encryption* |
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| Row-level security |
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| Dynamic data masking |
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| Backup encryption support |
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| Fine-grained auditing |
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| Separation of duties |
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| Programmability | JSON support |
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| PolyBase queries over Hadoop data** |
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| Temporal |
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| Cloud-ready | SQL Server Stretch Database |
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| Backup to Azure |
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| Disaster recovery to Azure* |
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| Optimized virtual machine images in Azure gallery |
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| Management | Distributed replay |
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| Policy-based management |
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| Business intelligence | Modernized reports |
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| Mobile BI* |
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| Integration services managed as a server |
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| Pin reports to Power BI |
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| Multi-dimensional semantic models |
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| Enhanced tabular BI semantic models* |
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| Master data services* |
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| Data quality services* |
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| Advanced analytics | In-database advanced analytics with R Services |
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| Multi-threaded processing of R queries and streaming memory* |
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Software Assurance
Software assurance in the Microsoft realm has always meant buy the next version for half off with purchase of a current version license and the software assurance licensing at once time. In SQL it holds a special meaning as well, it allows users to receive Microsoft support on their SQL server installations as well as granting audit data base server abilities. Software Assurance must be purchases within 90 days of your original open license purchase and grants 2 years of upgrades as well as standard support.
Benefits of Software Assurance
Latest Technologies - access to new product versions that are released during your term at no additional cost.
E-learning - offers self-paced interactive online learning for end-users and IT professionals
Home Use Program - provides employees with the latest version of Microsoft Office for their home computer, via low-cost download (around $10)
24x7 Problem Resolution Support - provides specific product fixes on a per customer incident basis, beyond the standard product support
Backup for Disaster Recovery - for each licensed instance you run under qualifying licenses with SA and related CALs, you may run one instance of the software on a backup server for disaster recovery purposes
Benefits of Software Assurance
Per Core Explanation
| SQL Server Core Factor Table* | |
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| Processor Type | Core Factor |
| All processors not mentioned below | 1 |
| AMD Processors 31XX, 32XX, 33XX, 41XX, 42XX, 43XX, 61XX, 62XX, 63XX Series Processors with 6 or more cores | 0.75 |
| Single-Core Processors | 4 |
| Dual-Core Processors | 2 |
* This is an example of how to calculate core license requirements and the core factor table. The core factor table is subject to change.
Documents
SQL Server 2016 Datasheet (PDF)
SQL Server 2016 Mission Critical technical white paper (PDF)
SQL Server 2016 In-memory OLTP technical white paper (PDF)
SQL Server 2016 In-memory OLTP and Columnstore Feature Comparison (PDF)
SQL Server 2016 Deeper Insights Across Data technical white paper (PDF)
SQL Server 2016 Hyper-scale Cloud technical white paper (PDF)
SQL Server 2016 Mission Critical technical white paper (PDF)
SQL Server 2016 In-memory OLTP technical white paper (PDF)
SQL Server 2016 In-memory OLTP and Columnstore Feature Comparison (PDF)
SQL Server 2016 Deeper Insights Across Data technical white paper (PDF)
SQL Server 2016 Hyper-scale Cloud technical white paper (PDF)
Contact
Feeling a little lost? Have some questions? Call us at 949-520-1876 (between 6am and 5pm PT), or use the handy form below and one of our Microsoft Certified Professionals will get back to you as soon as possible.
