SQL Server 2022 Licensing Guide

This SQL Server 2022 Licensing guide is intended to assist you in understanding how to license Microsoft SQL Server 2022 through Microsoft Volume Licensing programs. Please note that this guide should not be considered a substitute for legal documentation regarding the use rights of SQL Server 2022. The specific license terms for the product can be found in the Software License Terms, or if you have obtained the software through Microsoft Volume Licensing, in the relevant Volume Licensing agreement or Product

Summary

• SQL Server 2022 is a database software offered by Microsoft with various commercial editions (Enterprise and Standard) and other options (Express, Developer, Web) that cater to different performance, security, and price needs.
• SQL Server 2022 Software Assurance (SA) is a program that helps users manage and deploy the software efficiently and improve productivity. SA customers and subscription license holders through the Microsoft Customer Agreement get access to the latest versions and virtualization options.
• There are two main licensing models for SQL Server 2022: Per Core and Server+CAL. The Per Core model licenses each physical or virtual core, and the Server+CAL model licenses each server and each device or user accessing the server.
• SQL Server 2022 comes with various licensed components like the Database Engine, Master Data Services, and Analysis Services, which must be licensed as a whole. Additional software like documentation, connectivity tools, and SDKs can be distributed freely.
• In virtualized environments, SQL Server 2022 can be licensed per VM or for maximum virtualization. The Per Core model licenses each virtual core, and the Server+CAL model licenses each VM and each device or user accessing it. Licensing individual VMs allows for flexibility in reallocating resources.
• Containers and VMs are treated the same for licensing purposes, and SQL Server 2022 can be licensed in containers using the Per Core or Server+CAL model. Licensing for maximum density allows for unlimited container usage with Enterprise Edition and Software Assurance or subscription licenses.
• SQL Server 2022 can be purchased through various channels: online retailers, OEMs, LSPs and ESAs through Volume Licensing programs, the Microsoft ISV Royalty Licensing Program, and the Microsoft Services Provider License Agreement. It can also be purchased through Azure Arc-enabled SQL Server on a consumption basis.

SQL Server Editions

SQL Server 2022 offers two main commercial editions: Enterprise and Standard. Enterprise is suitable for mission-critical applications that require high in-memory performance, security, and availability, while Standard is suitable for mid-tier apps and data marts. The tiered model makes it easy to understand the features included in each edition, and both editions offer a consistent programming interface for developers. If you start with Standard but later need more capabilities, you can easily upgrade to Enterprise without changing your app. Enterprise also includes maximum virtualization rights with Software Assurance for mission-critical workloads. In addition to the main commercial editions, there is a Developer Edition for non-production use, an Express Edition that can be downloaded and distributed for free, and a Web Edition available through the Microsoft Services Provider License Agreement.

Software Assurance SQL Server 2022

Software Assurance (SA) is a program offered by Microsoft that helps you make the most of their software products and improve your IT productivity. SA can help you manage and deploy SQL Server more efficiently and improve productivity. With SA, you can easily add additional hardware or licenses and combine current and future version licenses under the core licensing model. Customers with subscription licenses through the Microsoft Customer Agreement also get some of the same benefits as SA customers, such as access to the latest versions and options for virtualization, but these subscriptions do not include License Mobility through SA. Here are some benefits of combining SQL Enterprise Edition with SA or subscription licenses:

• Stay up to date with the latest features for SQL Server
• Use an unlimited number of virtual machines
• Use your existing licenses to move to the cloud
• Get high availability and disaster recovery at no additional cost
• Create on-premises data visualizations with Power BI Report Server

For more information on the benefits of SA for SQL Server, see the official SQL Server 2022 licensing guide or visit https://aka.ms/SQLServerSoftwareAssurance for general information on SA.

SQL Server 2022 Licensing Models

Microsoft offers several options for licensing SQL Server 2022, depending on your usage patterns. The Server+CAL model allows you to license users and/or devices and then access additional SQL Server deployments at a lower cost. Alternatively, if you require premium database capabilities and cannot easily count users, you can use the Per Core (or “core-based”) licensing model. This model provides a more accurate measure of computing power and a consistent licensing metric for use with physical servers on-premises, virtual servers, or servers in the cloud.

SQL Server 2022 Core Licensing

Under the Per Core licensing model, you need to assign a certain number of core licenses to each server running SQL Server or any of its components, such as Reporting Services or Integration Services. The number of licenses you need depends on whether you are licensing the physical server based on physical cores or individual virtual operating system environments. With this model, you do not need to purchase additional CALs for users or devices to access the SQL Server software – you get unlimited access for internal and external users. To license SQL Server using the Per Core model, you need to count the total number of physical cores in the server and purchase the corresponding number of core licenses (sold in packs of two). This model is suitable for deploying SQL Server Enterprise Edition (including the Parallel Data Warehouse option) or SQL Server Web Edition, internet or extranet workloads, systems that integrate with external-facing workloads, or deployments with a large number of users/devices. It is also a good choice if the total licensing costs for SQL Server Standard Edition would be lower than those for the Server+CAL model.

SQL Server 2022 CAL + Server

If you are using the Server+CAL model to license SQL Server Standard Edition, you need to buy a server license for each server and a CAL for each device (Device CAL) and/or user (User CAL) accessing SQL Server or any of its components. Each server license allows you to run any number of SQL Server instances on a single OSE. You need to purchase the required CALs for internal and external users, and you cannot use Device CALs for users or User CALs for devices. To license SQL Server using the Server+CAL model, you need to assign a server license to each OSE running SQL Server or its components and purchase the appropriate number of Device CALs or User CALs for each device or user. This model is suitable for smaller organizations that need to license SQL Server Standard Edition and can easily count the number of users and devices accessing it.

It’s important to note that these are just the basics of SQL Server licensing – there are many other details and terms to consider. Make sure to read up on all the details and consult with a licensing specialist if you have any questions. You can find more information on the Per Core model in the Introduction to per core Licensing Volume Licensing Brief at https://aka.ms/LicensingByCores and more details on the Server+CAL model in the Introduction to Server+CAL Licensing Volume Licensing Brief at https://aka.ms/ServerCALLicensing

SQL Server 2022 Components Licensing

SQL Server software comes with various licensed server components, such as the SQL Server Database Engine (DB), Master Data Services (MDS), Analysis Services (AS), Integration Services (IS), Reporting Services (RS), and Data Quality Services (DQS). It also includes management tools and other software like client apps and tools for working with analytical data. You cannot separate the software components of a single SQL Server license, so if you want to use any of the licensed components, you need a license for the entire server. For example, if you have the SQL Server DB running on one server and SQL Server RS running on another, both servers need to be fully licensed for SQL Server. Additional or supplemental software like product documentation, client connectivity tools, add-ins, and Software Development Kits (SDKs) can generally be distributed and run on any number of devices as long as they are used with a licensed instance of SQL Server software. Refer to the Volume Licensing Product Terms for a list of the additional software components included with SQL Server. For more details on the specific software components included with SQL Server, visit https://aka.ms/sqlserver2022editions.

SQL Server 2022 Licensing in Virtual Environments

SQL Server is often used in virtualized environments, which allow you to run multiple instances of SQL Server concurrently in different virtual operating system environments (OSEs) or virtual machines (VMs). Microsoft offers virtualization rights, options, and benefits to give you flexibility when deploying SQL Server in virtual environments. You can choose to license individual VMs as needed, or you can license for maximum virtualization in highly virtualized, private cloud, or dynamic environments. Note that starting with SQL Server 2022, you can only license by VM with subscription licenses or with Software Assurance. If you decide to license your VMs individually, you can move them around as needed within the same Server Farm (e.g., with the VM). You can also reassign licenses to servers in a different Server Farm, subject to the standard 90-day reassignment limitation unless you have Software Assurance (SA). To get the most out of virtualization, you can license the entire physical server with Enterprise Edition core subscription licenses or with Software Assurance (SA).

SQL Server – Individual Virtual Machines

If you are running a SQL Server instance on a virtual machine (VM) and it is not using all the computing power of the physical server it is on, you can save money by licensing individual VMs. There are two ways to do this: the Per Core model and the Server+CAL model.

Per Core model: With the Per Core model, you need to buy a core subscription license or license with Software Assurance for each virtual core (v-core) or virtual processor/CPU/thread supporting the VM running SQL Server. Each v-core maps to a hardware thread, with a minimum of four licenses per VM. You need additional licenses if a single hardware thread supports multiple v-cores or multiple hardware threads support a single v-core. Standard Edition customers can only license individual VMs using the Per Core model. With a license with Software Assurance, you can move the licenses to another server within the same Server Farm.

Server+CAL model: With the Server+CAL model, you need to buy one server license for each VM running SQL Server, regardless of the number of virtual processors. For example, if you want to run Standard Edition on six VMs with four v-cores each, you would need six server licenses. Each user or device accessing SQL Server on the VM also needs a CAL. You do not need a subscription license or license with Software Assurance to use SQL Server in a VM with the Server+CAL model, but with a subscription license or license with Software Assurance, you can move the licenses to another server in the same Server Farm.

SQL Server 2022 Licensing Full

If you have SQL Server Enterprise Edition and you have licensed all the physical cores on your server, you can run an unlimited number of instances of the software on as many VMs as you want, as long as you have a core license for each VM. For example, if you have a four-processor server with four cores per processor and 16 core licenses, you can run SQL Server on up to 16 VMs. If you want to run it on more VMs, you need to get and assign more core licenses to the server. With a SQL Server Enterprise subscription license or license with Software Assurance, you can run as many instances of the software as you want in any number of physical or virtual environments. This is a good option if you have a private cloud with many VMs, are using hyper-threading, or need to dynamically provision and de-provision VM resources. Make sure to keep your subscription licenses or Software Assurance coverage up to date!

SQL Server 2022 Licensing Containers

SQL Server can be used on Linux and Docker platforms, which means it can be run in containers using Docker. Containers are a way to run multiple isolated applications on a single system and have some benefits over virtual machines. They are lightweight, can be started and stopped quickly, and are portable. On the other hand, virtual machines provide more isolation because they have their own virtual memory, cores, and operating system environment, but they also require more resources and overhead. From a licensing perspective, a container or virtual machine is considered an operating system environment (OSE), defined as all or part of an operating system instance or a virtual operating system instance with a separate machine identity. Therefore, containers and virtual machines are treated the same in terms of licensing.

SQL 2022 Container Licensing

If you want to run SQL Server in containers and use the Per Core licensing model, you need to buy a core license for each virtual core (v-core) or virtual processor/CPU/thread supporting the container. There is a minimum of four licenses per container and a v-core maps to a hardware thread. If you have many containers and want to move them around to reallocate resources, Microsoft offers the Flexible Virtualization Benefit, which has flexible reassignment rules. On the other hand, if you are using the Server+CAL model, you need to buy one server license for each container running SQL Server, regardless of the number of virtual processors. For example, if you want to run Standard Edition on six containers with four v-cores each, you need six server licenses. Remember that each user or device accessing SQL Server on the container also needs a CAL.

SQL 2022 Licensing All containers

If you have SQL Server Enterprise Edition and have licensed all the physical cores on your server, you can run as many containers as you have core licenses for. For example, if you have a four-processor server with four cores per processor and 16 core licenses, you can run SQL Server on up to 16 containers. If you want to run it on more containers, you just need to get and assign more core licenses to the server. With Software Assurance coverage or a subscription license on all your Enterprise Edition core licenses, you can run unlimited containers on the server. This is a good option if you have a private cloud with many containers, are using hyper-threading, or need to dynamically provision and de-provision container resources. Make sure to keep your Software Assurance coverage up to date. If you have SQL Server Standard or Enterprise Edition and Software Assurance coverage or subscription licenses, you can run any number of containers in a virtual operating system environment (virtual OSE) as long as you have licensed all the virtual cores in that OSE. For example, if you have a 16 vCore OSE (including hyperthreaded cores), you can run SQL Server on any number of containers in that OSE, regardless of the number of virtual cores per container.

Where to buy SQL server 2022 Licenses

There are several channels available for obtaining a license for SQL Server 2022. These include purchasing from retailers that sell Full Packaged Product (FPP) licenses, obtaining pre-installed licenses from Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) with hardware systems, and obtaining licenses through Licensing Solution Partners (LSPs) and Enterprise Software Advisors (ESAs) through Microsoft Volume Licensing programs. There are also several licensing programs available for smaller organizations that want to save on administrative overhead and software management costs, including comprehensive programs with Software Assurance (such as Open Value, Open Value Subscription, Enterprise Agreement, Enterprise Subscription Agreement, and Server and Cloud Enrollment) and transactional programs (such as Open* and the Microsoft Products and Services Agreement). Starting with SQL Server 2022, it will also be possible to purchase on-premises or in third-party clouds through Microsoft Azure with Azure Arc-enabled SQL Server on a consumption basis. Partners with Microsoft have access to additional programs like the Microsoft Independent Software Vendor (ISV) Royalty Licensing Program and the Microsoft Services Provider License Agreement (SPLA).

SQL Server 2022 – FAQ

How can we help:

Our Microsoft SQL Server Licensing Optimization service provides expert guidance to help you get the most value out of your SQL Server investments.

We start with a comprehensive licensing assessment to understand your current SQL Server deployment and usage, as well as your business goals and needs. We then use this information to identify opportunities for optimization, including identifying any unused or underutilized licenses and recommending the most cost-effective licensing options for your organization.

In addition to optimization, we also provide ongoing advisory support to help you stay up-to-date on the latest licensing options and ensure that your deployment remains compliant and optimized over time.

Some of the benefits of our SQL Server Licensing Optimization service include:

• Reduced costs: We help you identify opportunities to save on licensing costs and recommend the most cost-effective options for your organization.
• Improved efficiency: By optimizing your licensing, we can help you get more value out of your existing investments and ensure that you’re not over-licensing or under-utilizing your licenses.
• Compliancy: We help you ensure that your SQL Server deployment is compliant with Microsoft licensing terms, avoiding costly fines and disruptions.
• Flexibility: We provide ongoing advisory support to help you stay up-to-date on the latest licensing options and ensure that your deployment remains optimized as your business needs change.