Microsoft

SQL Server 2022

Licensing guide

November 2022
Contents
Overview 3
SQL Server editions 4
SQL Server and Software Assurance 7
How SQL Server licenses are sold 9
Server and Cloud Enrolment

SQL Server licensing models 11

Core-based licensing
Server+CAL licensing

Licensing SQL Server components 14

Licensing SQL Server in a virtualized environment 15
Licensing individual virtual machines
Licensing for maximum virtualization

Licensing SQL Server in containers 19

Licensing individual containers
Licensing containers for maximum density

Advanced licensing scenarios and detailed examples 23

Licensing SQL Server for high availability and disaster recovery
SQL Server Azure Hybrid Benefit
Licensing SQL Server for application mobility
Licensing SQL Server for non-production use
Licensing SQL Server in a multiplexed application environment

Additional product information 35

SQL Server migration options for Software Assurance customers
Licensing SQL Server for the Analytics Platform System
Additional product licensing resources

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This document is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY.

Microsoft provides this material solely for informational and marketing purposes. Customers should refer to their agreements for a full understanding of their rights and
obligations under Microsoft’s Volume Licensing programs. Microsoft software is licensed not sold. The value and benefit gained through use of Microsoft software and services
may vary by customer. Customers with questions about differences between this material and the agreements should contact their reseller or Microsoft account manager.
Microsoft does not set final prices or payment terms for licenses acquired through resellers. Final prices and payment terms are determined by agreement between the
customer and its reseller. Eligibility for Software Assurance benefits varies by offering and region and is subject to change. The terms and conditions of your Volume License
Agreement and the terms and conditions under which any specific Software Assurance benefits are offered will take precedence in the case of any conflict with the information
provided here. For eligibility criteria and current benefit program rules, see the Microsoft Product Terms.
Overview
This licensing guide is for people who want to gain a basic understanding of how Microsoft® SQL Server®
2022 database software is licensed through Microsoft Volume Licensing programs. This guide does not
supersede or replace any of the legal documentation covering SQL Server 2022 use rights. Specific product
license terms are defined in the product Software License Terms—or in the case of Microsoft Volume
Licensing—in the Microsoft Volume Licensing agreement under which the software was acquired and/or the
Microsoft Volume Licensing Product Terms. This licensing guide is not a legal use rights document. Program
specifications and business rules are subject to change.

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SQL Server 2022 editions
Overview
SQL Server 2022 is offered in two main commercial editions to accommodate the unique feature, performance
and price requirements of organizations and individuals:

• Enterprise Edition is ideal for applications requiring mission critical in-memory performance, security and
high availability.
• Standard Edition delivers fully featured database capabilities for mid-tier applications and data marts.

The editions are offered in a straightforward, tiered model that creates greater consistency across the product
editions, features and licensing. Enterprise Edition includes all the capabilities available in SQL Server

Through a consistent programming interface across all editions, it is easier than ever for developers and
partners to build and upgrade applications that take advantage of advanced performance, security, and data
mart or data warehouse features – regardless of scale, from Express to Enterprise.

SQL Server Standard Edition sets the bar for rich programming capabilities, security innovations, and fast
performance for mid-tier applications and data marts. SQL Server Standard Edition can easily be upgraded to
Enterprise Edition as workloads scale or for mission critical workloads without requiring an application re-write.
Enterprise Edition continues to deliver the highest levels of mission critical scalability, availability, and
performance as well as maximum virtualization rights with Software Assurance.

Note: SQL Server 2022 was released on November 16, 2022 for EA/EAS, MPSA, Select+, and Open Value
customers. Any customer that acquired SQL Server licenses through one of those designated channels on
November 16, 2022 or later is entitled to run SQL Server 2022 software with those licenses once the media is
made available to them between November 2022 and January 2023. SQL Server 2022 will be released in CSP in
January 2023.

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 SQL Server 2022 new features Express Standard Enterprise

Maximum number of cores 4 24 OS Max

Compute Maximum memory utilized per

1410 MB 128 GB OS Max
and storage instance

Maximum relational database size 10 GB 524 PB 524 PB

Azure Synapse Link for SQL ✕ ✕

Azure- Ledger ✕ ✕ ✕
enabled
Link feature for Azure SQL Managed
✕
Instance

Link feature for Azure SQL Managed

✕
Instance (basic availability groups)

Microsoft Purview policies ✕ ✕ ✕

Choice of JSON T-SQL Enhancements ✕ ✕ ✕

language
and
Modern T-SQL surface area ✕ ✕ ✕
platform

Query Store by default for new

✕ ✕ ✕
databases

Query Store: Read-replica support ✕

Industry-
leading
Built-in query intelligence: Parameter
performance
Sensitive Plan (PSP) Optimization, ✕ ✕ ✕
and
Optimized plan forcing
availability

Built-in query intelligence: CE

Feedback, DOP Feedback, Memory ✕
Grant Feedback

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 Contained Availability Group ✕

✕
(limited to 2
Buffer Pool Parallel Scan threads,
✕
over 64GB
Mem only)

AVX 512 extension for batch mode ✕

Intel QAT Enhancements for Backup ✕ ✕

(SW only) (HW + SW)

Timeseries support ✕ ✕ ✕

Always Encrypted with secure enclaves

✕ ✕ ✕
- new features
Secure and
reliable
Granular permissions for Dynamic
✕ ✕ ✕
Data Masking

Data Lake Virtualization ✕ ✕ ✕

Analytics
Object Storage Integration with S3-
✕ ✕
compatible storage

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Other specialty editions of SQL Server 2022 include Developer Edition, which is licensed for non-production
use; the freely downloadable and distributable Express Edition. SQL Server Web Edition remains available only
under the Microsoft Services Provider License Agreement (SPLA).

• For general information on SQL Server editions reference https://aka.ms/SQLServer2022EditionsDatasheet

• For detailed product specifications and a full feature-by-feature comparison of the SQL Server editions, visit
https://aka.ms/sqlserver2022editions

Analysis Services (AS) and

Database Engine (DBE) capacity limits
SQL Server Reporting Services (RS) capacity limits*
2022Edition
Max compute Max memory Max compute Max memory Max memory
Max DB Size
capacity utilization - DBE capacity utilization - AS utilization – RS

Enterprise Per Core OS max OS max 524 PB OS max OS max OS max

Lesser of 4 sockets Lesser of 4 sockets 64 GB (MOLAP)

Standard Per Core 128 GB 524 PB 64 GB
or 24 cores or 24 cores 16 GB (Tabular)

Standard Server + Lesser of 4 sockets 64 GB (MOLAP)

24 core limit 128 GB 524 PB 64 GB
CAL or 24 cores 16 GB (Tabular)

Lesser of 1 socket Lesser of 1 socket 4 GB (Advanced

Express 1410 MB 10 GB N/A
or 4 cores or 4 cores Services Ed.)

Developer OS max OS max 524 PB OS max OS max OS max

This table shows a comparison of the key capacity limits across the SQL Server editions.
*Analysis Services and Reporting Services are available for Windows Server only

• For more information on the compute capacity limits for each edition of SQL Server, visit
https://aka.ms/sqlcapacitylimits.

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SQL Server and Software Assurance
Software Assurance (SA) for Volume Licensing helps boost IT productivity by enabling customers to get the
most from Microsoft software products. SA benefits—including 24x7 support, deployment planning services,
user and technical training, and the latest software releases and unique technologies—are combined in one
cost-effective program.

For SQL Server, using these benefits can help customers improve productivity and help IT efficiently deploy and
manage SQL Server software. As hardware capacity and licensing needs expand, SQL Server customers with SA
coverage can enjoy the benefit of adding incremental licenses without worrying about the software version
licensed. Software licenses and use rights are version-specific and as such, licenses for different software
versions cannot be combined when licensing a single operating system environment. As a benefit of having
access to the latest version of SQL Server software, SA customers licensed under the core licensing model (for
example) can easily combine current version core licenses with future version core licenses, without the need to
track or otherwise reassign covered licenses based on software version alone.

Customers purchasing subscription licenses through the Microsoft Customer Agreement (MCA) benefit from
some of the same rights as customers with Software Assurance, such as access to the latest versions, fail-over
rights, unlimited virtualization, the Flexible Virtualization Benefit, the option to license by virtual machine and
the Azure Hybrid Benefit, see the Product Terms for details. Subscription licenses through the MCA do not
include License Mobility through SA.

Note: All licenses must be covered with SA and product use rights do not change when using downgrade
rights to deploy prior software versions.

Software Assurance benefits overview

Benefit Description
Azure Hybrid Benefit for SQL Server is an Azure-based benefit that enables customers to use
SQL Server licenses with Software Assurance or subscription licenses to pay a reduced rate
Azure Hybrid Benefit (“base rate”) on Azure SQL Database vCore-based options such as managed instance, vCore-
based single database, and vCore-based elastic pool; on SQL Server in Azure Virtual Machines
(including, but not limited to, Azure Dedicated Host); and on SQL Server Integration Services.
Allows customers to install and run passive SQL Server instances in a separate OSE or server for
Fail-Over servers for disaster recovery New
disaster recovery in anticipation of a failover event
Allows customers to install and run passive SQL Server instances in a separate OSE or server for
Fail-Over servers for disaster recovery in Azure New
disaster recovery in Azure in anticipation of a failover event
Allows customers to install and run passive SQL Server instances in a separate OSE or server for
Fail-Over servers for high availability
high availability in anticipation of a failover event
Allows customers to run any number of instances of SQL Server Enterprise Edition software in
Unlimited virtualization (VMs)
an unlimited number of VMs. Applicable under the core licensing model only.
Allows customers to run any number of containers in a virtual OSE when licensing by virtual
Unlimited containers
OSE (virtual core licensing). Available for Standard or Enterprise licenses.
Allows assignment of subscription licenses or licenses with Software Assurance to Authorized
Flexible Virtualization Benefit Outsourcers’ servers (shared or dedicated) under expanded Outsourcing Software Management
rights.

Power BI Report Server Allows SQL Server Enterprise Edition customers to run Power BI Report Server.

With subscription licenses or licenses with Software Assurance, SQL Server 2022 may be
Option to license by virtual machine licensed by virtual machine, and licenses may move with the virtual machine at any time as
needed to another server in the same server farm.

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 License Mobility within a Allows reassignment of SQL Server licenses within a server farm more than once every 90 days.
server farm Does not apply to SQL Server PDW.
Allows license reassignment of SQL Server to Authorized License Mobility Partners’ shared
License Mobility through SA
servers. Does not apply to SQL Server PDW.
In addition to the benefits noted above, Server Cloud Enrollment (SCE) customers may also
Additional benefits for SCE customers
qualify for premium benefits, including Unlimited Problem Resolution Support.
This table provides an overview of the benefits of Software Assurance.

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For example, by combining SQL Enterprise Edition with the benefits provided through SA (or subscription
licenses), customers unlock the full power of SQL Server:

• Stay current with all SQL Server features

• Access an unlimited number of virtual machines
• Modernize to the cloud with existing licenses
Take advantage of high availability and Disaster recovery scenarios at no additional licensing cost
• Generate data visualizations on premises with Power BI Report Server

Refer to the Volume Licensing Product Terms for more details on these benefits and additional license grants
available to SQL Server customers with SA, including any additional terms and conditions that may apply.

• For more information on Software Assurance benefits, visit https://aka.ms/SQLServerSoftwareAssurance

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How SQL Server licenses are sold
SQL Server software licenses are sold through channels designed to meet the unique needs of customers.
These sales channels include online retailers offering full packaged product (FPP) licenses of SQL Server
software, Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) offering pre-installed licenses with their hardware systems,
as well as Licensing Solutions Partners (LSPs) and Enterprise Software Advisors (ESAs) offering SQL Server
software through Microsoft Volume Licensing programs for end-customer organizations.

For customers with as few as five users, Microsoft offers licensing programs to help reduce administrative
overhead and software management costs, while enabling product licensing on an ongoing basis at a
considerable discount. The various licensing options enable customers to choose the program that works best
for their management and operational needs.

• Comprehensive programs that offer Software Assurance as a fixed benefit include the Open Value (OV),
Open Value Subscription (OVS), Enterprise Agreement (EA), Enterprise Subscription Agreement (EAS) and
the Server and Cloud Enrollment (SCE).
• Transactional programs include Open* and the Microsoft Products and Services Agreement (MPSA).
• SQL Server Subscriptions are also offered through Cloud Server Provider (CSP channel)
• Beginning with SQL Server 2022, customers may purchase SQL Server on-premises or in third party clouds
through Microsoft Azure with Azure Arc-enabled SQL Server on a consumption base.

Server and Cloud Enrollment

The Server and Cloud Enrollment (SCE) is an enrollment under the Microsoft Enterprise Agreement that enables
highly committed customers to standardize broadly on one or more key server and cloud technologies from
Microsoft. In exchange for making an installed base-wide commitment to one or more components of the
Server and Cloud Enrollment, customers receive the best pricing and terms, plus other benefits, including
cloud-optimized licensing options and simplified license management.

Microsoft also offers programs that can meet the specific needs of organizations that partner with Microsoft to
provide additional software and services, such as the Microsoft Independent Software Vendor (ISV) Royalty
Licensing Program and the Microsoft Services Provider License Agreement (SPLA).

Retail Volume licensing programs Third party

SQL Server FPP/ESD OPEN* MPSA CSP EA/EAS/ ISVR SPLA
SCE
Enterprise Edition ● ● ● ● ● ●
Standard Edition ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
Web Edition ●
Express Edition Free download
Developer Edition Free download
This table shows the primary channel availability for SQL Server software licenses. Every edition may not be available in all channels or licensing
programs in all regions. *New licenses are no longer available through the Open License program. For upgrade rights under active Software
Assurance, existing customers should refer to their agreement.

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• For more information about Microsoft Volume Licensing Programs, download the Volume Licensing
Reference Guide at https://aka.ms/VLReferenceGuide
• For details on the Microsoft Server and Cloud Enrollment, visit https://aka.ms/EnterpriseLicensing

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SQL Server licensing models
Microsoft offers a variety of SQL Server licensing options aligned with how customers typically purchase
specific workloads. The Server+CAL licensing model provides the option to license users and/or devices and
then have low-cost access to incremental SQL Server deployments. For customers who cannot count users or
require premium database capabilities, Microsoft licenses SQL Server in a core-based licensing model. Core-
based licensing gives customers a more precise measure of computing power and a more consistent licensing
metric, regardless of whether solutions are deployed on physical on-premises servers, or in virtual or cloud
environments.

Licensing options
SQL Server Description
Server+CAL Per Core Requirements
For applications requiring mission critical in-memory
Enterprise ●
performance, security and high availability
Delivers fully featured database capabilities for mid- SQL Server CALs required
Standard ● ●
tier applications and data marts when licensing Server+CAL
This table compares the licensing options for each of the main SQL Server editions.

Core-based licensing
Under the Per Core licensing model, each server running SQL Server software or any of its components (such
as Reporting Services or Integration Services) must be assigned an appropriate number of SQL Server core
licenses. The number of core licenses needed depends on whether customers are licensing the physical server
based on physical cores or licensing individual virtual operating system environments (OSEs).

Unlike the Server+CAL licensing model, the Per Core model allows access for an unlimited number of users or
devices to connect from either inside or outside an organization’s firewall. With the Per Core model, customers
do not need to purchase additional client access licenses (CALs) to access the SQL Server software.

This figure depicts the representations of the physical server, physical processor, physical and virtual cores, virtual machines and containers that are
used in this guide.

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 A server is a physical hardware system capable of running server software. A hardware
Physical server partition or blade is considered to be a separate physical hardware system.

A processor is generally a physical chip that resides in a physical socket of the hardware
Physical processor partition and contains one or more cores.

Each physical processor contains smaller processing units called physical cores. Some
Physical core processors have two cores, some four, some six or eight, and so on.

Virtual core A virtual core is a virtual representation of one or more hardware threads.

Hardware thread A hardware thread is either a physical core or a hyper-thread in a physical processor.

A physical operating system environment (OSE) is configured to run directly on a physical

Physical Operating System Environment hardware system and is all or part of an operating system instance.

For detailed definitions of these and other key licensing terms, please refer to the Microsoft Volume Licensing Product Terms.

How to license SQL Server using the per core licensing model
When running SQL Server in a physical OSE, all physical cores on the server must be licensed. Software
partitioning does not reduce the number of core licenses required, except when licensing individual virtual
machines (VMs). A minimum of four core licenses is required for each physical processor on the server.

To determine and acquire the correct number of core licenses needed, customers must:
1. Count the total number of physical cores in the server.
2. Purchase the appropriate number of core licenses required for the server. Core licenses are sold in packs of
two, so customers must divide the number of licenses required by two to determine the actual number of
line items (licensing SKUs) to order.
For more details on the per core licensing model, including key terms and licensing definitions, download the
Introduction to per core Licensing Volume Licensing Brief https://aka.ms/LicensingByCores.

The per core licensing model is appropriate when:

• Deploying the SQL Server Enterprise Edition (including using the SQL Server Parallel Data Warehouse
deployment option) or SQL Server Web Edition software.
• Deploying internet or extranet workloads, systems that integrate with external-facing workloads (even if
external data goes through one or more other systems), or when the number of users/devices cannot be
counted easily.
• Implementing centralized deployments that span across a large number of direct and/or indirect
users/devices.
• The total licensing costs for licensing SQL Server Standard Edition software are lower than those incurred
using the Server+CAL licensing model.
Note: The use of hyper-threading technology does not affect the number of core licenses required when
running SQL Server software in a physical OSE.

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Server+CAL licensing
When licensing the SQL Server Standard Edition software under the Server+CAL model, customers purchase a
server license for each server, and a client access license (CAL) for each device (Device CAL) and/or user (User
CAL) accessing SQL Server or any of its components. A CAL is not software; it is a license granting users and
devices access to the SQL Server software.

This figure illustrates the licenses used in the Server+CAL licensing model.

How to License SQL Server Using the Server+CAL Licensing Model

Under the Server+CAL licensing model, each operating system environment (OSE) running SQL Server software
or any of its components must have a SQL Server server license assigned to the physical server hosting the
OSE. Each server license allows customers to run any number of SQL Server instances in a single OSE, either
physical or virtual.

Running SQL Server software on different hardware partitions or blades requires separate software licenses.
Hardware partitions and blades are considered to be separate servers for licensing purposes and SQL Server
software licenses cannot be assigned to more than one server at any time.

Devices not operated by humans require device CALs, even when connecting to SQL Server indirectly. For
human operated devices such as PCs or hand-held terminals, a user CAL or device CAL can be used. CALs must
be for the version of SQL Server being accessed or a later version.

Note: The use of hardware or software that reduces the number of devices or users that directly access or use
the software (multiplexing/pooling) does not reduce the number of CALs required. For details on how to
license SQL Server in a multiplexed application environment, refer to the Advanced licensing scenarios section
of this guide.

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Licensing SQL Server components
SQL Server software includes a range of licensed server components, including but not limited to the SQL
Server Database Engine (DB), Master Data Services (MDS), Analysis Services (AS), Integration Services (IS),
Reporting Services (RS), and Data Quality Services (DQS). In addition, a number of management components,
such as client applications and tools used for creating or working with analytical data, are provided.

For more details on the software components specifically included with SQL Server, visit
https://aka.ms/sqlserver2022editions The software components of a single SQL Server license cannot be
separated. Any OSE running any of the licensed components of SQL Server, requires a license. For example, if
the SQL Server DB is deployed in one OSE and SQL Server RS is deployed in another, both OSEs must be fully
licensed for SQL Server accordingly.

Management tools and other software identified as additional or supplemental software—such as product
documentation, client connectivity tools, software add-ins, and Software Development Kits (SDKs)—can
generally be distributed and run on any number of devices for use with a licensed instance of SQL Server
software. Refer to the Volume Licensing Product Terms for the list of additional software components provided
with SQL Server.

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Licensing SQL Server in a virtualized
environment
Microsoft SQL Server is increasingly being deployed in virtualized environments, which enable running
instances of SQL Server concurrently in separate virtual OSEs (or virtual machines).

SQL Server offers virtualization rights, options and benefits to provide flexibility for customers deploying in
virtual environments. When deploying SQL Server software in virtualized environments, customers have the
choice to license either individual virtual machines as needed, or to license for maximum virtualization in highly
virtualized, private cloud, or dynamic environments.

Note: Beginning with SQL Server 2022, licensing by virtual machine is an option under subscription licenses or
licenses with Software Assurance only.

When licenses are allocated by virtual machine, they can be moved at any time as needed to another server
within the same Server Farm (e.g., with the virtual machine). (The right to reassign licenses to servers in a
different Server Farm is subject to the standard 90-day reassignment limitation.) Maximum virtualization can be
achieved by licensing the entire physical server with Enterprise Edition core subscription licenses or licenses
with Software Assurance (SA).

VMs 1 1 2 Total virtual machines

Cores 2 2 4 Total virtual cores
This figure depicts two virtual machines, each containing two virtual cores.

Licensing individual virtual machines

As customers consolidate existing workloads and refresh hardware, they may find that a SQL Server instance
uses only a fraction of available system computing power. When deploying databases in virtual environments
that require just a fraction of a physical server, savings can be achieved by licensing individual virtual machines
(VMs).

How to license individual virtual machines using the Per Core licensing model

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Similar to the Per Core licensing model in physical OSEs, all virtual cores (v-cores) supporting virtual OSEs that
are running instances of SQL Server software must be licensed accordingly.

To license individual VMs using the Per Core model, customers must purchase a core subscription license or
license with Software Assurance for each v-core (or virtual processor, virtual CPU, virtual thread) allocated to
the VM, subject to a four-core license minimum per VM. For licensing purposes, a v-core maps to a hardware
thread.

Note: Licensing individual VMs is the only licensing option available for SQL Server Standard Edition customers
who are running the software in a virtualized environment under the Per Core model.

When licensing by virtual machine (as described above) customers may move licenses at any time as needed to
another server within the same Server Farm. For more information on licensing for application mobility, refer to
the Advanced licensing scenarios section of this guide.

1. License the virtual cores in each virtual machine

2. There is a minimum of four core subscription licenses or licenses with Software Assurance required for each
virtual machine

Virtual
2 4 6
cores
Total core licenses
Purchase seven 2-pack SKUs of core
Licenses 4 4 6 14 subscription licenses or licenses with
Software Assurance
This figure illustrates the licensing requirements for three different virtual machines under the Per Core licensing model.

Additional licenses are required when:

• A single hardware thread supports multiple virtual cores. (A core subscription license or license with
Software Assurance is required for each v-core.)
• Multiple hardware threads support a single virtual core simultaneously. (A core license allows a single v-
core to be supported by a single hardware thread.)

How to license individual virtual machines using the Server+CAL licensing model
To license individual VMs using the Server+CAL model, customers simply purchase one server license for each
VM running SQL Server software, regardless of the number of virtual processors allocated to the VM.

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For example, a customer who wants to deploy Standard Edition running in six VMs, each allocated with four v-
cores, would need to assign six SQL Server Standard server licenses to that server.

Note: Each user or device accessing SQL Server software, regardless of a virtual or physical deployment,
requires a SQL Server CAL (for the same or a later version).

For details on how to license individual VMs with legacy SQL Server Enterprise Edition server licenses, please
refer to the Additional product information section of this guide.

1. License each virtual machine with a server license

2. License each user or device with a CAL (for the same or a later version)

Total server
Server licenses 1 1 2
licenses
Client access Total CAL
1 1 1 3
licenses licenses
This figure shows an example of licensing virtual machines under the Server+CAL licensing model.

The right to use SQL Server in a virtual machine under the Server+CAL licensing model does not require
subscription licenses or licenses with Software Assurance; however, with subscription licenses or licenses with
Software Assurance, a customer using SQL Server in a virtual machine may move licenses at any time as
needed (e.g., with the virtual server) to another server in the same Server Farm.

Licensing for maximum virtualization

With SQL Server Enterprise Edition, customers who have licensed all physical cores on the server can run an
unlimited number of instances of the software in a number of OSEs/containers (physical and/or virtual) equal to
the number of core licenses assigned to the server. For example, a four-processor server with four cores per
processor—fully licensed with 16 core licenses—can run SQL Server software in up to 16 VMs, regardless of the
number of virtual cores allocated to each VM.

• Customers who have licensed all the physical cores on the server and want to run SQL Server software in
more VMs than are permitted, can assign additional core licenses to the licensed server.
• Each additional core license allows deployment of SQL Server software in an additional VM, so in the
previous example, a customer who wants to run SQL Server Enterprise Edition in 18 VMs would simply
acquire and assign 18 core licenses to that server.
On servers fully licensed (i.e., based on physical cores) under SQL Server Enterprise subscription licenses or
licenses with Software Assurance (SA) , customers’ use rights allow any number of instances of the software to

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run in any number of OSEs/containers (physical or virtual). This benefit enables customers to deploy an
unlimited number of VMs to handle dynamic workloads and fully utilize hardware computing capacity.

Note: This benefit ends when the subscription licenses or SA coverage expire(s).

Licensing for maximum virtualization can be an ideal solution when:

• Deploying SQL Server private cloud scenarios with high VM density

• Hyper-threading is being used
• Using dynamic provisioning and de-provisioning of VM resources

1. Fully license the physical server with SQL Server Enterprise Edition core subscription licenses or licenses
with Software Assurance
2. Deploy an unlimited number of virtual machines

Physical cores 12 12 Total physical cores

Core licenses 12 12 Total core licenses
Shown is an example of licensing a 12-core physical server for unlimited VMs with Enterprise Edition core subscription licenses or licenses with SA.

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Licensing SQL Server in containers
SQL Server can be deployed on Linux and Docker platforms. This allows customers to not only choose their
platform, but also to deploy SQL Server in containers using Docker container technology.

Containers provide operating system level virtualization that allows multiple isolated applications to be run on
a single system. Containers make it easy to enable:

• Rapid deployment scenarios

• Separation of application services through microservices deployments
• Rapid scale up and scale down of application services

Containers differ from virtual machines in that they provide operating system-level virtualization and all
containers running on a physical host share the operating system. This provides application isolation, but not
operating system-level isolation. However, containers are less resource intensive, require much less overhead to
run, can be started and scaled rapidly, and provide a high degree of portability.

Virtual machines provide hardware-level virtualization, with each virtual machine having its own operating
system environment, virtual memory and virtual cores. This provides full isolation from other virtual machines
and allows for unique settings for the operating system within each virtual machine.

This figure depicts the structural differences between containers and virtual machines.

For licensing, an operating system environment is defined as all or part of an operating system instance, or all
or part of a virtual operating system instance which enables separate machine identity. Containers and virtual
machines are structured differently, but they are considered the same from a licensing perspective.

Licensing individual containers

How to license individual containers using the Per Core licensing model
Similar to the Per Core licensing model in physical OSEs, all virtual cores (v-cores) supporting containers
running instances of SQL Server software must be licensed accordingly.

To license individual containers using the Per Core model, customers must purchase a core license for each v-
core (or virtual processor, virtual CPU, virtual thread) allocated to the container, subject to a four-core license
minimum per container. For licensing purposes, a v-core maps to a hardware thread.

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For customers with high density container environments who want to move containers dynamically across
servers to reallocate resources as needed, Microsoft offers flexible reassignment rules with the Flexible
Virtualization Benefit.

1. License the virtual cores in each container

2. There is a minimum of four core licenses required for each container

Virtual cores 2 4 6
Total core licenses
Licenses 4 4 6 14 Purchase seven 2-pack SKUs of core licenses
This figure illustrates the licensing requirements for three different container configurations under the Per Core licensing model.

To license individual containers deployed using nested virtualization i.e. within a VM, customers must purchase
a core license for each v-core (or virtual processor, virtual CPU, virtual thread) allocated to the container,
subject to a four-core license minimum per container.

VM cores 6
Container cores for 12 Total cores
6
SQL Server
Total core licenses
Core licenses 6 6 Purchase three 2-pack SKUs of core licenses

How to license individual containers using the Server+CAL licensing model

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To license individual containers using the Server+CAL model customers simply purchase one server license for
each container running SQL Server software, regardless of the number of virtual processors allocated to the
container.

For example, a customer who wants to deploy Standard Edition running in six containers, each allocated with
four v-cores, would need to assign six SQL Server Standard server licenses to that server.

Note: Each user or device accessing SQL Server software, regardless of a virtual or physical deployment,
requires a SQL Server CAL (for the same or a later version).

1. License each container with a server license

2. License each user or device with a CAL

Server licenses 1 1 2 Total Server licenses

Client access
1 1 1 3 Total CAL licenses
licenses
This figure shows an example of licensing containers under the Server+CAL licensing model.

Licensing containers for maximum density

Licensing by physical core – Enterprise only

With SQL Server Enterprise Edition only, customers who have licensed all physical cores on the server can
run a number of VMs/containers equal to the number of core licenses assigned to the server. For example, a
four-processor server with four cores per processor—fully licensed with 16 core licenses—can run SQL Server
software in up to 16 containers, regardless of the number of virtual cores allocated to each container.

• Customers who have licensed all the physical cores on the server and want to run SQL Server software in
more containers than are permitted, can assign additional core licenses to the licensed server.
• Each additional core license allows deployment of SQL Server software in an additional container, so in the
previous example, a customer who wants to run SQL Server Enterprise Edition in 18 containers would
simply acquire and assign 18 core licenses total to that server.

With the addition of Software Assurance (SA) coverage or a subscription license on all Enterprise Edition core
licenses (for a fully licensed server), customers’ use rights are expanded to allow any number of containers to
run on the licensed server. This benefit enables customers to deploy an unlimited number of containers to
handle dynamic workloads and fully utilize hardware computing capacity.

Note: This benefit ends when SA coverage expires.

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Licensing under this model can be an ideal solution when:

• Deploying SQL Server private cloud scenarios with high container density
• Hyper-threading is being used
• Using dynamic provisioning and de-provisioning of container resources

1. Fully license the server with SQL Server Enterprise Edition core licenses and Software Assurance
2. Deploy an unlimited number of containers

Physical cores 12 12 Total physical cores

Total core licenses
Core licenses 12 12 Purchase six 2-pack SKUs of core licenses
Shown is an example of licensing for unlimited containers on 12-core physical server with Enterprise Edition core licenses and SA.

Licensing by virtual core (Virtual OSE) – Standard/Enterprise

With SQL Server Standard or Enterprise Edition Software Assurance (SA) coverage or subscription licenses,
customers who have licensed all virtual cores on a virtual OSE can run any number of containers in the
covered virtual OSE. For example, a 16 vCore OSE (including the count of all hyperthreaded cores) can run SQL
Server software in any number of containers in that virtual OSE, regardless of the number of virtual cores
allocated to each container.

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Advanced licensing scenarios and
detailed examples
This section introduces a few advanced SQL Server licensing scenarios to help illustrate how customers can
apply some of the key licensing principles covered in this guide. For detailed licensing terms and additional
licensing guidance applicable to more specific software deployment scenarios, refer to the Microsoft Product
Terms.

Licensing SQL Server for high availability and disaster recovery

SQL Server software can be configured so that if one server fails, its processing will be picked up, recovered
and continued by another server.

For the purposes of this guide, we are not drawing a distinction in how high availability is being implemented,
examples being:
• Log Shipping
• Always On SQL Fail-Over Cluster Instances
• Always On Availability Groups

Each of these implementations uses different terminology. The examples that follow use ‘Active’ as the read-
write database or instance (also referred to as Primary Replica in an Always On Availability Group) and ‘Passive’
for the write only database or instance (marked to not-read, referred to as Secondary Replica in an Always On
Availability Group).
• For additional details on high availability capabilities for SQL Server on Windows visit
https://aka.ms/SQLServerRDBMS_Windows
• For additional details on high availability capabilities for SQL Server on Linux visit:
https://aka.ms/SQLServerRDBMS_Linux

Failover Basics
For each server OSE licensed with SQL Server subscription licenses or licenses covered by active SA, customers
can use the following passive replicas in anticipation of a failover event:
(Note: Failover rights under License Mobility and Azure Hybrid Benefit are different, see below.)
• One passive fail-over replica for High Availability in a separate OSE
• One passive fail-over replica for Disaster Recovery in a separate OSE
• One passive fail-over replica for Disaster Recovery in a single VM or instance on Azure

Note: This benefit applies to all in-market SQL Server versions.

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A passive SQL Server replica is one that is not serving SQL Server data to clients or running active SQL
Server workloads. The passive failover instances can run on a separate server. These may only be used to
synchronize with the primary server and perform the following maintenance-related operations for the
permitted passive fail-over Instances:
• Database consistency checks
• Log Back-ups
• Full Back-ups
• Monitoring resource usage data

Customer may also run primary and the corresponding disaster recovery replicas simultaneously for brief
periods of disaster recovery testing every 90 days.

Note:

• High Availability replica is defined as a passive replica setup as synchronous replica with automated failover.
• Disaster Recovery replica is defined as a passive replica setup as asynchronous replica with manual failover.

Failover Licensing Scenarios

• Two secondary servers used for failover support do not need to be separately licensed for SQL Server as
long as they are passive, and the primary SQL Server is covered with subscription licenses or licenses with
active SA. If a server is marked to read and serving data, such as reports to clients running active SQL Server
workloads, or performing any “work” except for maintenance related operations mentioned above, then it
must be licensed for SQL Server.

Active cores 12
36 Total cores
Passive cores 12 12
Total core licenses
Purchase six 2-pack SKUs of
Core licenses 12 0 0 12 core subscription licenses or
licenses with SA
This figure shows an example of licensing an active primary SQL Server database and passive secondary databases
hosted on-premises.

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• The secondary passive server can also be setup in Azure for Disaster recovery with no additional SQL Server
licenses required. Customers will only have to cover the compute costs for VM/server used for passive
replica. Additional guidelines to setup DR in Azure can be found at https://aka.ms/Site_Recovery_SQLServer.

Active cores 12
24 Total cores
Passive cores 12
Total core licenses
Purchase six 2-pack SKUs of
Core licenses 12 0 12 core subscription licenses or
licenses with SA
This figure shows an example of licensing an active primary SQL Server database and a passive secondary database hosted in the cloud.

• All the three passive secondary replica benefits can be used simultaneously as long as the on-prem primary
is covered with subscription licenses or licenses with SA.

Active cores 12
48 Total cores
Passive cores 12 12 12
Total core licenses
Purchase six 2-pack SKUs
Core licenses 12 0 0 0 12 of core subscription
licenses or licenses with
SA

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• In the case where a customer is using AHB to license its primary database running on shared hardware in
Azure, the customer may run the two passive SQL Server instances (one for HA and one for DR) in a
separate OSE running in Azure on shared hardware to support failover events.

Active cores 12
36 Total cores
Passive cores 12 12
Total core licenses
Purchase six 2-pack SKUs of
Core licenses 12 0 0 12 core subscription licenses or
licenses with SA

• In the case where a customer is using License Mobility to license its primary database running on shared
hardware in the non-Azure cloud, the customer may run the same number of passive SQL Server instances
in a separate OSE running in the cloud on shared hardware to support failover events.

Active cores 12
24 Total cores
Passive cores 12
Total core licenses
Core licenses 12 0 12 Purchase six 2-pack SKUs of core subscription
licenses or licenses with SA
This figure shows an example of licensing both the active primary SQL Server database and a passive secondary database in the cloud.

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• Primary server subscription licenses or licenses covered with SA include support for one Disaster Recovery
secondary server only (outside Azure). Any additional secondary Disaster Recovery servers must be
separately licensed for SQL Server. Note: The rights to run a passive instance of SQL Server for failover
support are not transferable to other licensed servers for purposes of providing multiple passive secondary
servers to a single primary server.

Active cores 12
36 Total cores
Passive cores 12 12
Total core licenses
Purchase twelve 2-pack
Core licenses 12 0 12 24 SKUs of core subscription
licenses or licenses with
SA
This figure shows an example of licensing an active primary SQL Server database and multiple passive secondary databases.

Additional considerations for high availability:

• When licensing SQL Server under the Per Core model, the number of core licenses must be based on the
server that requires the higher number of licenses. This way, when the failover server takes over, it will be
adequately licensed. For a passive instance of SQL Server to be properly licensed, it cannot require more
core licenses than the licensed primary system.
• In the event that a passive instance of SQL Server becomes active for any reason, the primary SQL Server
license is dynamically reassigned to the newly active server via either license reassignment rights (under
subscription licenses or licenses with Software Assurance when SQL Server is licensed or deployed by virtual
machine) or the License Mobility within Server Farms SA Benefit, and now assumes all active workloads.
• In the case where individual SQL Server instances are failing over independently from each other, each SQL
Server OSE running an active SQL Server instance requires separate licenses.

Always On Availability Groups

Always On Availability Groups in SQL Server Enterprise Edition enable customers to configure multiple
database instances that will failover as a unit, with support for up to eight active secondary replicas and two
synchronous secondary replicas. The ability to use secondary replicas for more than just passive failover
support can improve the performance of primary, reporting and backup workloads due to better balancing of
workloads across instances, helping to provide better return on hardware investment.

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Note: When secondary replicas are actively used to support any additional workload scenarios —that is when
the replicas used for failover purposes are no longer truly passive—they must be fully licensed accordingly.

Active cores 12 12 24 Total cores

Total core licenses
Purchase six 2-pack SKUs of core licenses (at
Core licenses 12 12 24 least 3 2-packs of subscription licenses or
licenses with SA for the first server)
This figure shows an example of licensing a 2-node Always On Availability Group with a readable ‘Active’ primary replica SQL Server database and a
readable ‘Active’ secondary replica database.

Today, many virtual environments are becoming even more dynamic, especially in scenarios where software is
used to automatically and dynamically allocate resources to different VMs “on the fly”. In the next section, we
will discuss licensing SQL Server in these scenarios and look at ways to further simplify licensing management.

SQL Server Azure Hybrid Benefit

Azure Hybrid Benefit for SQL Server is an Azure-based benefit that enables customers to use SQL Server
licenses with Software Assurance or subscription licenses to pay a reduced rate (“base rate”) on SQL Database
vCore-based options, such as Managed Instance, vCore-based Single Database, and vCore-based Elastic Pool;
on SQL Server in Azure Virtual Machines (including, but not limited to, Azure Dedicated Host); and on SQL
Server Integration Services.

For each core of a qualified SQL Server Enterprise core license, customer can use either
• 1 core of Azure SQL Database (Managed Instance, Elastic Pool and Single Database) – Business Critical
• 1 core of Azure Data Factory and SQL Server Integration Services (Standard)
• Or 1 core of SQL Server Enterprise Virtual Machines

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• 4 cores of Azure SQL Database (Managed Instance, Elastic Pool and Single Database) – General Purpose

For each core of a qualified SQL Server Standard core license, customer can use either
• 1 core of Azure SQL Database (Managed Instance, Elastic Pool and Single Database) – General Purpose
• 1 core of Azure Data Factory SQL Server Integration Services (Standard)
• 1 core of SQL Server Standard Virtual Machines

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Azure Hybrid Benefit also provides 180 days of dual-use rights to apply to current deployment (on-premises or
on third-party cloud) and in Azure to allow for data migration.

For a hosted solution with maximum savings, combine the Azure Hybrid Benefit for SQL Server with the Azure
Hybrid Benefit for Windows Server.

• For more information on Azure Hybrid Benefit refer to: https://aka.ms/Azure_Hybrid_Benefit

Licensing SQL Server for application mobility

License Mobility is a use right that is available for all editions of SQL Server software licenses with active
Software Assurance (SA) coverage. With this SA benefit, customers can reassign SQL Server licenses to different
servers within a server farm as often as needed. Customers can also reassign licenses to third party shared
servers. License Mobility is available for licenses under both the Per Core and Server+CAL license models.

(Base license terms for subscription licenses and licenses with Software Assurance also permit license
reassignment as needed when licensing (or deploying) by virtual machine. This allows customers to move licenses
to another server within the same Server Farm at any time as needed. This applies to on-premises deployments
and deployments under the Flexible Virtualization Benefit on Authorized Outsourcers’ servers (shared or
dedicated).)

License Mobility for SQL Server licenses without SA

• SQL Server licenses that are not covered with active SA can only be reassigned to a different server within a
server farm once every 90 days, and they cannot be reassigned to a third-party web hoster or non-private
cloud at any time. (In the event of permanent hardware failure, the 90-day reassignment limit is waived.)
Beginning October 1, 2019, on-premises licenses purchased without Software Assurance and mobility rights
can’t deployed with dedicated hosted cloud services offered by “Listed Providers.”
• For more information on License Mobility to “Listed Providers”, refer to Product Terms. For an FAQ visit
https://aka.ms/outsourcerights.

License Mobility for SQL Server licenses with SA within or to another server farm
• While SQL Server licenses with active SA can be reassigned to another server within the server farm as often
as needed, they can only be reassigned to another server in another server farm, or to a non-private cloud,
once every 90 days.

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 − A server farm may consist of up to two data centers located in time zones that are within four hours of
one another and/or with the European Union (EU) and/or European Free Trade Association (EFTA).
− A given data center may only be part of one server farm.

• License Mobility use rights do not apply to SQL Server PDW software.
License mobility rights can benefit customers who license individual virtual machines (VMs) or containers and
then want to reassign those licenses to different servers within a server farm—as workloads move
dynamically—or to VMs in cloud environments.

Note: License mobility rights apply only to the reassignment of software licenses and are not applicable to the
reassignment of running instances of SQL Server software.

In this figure, core licenses are being reassigned within the same server farm through License Mobility.

License Mobility through Software Assurance to shared servers

Under License Mobility Through Software Assurance (SA), Customer may move SQL Server licenses covered
with SA to shared servers. To use License Mobility through SA, Customer must, Run its licensed software and
manage its OSEs on shared servers under the terms of its volume licensing agreement;

• Deploy its Licenses only with Microsoft Azure Services or qualified License Mobility through Software
Assurance Partner; and
• Complete and submit the License Mobility Validation form with each License Mobility through Software
Assurance Partner who will run its licensed software on their shared servers.

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In this figure, core licenses are reassigned to a 3 rd party shared server through License Mobility. Note that unlike License Mobility within a server farm,
licenses can only be reassigned to 3rd party only once every 90 days.

• For more information on how to use License Mobility to extend the value of SQL Servers licenses, visit
http://www.microsoft.com/licensing/software-assurance/license-mobility.aspx

Using the Flexible Virtualization Benefit to move to the cloud

Under the Flexible Virtualization Benefit, customers may move SQL Server subscription licenses or licenses
covered with SA to any Authorized Outsourcers’ servers (shared or dedicated). An Authorized Outsourcer is a
cloud provider that is not a “Listed Provider.” The same terms and conditions that govern use on a customer’s
own servers apply to use of SQL Server on an Authorized Outsourcer’s servers when deployed under the
Flexible Virtualization Benefit. This means a customer may deploy eligible core licenses based on physical cores
(i.e., fully license the server) or virtual cores (i.e., assign licenses sufficient to cover the virtual cores in each VM
(subject to the four-core license minimum)). When deploying on servers that are not dedicated to its use, a
customer will likely choose to license by VM.

• For more information on how to use the Flexible Virtualization Benefit to extend the value of SQL Server
licenses, visit https://aka.ms/FlexibleVirtualizationBenefitGuide.

Licensing SQL Server for non-production use

Customers are required to license every Microsoft software product they install, configure, and use, including
all physical and virtual instances. As such, licensing a development and test environment can be expensive and
challenging to manage as new servers are set up and others are torn down. Microsoft offers multiple, cost-
effective options for licensing SQL Server software for use in non-production environments.

SQL Server Developer Edition

SQL Server Developer Edition is a fully featured version of SQL Server software—including all the features and
capabilities of Enterprise Edition—licensed for development, test and demonstration purposes only. SQL Server
Developer Edition may not be used in a production environment. Any test data that was used for design,
development or test purposes must be removed prior to deploying the software for production use.

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Customers may install and run the SQL Server Developer Edition software on any number of devices. This is
significant because it allows customers to run the software on multiple devices (for testing purposes, for
example) without having to license each non-production server system.

Note: A production environment is defined as an environment that is accessed by end-users of an application

(such as an internet website) and that is used for more than gathering feedback or acceptance testing of that
application. Other scenarios that constitute production environments include:

• Environments that connect to a production database

• Environments that support disaster-recovery or backup for a production environment
• Environments that are used for production at least some of the time, such as a server that is rotated into
production during peak periods of activity

It is rare that someone whose primary role is designing, developing, or testing software would also qualify as
an “end user” of the software.

Note: Effective April 1, 2016, SQL Server Developer Edition became a free product, available through the
Microsoft Dev Essentials program or as software download from the SQL Server website. For customers who
need prior versions and/or additional SQL Server editions for development, test and demonstration purpose
(e.g. Standard or Enterprise editions), these can be accessed through Visual Studio subscriptions.

• For more information on free Dev Essentials program, including how to register, visit
https://www.visualstudio.com/en-us/products/visual-studio-dev-essentials-vs.aspx
• To learn more about SQL Server Developer Edition, including download, visit
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/sql-server/sql-server-downloads

Visual Studio subscriptions

Customers can also choose to license SQL Server software for non-production use through certain Visual
Studio subscription offerings, including the Visual Studio Professional and Enterprise subscription levels. Visual
Studio subscriptions are licensed on a per user basis and the software cannot be used in a production
environment.

• For more information on Visual Studio subscriptions that include access to SQL Server software, visit
https://www.visualstudio.com/subscriptions/
• For more information on Visual Studio licensing scenarios, download the Visual Studio Licensing White
Paper at https://www.visualstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Visual-Studio-2019-Licensing-
Whitepaper-March-2019.pdf

Product evaluations
SQL Server Evaluation Edition is a fully functional trial version of SQL Server software that automatically expires
after 180 days. Microsoft Volume Licensing customers can also install and evaluate non-expiring software
versions of any of the SQL Server products for 60 days before requiring a purchase.

• To discover the power of SQL Server, download the free SQL Server Evaluation at
https://aka.ms/sql22download

Licensing SQL Server in a multiplexed application environment

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“Multiplexing” refers to the use of hardware or software to pool connections, reroute information, or reduce
the number of devices or users that directly access or use SQL Server. Multiplexing can also include reducing
the number of devices or users SQL Server directly manages.

When licensing SQL Server software under the Server+CAL licensing model, users and devices that indirectly
access SQL Server data through another application or hardware device still require SQL Server CALs.

• Multiplexing does not reduce the number of Microsoft licenses required. Users are required to have the
appropriate licenses, regardless of their direct or indirect connection to SQL Server.
• Any user or device that accesses the server, files, data or content provided by the server that is made
available through an automated process requires a SQL Server CAL.
• The number of tiers of hardware or software between the SQL Server and the user or devices that ultimately
use its data, services, or functionality does not affect the number of CALs required.
• Manual transfer of data from employee to employee does not necessitate the requirement of a CAL for the
receiving employee. For example, if an employee sends a Microsoft Office Excel® version of a report to
another employee, the receiving employee does not require a CAL (as long as the report does not access a
server running SQL Server in some way).

This figure illustrates the licenses used in the Server+CAL licensing model via multiplexing.

SQL Server CALs are required for users or devices that directly input into, query, or view data from a SQL Server
database. Similarly, SQL Server CALs are required for users or devices that input data into, query, or view data
from a SQL Server database through a pooling device (such as the CRM Server in the figure above). This
includes users who view data through web-based applications or enter information into a database through an
intermediary product.

When users actively send SQL Server data by email or other messaging technology, recipient users do not
require a SQL Server CAL. With multiplexing, these rules do not change. Likewise, the paper distribution of data
does not require SQL Server CALs for the recipients of the paper report. Users who receive data directly or
indirectly from SQL Server require CALs, but if these users print the data, recipient users do not require a SQL
Server CAL.

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• For more details on how multiplexing affects the licensing of SQL Server products under the Server+CAL
model, download the Multiplexing – CAL Requirements Volume Licensing Brief at
http://download.microsoft.com/download/8/7/3/8733d036-92b0-4cb8-8912-
3b6ab966b8b2/multiplexing.pdf

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Additional product information
Upgrades, downgrades and step-ups
When licensing SQL Server software, several deployment options are available to support a variety of customer
upgrade scenarios.

• Version upgrade rights are offered with subscription licenses and as a Software Assurance (SA) benefit for
qualified licenses and allow customers access to upgrade their deployments at no additional cost. Existing
SQL Server subscription licenses or licenses covered by SA are automatically upgraded to licenses for the
latest version of the corresponding SQL Server edition.
• Cross edition rights are currently available for certain SQL Server products only and allow customers to
deploy an alternate (usually lower) edition in place of the currently licensed edition. SQL Server cross
edition rights can be combined with the version downgrade rights (available for all products offered under
a Volume Licensing Agreement) that allow customers to deploy prior versions of the software in place of
the currently licensed version. In some cases, rights to deploy prior versions of product editions other than
the edition currently licensed may also be allowed.

Note: When using version downgrade or cross edition deployment rights, the product use rights for the
originally licensed version and edition still apply.

Software deployment options for SQL Server 2022

Can choose to deploy:
Customers licensed for:
Software edition Software version
SQL Server 2022 Standard Edition Server SQL Server Standard Server 2022 or earlier
SQL Server Workgroup 2008 R2 or earlier
SQL Server for Small Business 2008 R2 or earlier
SQL Server 2022 Standard Edition Core SQL Server Standard Core 2022 or earlier
SQL Server Web (non-SPLA only) 2008 R2 or earlier
SQL Server Workgroup 2008 R2 or earlier
SQL Server 2022 Enterprise Edition Core SQL Server Enterprise Core 2022 or earlier
SQL Server Business Intelligence 2014 or earlier
SQL Server Standard Core 2022 or earlier
SQL Server Datacenter 2008 R2 or earlier
This table shows deployment options available to customers with SQL Server 2022 licenses. SQL Server 2022 product terms apply.

• Edition step-ups are offered as a Software Assurance (SA) benefit in certain Volume Licensing programs
only and allow customers to move from a lower product edition. SQL Server Standard Edition Core licenses
can step-up to SQL Server Enterprise Edition Core licenses only. To be eligible to step-up to a higher
edition, the lower edition license must be covered by SA. Step-Ups between licensing models are not
allowed.

SQL Server migration options for Software Assurance customers

To facilitate a smooth transition to the product edition and licensing model changes, Microsoft continues to
offer upgrade options to help customers who have invested in Software Assurance benefits to protect their
current software investments.

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For SQL Server Enterprise Edition licenses with Software Assurance
Existing SQL Server Enterprise Edition server licenses continue to have tremendous value and with the
availability of ongoing SA coverage, customers licensed under the Server+CAL model can retain access to the
latest product enhancements and advanced capabilities of Enterprise Edition. As such, there are no
programmatic conversions to core licenses. However, no new SQL Server Enterprises edition server licenses can
be purchased.

Additional considerations when licensing SQL Server Enterprise under the Server+CAL model:
Server Enterprise Edition software licensed under the Server+CAL model is intended and physically limited to
only run on servers with a total of twenty cores or less:
• There are two versions of SQL Server Enterprise Edition software: a server-based version and a core-based
version. Customers must run the software version for which they are licensed.
• For customers running SQL Server Enterprise Edition server-based software instances in a physical
environment, OSE is only permitted to access a maximum of twenty physical cores. A per instance technical
limit is also enforced.
• For customers running SQL Server Enterprise Edition server licenses in virtual environments, each set of
VMs associated with a single server license (up to four per server license) can only access up to twenty
hardware threads of combined power at any time.

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Additional product licensing resources
For more information about licensing SQL Server, including what is new with the latest version, please visit the
following websites:

• For detailed SQL Server product information, including new version features, edition comparisons,
benchmarks, competitive comparisons and more, visit https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/sql-server/sql-
server-2022
• To learn more about how to buy SQL Server, including frequently asked licensing questions, view the SQL
Server Buyer’s Guide located at https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/Licensing/product-licensing/sql-
server.aspx
• For SQL Server product terms, licensing briefs and other information on Microsoft Volume Licensing topics,
visit http://www.microsoftvolumelicensing.com/

© 2022 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. This document is for informational purposes only. Microsoft makes no warranties, express or implied, in this document.
For more information on how to buy SQL Server, please visit SQL Server 2022—Pricing | Microsoft 41