Updated: July 14, 2020 (April 7, 2014)

Server + CAL Licensing Rules for Recent SQL Server Versions

Wes Miller analyzes and writes about Microsoft’s security, identity management, and systems management technologies. Before joining Directions on Microsoft, Wes... more

Several changes have been made to licensing use rights, edition lineup, and pricing over the past four versions of SQL Server licensed under the Server + CAL license model.

	SQL 2008 (June 2008)	SQL 2008 R2 (May 2010)	SQL 2012 (Apr. 2012)	SQL 2014 (Apr. 2014)
Standard Edition
Pricing	US$898
Downgrade rights	Earlier versions of Standard edition
OSEs per license	One
Reassignment rights	At least 90 days must pass between reassignments		No SA: At least 90 days must pass between reassignments With SA: Unlimited within server farm
Passive failover exemption	Yes (no SA required)		Yes (but impractical without SA)	Yes, but requires SA
Max RAM utilization	2TB	64GB RAM		128GB RAM
Enterprise Edition
Pricing	US$8,592			N/A
Downgrade rights	Any older edition of Enterprise edition	Current and earlier versions of Enterprise and Standard editions

Atlas Members have full access

Get access to this and thousands of other unbiased analyses, roadmaps, decision kits, infographics, reference guides, and more, all included with membership. Comprehensive access to the most in-depth and unbiased expertise for Microsoft enterprise decision-making is waiting.

Membership Options

Already have an account? Login Now