Updated: July 10, 2020 (April 20, 2009)

  Charts & Illustrations

Volume Pricing Decoded

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Interpreting Microsoft prices (such as they might appear on an online reseller’s site) can be puzzling for the novice, particularly because price lists contain special codes. Many are nonintuitive and some are obsolete, making it particularly difficult for the novice to figure out what they’re getting.

This chart shows one entry from the Nov. 2008 Open License price list.

Open Volume Products lists the Microsoft part number for a product. The part number for this product will vary, depending on the program through which it is purchased.

Product Name indicates that this is a single (Sngl) license for SQL Server Standard Edition 2008, purchased through an Open License program (OLP) with a “No Level” (NL) discount, for a single processor (1 Proc). For orders that meet 500 points in a given pool and qualify for a greater discount, look for the term “OLP C” in the Product Name for the correct price.

Operating System is used for products that run on a specific OS, such as the Mac OS or 64-bit Windows. If the product runs on a standard Microsoft OS or on multiple OSs, “non-specific” is used. These designations are frequently out of date: the long-retired Windows NT, for example, appears in many entries.

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