MS-SQL Licensing & Support
License Types
MPSA
Microsoft Products and Services AgreementCSP
Cloud Solution ProviderCSP Perpetual
Single Up-front payment
No Software Assurance Benefits
Assigned to Physical server (with physical or virtual deployment)
SE Server+CAL or SE/EE Core licenses
90-day rule for reassignment (with exceptions for permanent hardware failure, termination of auser's employment and "Temporary reallocation for a user’s absence or a device that is out of service" (1)
Downgrade rights (any prior versions or "permitted lower editions" may be used)
No upgrade rights (since no SA)
CSP Subscription
SCE
Server and Cloud EnrollmentOV
Open ValueOVS
Open Value SubscriptionEA
Enterprise AgreementEAS
Enterprise Subscription AgreementEES
Enrollment for Education Solutions SPLA
Services Provider License AgreementLicense Management Portals
Microsoft 365 Admin Center
TODO
VLSC
(This now redirects to MS365 Admin Center)Microsoft Volume Licensing Service Center (VLSC)
Once you have registered and signed in to the VLSC, you will be able to perform all these tasks and more:
Download licensed software
Retrieve keys for Volume Licensing software
View Microsoft licensing details for your organization
Manage Software Assurance benefits
Manage Online Services entitlements
Assign others in your organization to do any of the above tasks—or to also be an administrator.
Support Types
Extended Support Updates (ESU)
To qualify for ESU, one of the following must be true of SQL Server...
Active Software Assurance (SA)
Active subscription license (e.g. CSP)
"License-included" via SPLA
Bibliography & References
SQL_Server_2022_Licensing_Datasheet.pdf
SQL Server 2022 Licensing Guide (PDF)SQL Server 2019 Licensing Guide (PDF)SQL Server 2017 Licensing Guide (PDF)
SQL Server 2016 Virtualization Licensing GuideSQL Server 2014 Virtualization Licensing Guide
https://www.licensingschool.co.uk/https://www.softwareone.com/en/blog/articles/2020/11/05/hidden-costs-saving-opportunities-with-sql-server
https://www.microsoft.com/licensing/servicecenter/https://docs.microsoft.com/en-gb/licensing/ https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=10585 (VLSC Users Guide)https://docs.microsoft.com/en-gb/licensing/downloads-faq https://www.insight.com/content/dam/insight/en_US/pdfs/microsoft/spla/microsoft-spla-volume-license-program-comparison.pdf
https://www.microsoftvolumelicensing.com/DocumentSearch.aspx?Mode=3&DocumentTypeId=1&ShowArchived=True
https://forums.veeam.com/veeam-backup-replication-f2/ms-licensing-with-replication-t10229.htmlhttps://kvaes.wordpress.com/2016/10/23/mssql-what-should-i-know-about-licensing-hadr-scenarios-in-the-cloud/https://www.idera.com/resource-center/infographics/tips-for-microsoft-true-ups
https://www.licensingschool.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/MPSA-Purchasing-v16-205.pdfhttps://blog.shi.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Microsoft-MPSA-Transactional-Chart1.pdf
Enterprise Enrollmenthttps://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/Licensing/licensing-programs/enterprise?rtc=1&activetab=enterprise-tab:primaryr3https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/Licensing/licensing-programs/enterprise?rtc=1&activetab=enterprise-tab:primaryr4https://samexpert.com/what-is-a-microsoft-enterprise-agreement/
SCE (Server and Cloud Enrollment)https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/Licensing/licensing-programs/enterprise?rtc=1&activetab=enterprise-tab:primaryr5
CSP(1) https://www.licensingschool.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Licensing-on-premises-products-in-CSP-v21.30.pdfhttps://www.microsoft.com/en-us/Licensing/news/windows-sql-server-through-csphttps://www.microsoft.com/en-us/licensing/news/open_license_purchasing_is_moving
MPSAhttps://www.licensingschool.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/MPSALicensingManualWWENGAug2016CR.docx (MPSA Licensing Manual - August 2016)
SPLAhttps://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/licensing/licensing-programs/spla-programhttp://download.microsoft.com/download/8/9/A/89A3F8B9-94DE-4956-A56E-F6D2B215D0E6/Services_Provider_License_Agreement_Program_Guide.pdfhttps://partner.microsoft.com/en-GB/licensing/licensing-agreementshttps://splalicensing.com/tag/spla-reseller/https://www.microsoft.com/licensing/spur/productoffering/sqlserver/allhttps://samexpert.com/microsoft-spla/https://samexpert.com/spla-vs-byol-sql-server-licensing-on-hosting/
Partnerhttps://assetsprod.microsoft.com/en-gb/MPN-MAPS-Product-Usage-Guide.pdfhttps://partner.microsoft.com/en-GB/licensing/licensing-agreements
Supporthttps://support.serviceshub.microsoft.com/supportforbusiness/createhttps://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/topic/global-customer-service-phone-numbers-c0389ade-5640-e588-8b0e-28de8afeb3f2https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/products/
Extended Support Updates (ESU)https://learn.microsoft.com/en-gb/lifecycle/faq/extended-security-updates (Retrieved 22-Oct-2024)https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/extended-security-updates
Developer Editionhttps://cloudblogs.microsoft.com/sqlserver/2016/03/31/microsoft-sql-server-developer-edition-is-now-free/https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/dev-essentials/
2012https://docs.microsoft.com/en-gb/archive/blogs/uspartner_ts2team/a-concise-sql-server-2012-licensing-overview
2016https://docs.microsoft.com/en-gb/archive/blogs/uspartner_ts2team/sql-series-part-3-sql-server-2016-licensing
