Welcome to BeSharp Experts’ comprehensive guide to SQL Server 2022! In this blog, we will dive deep into the different editions and licensing models of SQL Server 2022 and how they can support your organization.
SQL Server 2022: Edition Overview
SQL Server 2022 is designed to meet the diverse needs of modern data management systems.
Here are the key editions:
- Enterprise Edition: Perfect for applications requiring mission-critical in-memory performance, advanced security, and high availability.
- Standard Edition: Ideal for mid-tier applications and data marts with fully-featured database capabilities.
- Developer Edition: Available for free and provides all the Enterprise Edition features for development and testing purposes.
- Express Edition: Also available for free and suitable for smaller applications and development purposes.
- Web Edition: Available through the Services Provider License Agreement (SPLA) program.
SQL Server 2022 Licensing Models
SQL Server 2022 offers two main licensing models:
- Per Core Licensing
- What is it?: A model that provides a precise measure of computing power, regardless of whether solutions are deployed on-premises, virtually, or in the cloud.
- When to use it?: Ideal when you cannot count users/devices, for internet/extranet workloads, or systems integrating with external workloads.
- Benefits: Provides more precision and consistency, suitable for physical server use or virtual machines.
- Server + CAL (Client Access License):
- What is it?: This model requires a server license for each server running SQL Server and a CAL for each user or device accessing the server.
- When to use it?: Suitable for organizations wanting to control costs and easily access additional SQL Server deployments.
Benefits of Software Assurance and subscription licenses
Software Assurance (SA) and subscription licenses offer valuable benefits, such as:
- Azure Hybrid Benefit: Save by using existing licenses in Azure.
- Fail-Over Servers: For disaster recovery and high availability.
- Unlimited Virtualization: Use an unlimited number of virtual machines.
- Power BI Report Server: Generate data visualizations on-premises.
Licensing options for virtualization and containers
SQL Server 2022 provides flexibility with licenses for virtual machines and containers. There are two primary options:
Individual virtual machines or containers
- What is it?: Licensing based on virtual cores or containers, ideal for dynamic and scaled environments.
- Benefits: Save on licensing costs by paying only for the virtual resources you actually use.
High-density virtualization or container deployment
- What is it?: For customers who want to leverage the full power of their physical servers with dynamic provisioning.
- Benefits: Maximize efficiency and save costs in high-density virtual environments.
Licensing for high availability and disaster recovery
SQL Server 2022 offers options for high availability and disaster recovery with passive replicas at no additional licensing cost:
- One passive fail-over replica for high availability.
- One passive fail-over replica for disaster recovery.
- Disaster recovery in Azure.
Licensing for non-production use
The Developer Edition is free and provides full access to all Enterprise Edition features for development and testing purposes. This means you can install the software on multiple devices without incurring additional licensing costs.
Contact us today!
Do you have questions or need help choosing the right edition and license? Contact BeSharp Experts for a free consultation. We are ready to help you find the most optimal licensing solutions for your needs.