Updated: July 15, 2020 (June 1, 2016)

Licensing Changes for SQL Server 2016

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

SQL Server 2016 arrived in June 2016 and brings a narrow set of licensing changes that could still impact a segment of customers. In particular, Microsoft has ceased offering the Business Intelligence edition of the product, and customers using that edition of SQL Server 2012 or 2014 will need to consider their options for moving forward. This report explains each of the changes to the rules, as compared with the previous set of terms.

Understanding SQL Server

SQL Server is Microsoft’s database platform and delivers on-premises business intelligence (BI) technology and reporting. Enterprise edition, the highest-end tier of the product, includes data warehousing, high-performance, and high-availability features and the most comprehensive security and auditing capabilities. There are no changes to the pricing of SQL Server licenses with the 2016 version. (For more information on the features in the two remaining editions of SQL Server, see the illustration “SQL Server Edition Packaging“.)

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