SQL Server 2012 Licensing Guide – The Chronic

SQL Server 2012 Licensing Guide

SQL Server 2012 Editions

SQL Server 2012 is offered in three main editions to accommodate the unique feature, performance and price
requirements of organizations and individuals:
▲ Enterprise Edition is ideal for mission critical applications and large scale data warehousing.
▲ Business Intelligence Edition, a new offering, provides premium corporate and self-service business
intelligence (BI).
▲ Standard Edition delivers basic database, reporting and analytics capabilities.
The new editions are offered in a straightforward, tiered model that creates greater consistency across the
product editions, features and licensing. The Enterprise Edition includes all the capabilities available in SQL
Server 2012. The Business Intelligence Edition includes all Standard Edition capabilities, plus all BI capabilities
included in the Enterprise Edition.

With the release of SQL Server 2012, the Workgroup and Small Business editions have been retired, and the Web
Edition is now available only under a Microsoft Services Provider License Agreement (SPLA). The Datacenter
Edition has also been retired, with all capabilities now available in SQL Server 2012 Enterprise Edition.
Other specialty editions of SQL Server 2012 include Developer editions licensed for non-production use, the
freely downloadable and distributable Compact and Express editions, and the next generation SQL Server 2012
Parallel Data Warehouse, which is available as an integrated appliance offering.
▲ For general information on each of the SQL Server 2012 editions, visit: http://www.microsoft.com/sqlserver/en/us/sql-2012-editions.aspx
▲ For more information on the new SQL Server 2012 Parallel Data Warehouse, visit:

▲ For detailed product specifications and a full feature by feature comparison of the SQL Server 2012
editions, visit: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms143287(v=sql.110).aspx

▲ For more information on the compute capacity limits for each edition of SQL Server 2012, visit:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms143760.aspx

How SQL Server 2012 Licenses Are Sold

SQL Server 2012 software licenses are sold through channels designed to meet the unique needs of customers.
These sales channels include online retailers offering full packaged product (FPP) licenses of SQL Server software,
Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) offering pre-installed licenses with their hardware systems, as well
as Large Account Resellers (LARs) and Enterprise Software Advisors (ESAs) offering SQL Server software through
Microsoft Volume Licensing programs for end customer organizations.
For customers with as few as five users, Microsoft offers licensing programs to help reduce administrative
overhead and software management costs, while enabling product licensing on an ongoing basis at considerable
discounts. The various licensing options enable customers to choose the program that works best for their
management and operational needs.
▲ Comprehensive programs that offer Software Assurance as a fixed benefit include the Open Value, Open
Value Subscription, Enterprise Agreement (EA), Enterprise Subscription Agreement (EAS) and the Enrollment
for Application Platform (EAP).
▲ Transactional programs include Open, Select and Select Plus.

Enrollment for Application Platform
The EAP is a flexible cost-effective licensing program designed for EA customers who are standardizing on
the Microsoft Application Platform. With the EAP, customers get the latest SQL Server and other Application
Platform products across their organizations on new and existing deployments with lower up-front costs, and
savings of up to 40 percent on new IT solutions.
Microsoft also offers programs that can meet the specific needs of organizations that partner with Microsoft
to provide additional software and services, such as the Microsoft Independent Software Vendor (ISV) Royalty
Licensing Program and the Microsoft Services Provider License Agreement (SPLA).

SQL Server 2012 Licensing Models

Prior to the release of SQL Server 2012, SQL Server 2008 R2 and earlier software versions were licensed through
Microsoft Volume Licensing programs using one of two software licensing models: a Per Processor licensing
model that reflected the computing power used and a Server plus Client Access License (Server+CAL) licensing
model, which is based on the users or devices accessing the product.
With SQL Server 2012, Microsoft continues to offer customers a variety of licensing options aligned with
how customers typically purchase specific workloads. The Server+CAL licensing model provides the option to
license users and/or devices and then have low cost access to incremental SQL Server deployments. However,
for customers who cannot count users or require premium database capabilities, the way Microsoft licenses
SQL Server for computing power is changing. In the new computing-power based license model for SQL Server
2012, the measure of computing power is shifting from physical processors to cores. Core-based licensing gives
customers a more precise measure of computing power and a more consistent licensing metric, regardless of
whether solutions are deployed on physical servers on-premise, or in virtual or cloud environments.
For details on licensing options for existing SQL Server Enterprise Edition customers licensed under the
Server+CAL model, refer to the Additional Product Information section of this guide.

Core-Based Licensing

Under the new Per Core licensing model, each server running SQL Server 2012 software or any of its components
(such as Reporting Services or Integration Services) must be assigned an appropriate number of SQL Server
2012 core licenses. The number of core licenses needed depends on whether customers are licensing the
physical server or individual virtual operating system environments (OSEs).
Unlike the Server+CAL licensing model, the Per Core model allows access for an unlimited number of users or
devices to connect from either inside or outside an organization’s firewall. With the Per Core model, customers
do not need to purchase additional client access licenses (CALs) to access the SQL Server software.

How to License SQL Server 2012 Using the Per Core Licensing Model

When running SQL Server in a physical OSE, all physical cores on the server must be licensed. Software
partitioning does not reduce the number of core licenses required, except when licensing individual virtual
machines (VMs). The minimum number of licenses required for each processor on the server still applies.
To determine and acquire the correct number of core licenses needed, customers must:

1. Count the total number of physical cores in the server.
2. Multiply the number of cores by the appropriate core factor to determine the total number of licenses
   required for the server.
   Note: The core factor used depends on the processor type deployed, and a minimum of four core licenses
   is required for each physical processor on a physical server.
   Purchase the appropriate number of core licenses required for the server. Core licenses are sold in packs of
   two, so customers must divide the number of licenses required by two to determine the actual number of line
   items (licensing SKUs) to order.

The Per Core licensing model is appropriate when:

▲ Deploying the SQL Server 2012 Enterprise or Parallel Data Warehouse editions.
▲ Deploying Internet or extranet workloads, systems that integrate with external-facing workloads (even if
external data goes through one or more other systems), or when the number of users/devices cannot be
counted easily.
▲ Implementing centralized deployments that span a large number of direct and/or indirect users/devices.
▲ The total licensing costs are lower than those incurred using the Server+CAL licensing model.
Note: The use of hyper-threading technology does not affect the number of core licenses required when
running SQL Server software in a physical OSE.
For details on how to license virtual OSEs using the Per Core model, refer to the Licensing SQL Server 2012 for
Virtual Environments section of this guide.

Server+CAL Licensing

When licensing SQL Server software under the Server+CAL model, customers purchase a server license for
each server and a client access license (CAL) for each device (Device CAL) and/or user (User CAL) accessing SQL
Server or any of its components. A CAL is not software; it is a license granting users and devices access to the
SQL Server software.

How to License SQL Server 2012 Using the Server+CAL Licensing Model
Under the Server+CAL licensing model, each operating system environment (OSE) running SQL Server 2012
software or any of its components must have a SQL Server 2012 server license assigned to the physical server
hosting the OSE. Each server license allows customers to run any number of SQL Server instances in a single
OSE, either physical or virtual.
Note: Running SQL Server software on different hardware partitions or blades requires separate software
licenses. Hardware partitions and blades are considered to be separate servers for licensing purposes and SQL
Server software licenses cannot be assigned to more than one server at any time.
To access a licensed SQL Server, each user or device must have a SQL Server CAL that is the same version or
newer than the SQL Server software version being accessed. For example, to access a server running SQL Server
2012 software, a user needs a SQL Server 2012 CAL.
Note: Devices not operated by humans require device CALs, even when connecting to SQL Server indirectly. For
human operated devices such as PCs or hand-held terminals, a user CAL or device CAL can be used.
While version-specific, each SQL Server 2012 CAL provides access to any number of current and/or prior
version licensed SQL Server instances in a customer’s organization, regardless of the platform (32-bit, 64-bit
or IA64) or product edition, including legacy SQL Server Workgroup and SQL Server for Small Business edition
servers.
Note: The use of hardware or software that reduces the number of devices or users that directly access or
use the software (multiplexing/pooling) does not reduce the number of CALs required. For details on how to
license SQL Server in a multiplexed application environment, refer to the Advanced Licensing Scenarios section
of this guide.

The Server+CAL licensing model is appropriate when:
●● Deploying the SQL Server Business Intelligence Edition.
●● Deploying SQL Server Standard Edition in scenarios where you can easily count users/devices and the total
licensing costs are lower than using the Per Core licensing model.
●● Accessing multiple SQL Server databases and/or planning to scale out the use of SQL Server by adding new
servers over time. Once you have purchased the necessary CALs, you only need to purchase low cost server
licenses for new server system deployments.
●● Accessing “legacy” Enterprise Edition servers in the Server+CAL licensing model. For more detailed
information on this topic, refer to the Additional Product Information section of this guide.

Licensing SQL Server 2012 Components

SQL Server software includes a range of licensed server components, including the SQL Server Database Engine
(DB), Master Data Services (MDS), Analysis Services (AS), Integration Services (IS), Reporting Services (RS), and
Data Quality Services (DQS). In addition, a number of management components are provided, such as client
applications and tools used for creating or working with analytical data.
▲ For more details on the software components specifically included with SQL Server 2012, visit: http://
msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms144275.aspx
The software components of SQL Server 2012 cannot be separated for use in more than one OSE. If these
components are running on a server other than the main database server, then an additional license is required
for each additional OSE in which they are installed. For example, if the SQL Server DB is deployed in one OSE
and SQL Server RS is deployed in another, both OSEs must be fully licensed for SQL Server 2012 accordingly.
Management tools and other software identified as additional or supplemental software—such as product
documentation, client connectivity tools, software add-ins, and SDKs—can generally be distributed and run on
any number of devices for use with a licensed instance of SQL Server software. Refer to the Volume Licensing
PUR for a list of additional software components provided with SQL Server 2012.

Licensing SQL Ser ver 2012 in a Virtualized Environment

Microsoft SQL Server is increasingly being deployed in virtualized environments, which enable running
instances of SQL Server concurrently in separate virtual OSEs (or virtual machines).
SQL Server 2012 offers expanded virtualization rights, options and benefits to provide greater flexibility
for customers deploying in virtual environments. When deploying SQL Server 2012 software in virtualized
environments, customers have the choice to license either individual virtual machines as needed, or to
license for maximum virtualization in highly virtualized, private cloud, or dynamic environments. Maximum
virtualization can be achieved by licensing the entire physical server with Enterprise Edition core licenses and
covering those licenses with Software Assurance (SA).

Licensing Individual Virtual Machines

As customers consolidate existing workloads and refresh hardware, they may find that a SQL Server instance uses
only a fraction of available system computing power. When deploying databases in virtual environments that
require just a fraction of a physical server, savings can be achieved by licensing individual virtual machines (VMs).

How to License Individual Virtual Machines Using the Per Core Licensing Model
Similar to the Per Core licensing model in physical OSEs, all virtual cores (v-cores) supporting virtual OSEs that
are running instances of SQL Server 2012 software must be licensed accordingly.
To license individual VMs using the Per Core model, customers must purchase a core license for each v-core (or
virtual processor, virtual CPU, virtual thread) allocated to the VM, subject to a four core license minimum per
VM. For licensing purposes, a v-core maps to a hardware thread. When licensing individual VMs, core factors
do not apply.
Note: Licensing individual VMs is the only licensing option available for SQL Server 2012 Standard Edition
customers who are running the software in a virtualized environment under the Per Core model.
For customers with highly virtualized environments who want to move VMs dynamically across servers to
reallocate resources as needed, Microsoft permits License Mobility as an exclusive SA benefit available for
all SQL Server editions. For more information on licensing for application mobility, refer to the Advanced
Licensing Scenarios section of this guide.

Additional licenses are required when:
●● A single hardware thread is supporting multiple virtual cores. (A core license is required for each v-core.)
●● Multiple hardware threads are supporting a single virtual core simultaneously. (A core license allows a
single v-core to be supported by a single hardware thread.)

How to License Individual Virtual Machines Using the Server+CAL Licensing Model
To license individual VMs using the Server+CAL model (available for SQL Server 2012 Standard and Business
Intelligence editions only) customers simply purchase one server license for each VM running SQL Server
software, regardless of the number of virtual processors allocated to the VM.
For example, a customer who wants to deploy the Business Intelligence Edition running in six VMs, each
allocated with four v-cores, would need to assign six SQL Server 2012 Business Intelligence server licenses to
that server.

Note: Each user or device accessing SQL Server 2012 software, regardless of a virtual or physical deployment,
requires a SQL Server 2012 CAL.
For details on how to license individual VMs with legacy SQL Server Enterprise Edition server licenses, please
refer to the Additional Product Information section of this guide.

Licensing for Maximum Virtualization

With the SQL Server 2012 Enterprise Edition, customers who have licensed all physical cores on the server
can run an unlimited number of instances of the software in a number of OSEs (physical and/or virtual) equal
to the number of core licenses assigned to the server. For example, a four processor server with four cores
per processor—fully licensed with sixteen core licenses—can run SQL Server software in up to sixteen VMs,
regardless of the number of virtual cores allocated to each VM.
●● Customers who have licensed all the physical cores on the server and want to run SQL Server 2012 software
in more VMs than are permitted can assign additional core licenses to the licensed server.
●● Each additional core license allows deployment of SQL Server software in an additional VM, so in the
previous example, a customer who wants to run the SQL Server Enterprise Edition in eighteen VMs would
simply acquire and assign eighteen core licenses to that server.
With the addition of Software Assurance (SA) coverage on all Enterprise Edition core licenses (for a fully
licensed server) customers’ use rights are expanded to allow any number of instances of the software to run in
any number of OSEs (physical or virtual). This valuable SA benefit enables customers to deploy an unlimited
number of VMs to handle dynamic workloads and fully utilize hardware computing capacity.
Note: This benefit ends when SA coverage expires.

Licensing for maximum virtualization can be an ideal solution when:
●● Deploying SQL Server private cloud scenarios with high VM density.
●● Hyper-threading is being used.
●● Using dynamic provisioning and de-provisioning of VM resources.

Licensing SQL Server 2012 Parallel Data Warehouse

SQL Server 2012 Parallel Data Warehouse (PDW) is a specialized edition of SQL Server software available only
for appliance-based data warehouse solutions that are offered through preferred hardware partners.
Simple to deploy, SQL Server 2012 PDW is delivered as a pre-built appliance with software, hardware, and
networking components already pre-installed and configured to maximize data warehouse performance.
Designed to grow with a customer’s data warehouse needs, PDW appliances can scale from a quarter rack
configuration to a multiple rack solution supporting petabytes of data.
Licensed exclusively under the Per Core licensing model, the number of SQL Server 2012 PDW core licenses
required for a PDW appliance will depend on the total number of physical compute servers configured in
the appliance.
Note: a PDW appliance is defined to be a single unit made up of two or more active compute servers (also
called compute nodes) that are controlled by a single PDW control VM (virtual OSE).
When licensing a PDW appliance, all physical cores on all active compute servers must be fully licensed for
SQL Server 2012 PDW software. For example, a quarter rack appliance configured with two active compute
servers—each with two 8-core processors—would require a total of 32 SQL Server 2012 PDW core licenses
(assuming a processor core factor of “1”).
As with other SQL Server 2012 software editions licensed under the Per Core model, SQL Server 2012 PDW
core licenses are sold in packs of two. For more information on how to determine the number of license SKUs
to order, including how to account for processor core factors when determining license requirements, refer to
the Core-Based Licensing section of this guide.

Additional Considerations when Licensing PDW Appliances:
●● Windows Server 2012 Standard Edition software is acquired with the appliance hardware through an
OEM license. Software Assurance (SA) coverage for Windows Server must be added through an applicable
Microsoft Volume Licensing program.
»» Windows Server CALs are also required for all users accessing the PDW appliance.
●● Customers must additionally acquire software licenses with SA coverage for the SQL Server 2012 PDW and
requisite System Center 2012 software components through a Volume Licensing program.
●● While SQL Server 2012 PDW licenses are only required for the active compute nodes in an appliance, all
servers—including the control server and passive failover servers configured in the appliance—must be
fully licensed for both Windows Server 2012 and System Center 2012 Standard Edition software.
●● Licensing by individual OSE is not applicable to SQL Server 2012 PDW software. As noted above, all physical
cores on all active compute servers in the PDW appliance must be fully licensed for SQL Server 2012 PDW.
●● SQL Server software running on the PDW appliance control server is considered Additional Server Software
and does not need to be separately licensed when all active compute servers are fully licensed as defined
above.

Advanced Licensing Scenarios and Detailed Examples

This section introduces a few advanced SQL Server 2012 licensing scenarios to help illustrate how customers
can apply some of the key licensing principals covered in this guide. For detailed licensing terms and additional
licensing guidance applicable to more specific software deployment scenarios, refer to the Microsoft Volume
Licensing Product Use Rights (PUR).

Licensing SQL Server for High Availability

SQL Server software can be configured so that if one server fails, its processing will be picked up, recovered
and continued by another server. All editions of SQL Server 2012 provide basic high availability features
including backup log shipping, database mirroring and two-node failover clustering. Advanced (AlwaysOn)
high availability features in SQL Server 2012 Enterprise Edition include enhanced support for multiple, active
(readable) secondary servers and support for multi-site failover clustering.
Log shipping and database mirroring take place at the database level, whereas failover clustering takes place
at the SQL Server instance level.

Failover Basics
For each properly licensed instance of SQL Server, customers can run a supporting passive instance in a separate
OSE for temporary support—that is, to synchronize with the primary server and otherwise maintain the passive
database instance in a warm standby state in order to minimize downtime due to hardware or software failure.
A passive SQL Server instance is one that is not serving SQL Server data to clients or running active SQL
Server workloads. This passive failover instance can run on a server other than the licensed server.
●● The secondary server used for failover support does not need to be separately licensed for SQL Server as
long as it is truly passive. If it is serving data, such as reports to clients running active SQL Server workloads,
or performing any “work” such as additional backups being made from secondary servers, then it must be
licensed for SQL Server.
●● Primary server licenses include support for one secondary server only, and any additional secondary servers
must be licensed for SQL Server.
Note: The rights to run a passive instance of SQL Server for temporary support are not transferable to other
licensed servers for purposes of providing multiple passive secondary servers to a single primary server.
●● When licensing SQL Server 2012 under the Per Core model, the number of core licenses must be based on
the server that requires the higher number of licenses. This way, when the failover server takes over, it is
adequately licensed. For a passive instance of SQL Server to be properly licensed, it cannot require more
core licenses than the licensed primary system.
●● In the event that a passive instance of SQL Server becomes active for any reason, then it must be fully
licensed accordingly.
»» This can be accomplished by assigning new licenses to the (now active) secondary server, or by
reassigning existing licenses from the primary server (once the primary instances are inactive and no
longer performing SQL Server workloads). License Mobility, a Software Assurance (SA) benefit, may
allow for more flexibility with license reassignment. For details on reassignment considerations without
SA, refer to the Licensing SQL Server for Application Mobility section of this guide.

Failover Support for SQL Server PDW Appliances
High availability support for SQL Server 2012 PDW differs from traditional SQL Server software offerings and
instead, is managed entirely within the single appliance. If any of the control and/or compute server VMs
fail, then the services provided by the failed VM(s) are automatically picked up by one of the passive servers
configured within the appliance. This process is managed by technology within the PDW appliance.
Failover clustering between two or more appliance systems is not generally supported and running an
additional appliance for redundant back-up purposes would require the back-up appliance to be fully licensed
accordingly.

AlwaysOn Availability Groups
New for the SQL Server 2012 Enterprise Edition, AlwaysOn Availability Groups enable customers to configure
multiple databases that will failover as a unit, with support for up to four active secondary servers and two
synchronous secondary servers. The ability to use secondary servers for more than just passive failover support
can improve the performance of primary, reporting and backup workloads due to better balancing of workloads
across instances, helping to provide better return on hardware investment.
Note: When secondary servers are actively used to support these additional workload scenarios—that is, when
the servers used for failover purposes are no longer truly passive—they must be fully licensed accordingly.

Licensing SQL Ser ver for Non-production Use

Customers are required to license every Microsoft software product they install, configure, and use, including
all physical and virtual instances. As such, licensing a development and test environment can be expensive and
challenging to manage as new servers are set up and others are torn down. Microsoft offers multiple, costeffective
options for licensing SQL Server 2012 software for use in non-production environments.

SQL Server Developer Edition
The SQL Server 2012 Developer Edition is a full-function version of SQL Server software—including all of the
features and capabilities of the Enterprise Edition—licensed under the Developer Tools model, which is a “per
user” model. One license is required for each person that accesses or uses the software. Customers licensing
SQL Server Parallel Data Warehouse appliances for non-production use are also able to license the included
SQL Server software under the Developer Tools model.
When using SQL Server software for development, test or demonstration purposes, only the users are licensed
and a corresponding license for the actual server systems running SQL Server software is not required. As long
as only licensed users have access to the software, customers can install as many copies of the software on any
number of servers that are employed exclusively for this use. This is significant, because it allows customers to
run the software on multiple devices (for testing purposes, for example) without having to license each nonproduction
server system.
●● Before using SQL Server software under the Developer Tools model, customers must assign one license to
each user accessing the software.
●● Once licensed, customers can install the SQL Server 2012 Developer Edition software, and all licensed users
can use copies to design, develop, test and/or demonstrate programs.
●● Customers cannot use the software in a production environment and any test data that was used for
design, development or test purposes must be removed prior to deploying the software for production use.
Note: A production environment is defined as an environment that is accessed by end-users of an application
(such as an Internet Web site) and that is used for purposes other than acceptance testing of that application.
Other scenarios that constitute production environments include:
●● Environments that connect to a production database.
●● Environments that support disaster-recovery or backup for a production environment.
●● Environments that are used for production at least some of the time, such as a server that is rotated into
production during peak periods of activity.
It is rare that someone whose primary role is designing, developing, or testing software would also qualify as
an “end user” of the software.

MSDN Subscriptions
Customers can also choose to license SQL Server software for non-production use through certain MSDN
subscription offerings, including the Visual Studio Professional, Premium and Ultimate subscription levels.
Similar to the standalone SQL Server Developer Edition, MSDN subscriptions are licensed on a per user basis
and the software cannot be used in a production environment.
▲ For more information on MSDN subscriptions that include access to SQL Server software, visit:
http://msdn.microsoft.com
▲ For more information on MSDN licensing scenarios, download the Visual Studio 2012 and MSDN
Licensing White Paper at: http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?displaylang=en&id=13350

Product Evaluations
The SQL Server 2012 Evaluation Edition is a fully functional trial version of SQL Server 2012 software that
automatically expires after six months. Microsoft Volume Licensing customers can also, install, and evaluate any
of the SQL Server 2012 products for 60 days before requiring a purchase.
▲ To discover the power of SQL Server 2012, download the free SQL Server 2012 Evaluation at:
http://www.microsoft.com/sqlserver/en/us/get-sql-server/try-it.aspx

Licensing SQL Server in a Multiplexed Application Environment

“Multiplexing” refers to the use of hardware or software to pool connections, reroute information, or reduce
the number of devices or users that directly access or use SQL Server. Multiplexing can also include reducing
the number of devices or users SQL Server directly manages.
When licensing SQL Server software under the Server+CAL licensing model, users and devices that indirectly
access SQL Server data through another application or hardware device still require SQL Server CALs.
●● Multiplexing does not reduce the number of Microsoft licenses required. Users are required to have the
appropriate licenses, regardless of their direct or indirect connection to SQL Server.
●● Any user or device that accesses the server, files, data or content provided by the server that is made
available through an automated process requires a SQL Server CAL.
●● The number of tiers of hardware or software between the SQL Server and the user or devices that ultimately
use its data, services, or functionality does not affect the number of CALs required.
●● Manual transfer of data from employee to employee does not require a CAL for the receiving employee.
For example, if an employee sends a Microsoft Office Excel® version of a report to another employee, the
receiving employee does not require a CAL (as long as the report does not access a server running SQL
Server in some way).

SQL Server CALs are required for users or devices that directly input into, query, or view data from a SQL
Server database. Similarly, SQL Server CALs are required for users or devices that input data into, query, or view
data from a SQL Server database through a pooling device (such as the CRM Server in the figure above). This
includes users who view data through web-based applications or enter information into a database through
an intermediary product.
When users actively send SQL Server data by email or other messaging technology, recipient users do not
require a SQL Server CAL. With multiplexing, these rules do not change. Likewise, the paper distribution of
data does not require SQL Server CALs for the recipients of the paper report. Users who receive data directly
or indirectly from SQL Server require CALs, but if these users print the data, recipient users do not require a
SQL Server CAL.

Licensing SQL Server for Application Mobility

License Mobility is a use right that is available for all editions of SQL Server 2012 software licenses with active
Software Assurance (SA) coverage. With this SA benefit, customers can re-assign SQL Server licenses to different
servers within a server farm as often as needed. Customers can also reassign licenses to third party shared
servers. License Mobility is available for licenses under both the Per Core and Server+CAL license models.
●● SQL Server licenses that are not covered with active SA can only be reassigned to a different server within
a server farm once every 90 days, and they cannot be reassigned to a third party web hoster or non-private
cloud at any time. (In the event of permanent hardware failure, the 90-day reassignment limit is waived.)
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●● All SQL Server licenses with active SA can be reassigned to another server within the server farm as often as
needed; however, they can only be reassigned to another server in another server farm, or to a non-private
cloud, once every 90 days.
»» A server farm may consist of up to two data centers located in time zones that are within four hours
of one another and/or with the European Union (EU) and/or European Free Trade Association (EFTA).
»» A given data center may only be part of one server farm.
●● License Mobility use rights do not apply to SQL Server 2012 PDW software.
License Mobility can benefit customers who license individual virtual machines (VMs) and then want to reassign
those licenses to different servers within a server farm—as workloads move dynamically—or to VMs in cloud
environments.
Note: License Mobility relates directly to the reassignment of software licenses only and is not applicable to the
reassignment of SQL Server software licenses.

Additional Product Information

Upgrades, Downgrades and Step-Ups

When licensing SQL Server 2012 software, several deployment options are available to support a variety of
customer upgrade scenarios.
●● Version Upgrade Rights are offered as a Software Assurance (SA) benefit for qualified licenses and allow
customers access to upgrade their deployments released at no additional cost. Existing SQL Server 2008 R2
software licenses covered by SA are automatically upgraded to the corresponding SQL Server 2012 edition.
In cases where prior version editions have been discontinued, the SQL Server 2012 upgrade path may be
to another product edition.

●● Cross Edition Rights are currently available for certain SQL Server products only and allow customers to
deploy an alternate (usually lower) edition in place of the currently licensed edition. SQL Server cross
edition rights can be combined with the version downgrade rights available for all products offered under
a Volume Licensing agreement that allow customers to deploy prior versions of the software in place of the
currently licensed version. In some cases, rights to deploy prior versions of product editions other than the
edition currently licensed may also be allowed.
Note: When using version downgrade or cross edition deployment rights, the product use rights for the
originally licensed version and edition still apply. Cross edition rights and edition step-ups do not apply to SQL
Server Parallel Data Warehouse appliances.

●● Edition Step-Ups are offered as a Software Assurance (SA) benefit in certain Volume Licensing programs
only and allow customers to move from a lower product edition. SQL Server 2012 Standard Edition server
licenses can step-up to the SQL Server 2012 Business Intelligence Edition and SQL Server 2012 Standard
Edition core licenses can step-up to the SQL Server 2012 Enterprise Edition. To be eligible to step-up to a
higher edition, the lower edition license must be covered by SA. Step-ups between licensing models are
not allowed.

SQL Server 2012 Migration Options for Software Assurance Customers

To facilitate a smooth transition to the new SQL Server 2012 product edition and licensing model changes,
Microsoft is offering several migration options to help customers who have invested in Software Assurance
benefits to protect their current software investments.

For SQL Server Processor Licenses with Software Assurance
SQL Server 2008 R2 is the last version of SQL Server software to be licensed under the Per Processor licensing
model. Customers with active SA coverage on qualifying SQL Server 2008 R2 processor licenses (as of April 1
2012) are eligible to run SQL Server 2012 during their agreement term under processor use rights. They are
also able to renew into core licenses at their first subsequent SA expiration.

During Current Agreement Term: During the current term of SA coverage (effective on or before April 1,
2012), customers who are licensing SQL Server under the processor licensing model can, for a given deployment,
upgrade to and use the equivalent edition of SQL Server 2012 core-based software (in place of the licensed
SQL Server 2008 R2 edition), subject to current SQL Server 2008 R2 processor license product use rights.
SQL Server Datacenter Edition customers can run the SQL Server 2012 Enterprise Edition core-based software.
SQL Server Workgroup and (non-SPLA) Web Edition customers can run the SQL Server 2012 Standard Edition
core based software.
Customers with Enterprise Agreements effective on or before April 1, 2012 can also continue to acquire
additional SQL Server 2008 R2 processor licenses—and upgrade those licenses to SQL Server 2012—through
the end of their enrollment.

Renewing Processor Licenses into Cores: The number of core licenses a customer is eligible to renew is based
on the edition of SQL Server currently licensed and the number of cores in use when SA coverage expires:

If the number of core licenses required exceeds the minimum eligibility defined above, the customer can take
an inventory to document their actual core license needs. (Core license needs are equivalent to the cores in a
physical server multiplied by the core factor for that server).
As part of an SA renewal, customers can exchange eligible processor licenses into an appropriate number of
core licenses based on the above inventory and eligibility criteria. (See the Microsoft Product List for Volume
Licensing for full details and restrictions.)

These Restrictions Apply: When processor licenses are renewed into core licenses, they are exchanged. This
exchange process supports customers’ eligibility to renew into a number of cores based on actual need at the
time of renewal.
●● To exchange a SQL Server processor license for core licenses, SA coverage must be renewed based on the
number of core licenses required to license all of the physical cores in the server.
●● To be eligible for more than the minimum exchange, the total number of processor licenses assigned to a
given server cannot exceed the total number of physical processors in the server.
●● An inventory performed by the end of the first SA term ending after April 1, 2012 must be recorded to
demonstrate core license needs. Customers who do not maintain a record will receive a core equivalence
for only the minimum number of core licenses noted for each edition in the figure above.

For SQL Server 2008 R2 Parallel Data Warehouse (PDW) appliance customers: The above migration options
for customers with eligible SQL Server processor licenses generally apply to SQL Server PDW appliance
customers with active SA coverage as of March 1, 2013.

For Customers Who Do Not Renew Software Assurance Benefits
Customers with perpetual use rights who choose not to renew SA coverage on SQL Server 2008 R2 processor
licenses can continue to run SQL Server 2012 core-based software (including prior versions), subject to the
following restrictions:
●● When running SQL Server 2008 R2 software, customers must follow SQL Server 2008 R2 use rights.
Note: Customers who do not renew SA coverage for their existing processor licenses are no longer eligible
for SA-only benefits such as unlimited virtualization and License Mobility rights. For more information on
these and other benefits, refer to the Software Assurance Benefits section of this guide.
●● When running SQL Server 2012 software, customers must follow SQL Server 2012 use rights, subject to the
additional restrictions listed below.
Note: As stated above, for customers running SQL Server 2008 R2 version software, customers who do not
renew SA coverage for their existing SQL Server 2012 processor licenses are no longer eligible for SA-only
benefits.

These Restrictions Apply: For purposes of calculating on-going use rights, customers who upgrade to SQL
Server 2012 core-based software will receive a fixed (perpetual) “core equivalence” value for each existing SQL
Server 2008 R2 processor license with expiring SA.
●● This core equivalence value is equal to either:
»» The minimum number of core licenses defined in the license renewal section above; or
»» The actual number of cores in a physical processor, multiplied by the applicable core factor for that
processor type. As stated above, customers must record an inventory of the actual number of cores in
use to document core license needs.
●● The total number of processor licenses eligible to receive more than the minimum core equivalency cannot
exceed the total number of physical processors in the licensed server.
●● Processor licenses with fixed core equivalence values can be combined with SQL Server 2012 core licenses
of the same edition to support deployment on servers that require additional core licenses.

SQL Server Enterprise Edition Customers Licensed Under the Server+CAL Model
As of July 1, 2012, Microsoft no longer offers the SQL Server Enterprise Edition under the Server+CAL license
model. Current customers with active SA coverage for existing SQL Server 2008 R2 Enterprise Edition server
licenses should consider the following when transitioning to SQL Server 2012:
●● SQL Server 2012 Enterprise Edition server licenses ceased to be available on price lists after June 30, 2012.
●● Enterprise Agreement (EA) and Enrollment for Application Platform (EAP) customers with active agreements
on this date can continue purchasing new licenses until the end of their current agreement term.
●● After their current term expires, SA coverage can be renewed and maintained on SQL Server Enterprise
Edition server licenses to provide continued access to SA benefits, including License Mobility rights and
access to future releases.
●● SQL Server 2012 Enterprise Edition software licensed under the Server+CAL model is intended and
physically limited to only run on servers with a total of twenty cores or less:
»» There are now two versions of SQL Server 2012 Enterprise Edition software: a server-based
version and a core-based version. Customers must run the software version for which they are
licensed.
»» For customers running SQL Server 2012 Enterprise Edition server-based software instances in a physical
environment, that OSE is only permitted to access a maximum of twenty physical cores. A per instance
technical limit is also enforced.
»» For customers running SQL Server 2012 Enterprise Edition server licenses in virtual environments, each
set of VMs associated with a single server license (up to four per server license) can only access up to
twenty hardware threads of combined power at any time.
●● Existing SQL Server 2012 Enterprise Edition server licenses continue to have tremendous value, and with
the availability of ongoing SA coverage, customers licensed under the Server+CAL model can retain access
to the latest product enhancements and advanced capabilities of the Enterprise Edition. As such, there are
no programmatic conversions to core licenses.

Additional Considerations When Licensing Virtual Environments:
Each SQL Server 2012 Enterprise Edition server license allows customers the ability to run instances of the
software in up to four VMs on the licensed server.
●● SQL Server Enterprise Edition server licenses—with or without SA coverage—do not have unlimited
virtualization rights. This applies to new SQL Server 2012 deployments, as well as all SQL 2008 R2
deployments.
●● If needed, customers can assign additional SQL Server Enterprise Edition server licenses to a physical server
to license additional VMs on that server.
Note: Each group of four VMs is subject to the 20-thread technical limit noted above.
●● License Mobility rights are allowed for SQL Server 2012 Enterprise Edition server licenses with active SA
coverage only.
Note: When reassigning a server license, all VMs associated with that server license (up to four per license)
must move to another server together.

Software Assurance Benefits

Software Assurance (SA) for Volume Licensing helps boost IT productivity by enabling customers to get the
most from Microsoft software products. SA benefits—including 24×7 support, deployment planning services,
user and technical training, and the latest software releases and unique technologies—are combined in one
cost-effective program.
Using these benefits can help customers improve productivity and help IT efficiently deploy and manage SQL
Server software. As hardware capacity and licensing needs expand, SQL Server customers with SA coverage
can enjoy the benefit of adding incremental licenses without regard to the software version licensed. Software
licenses and use rights are version-specific and as such, licenses for different software versions cannot be
combined when licensing a single operating system environment. As a benefit of having access to—and
therefore always being licensed for—the latest version of SQL Server software, SA customers licensed under
the core licensing model (for example) can easily combine current version core licenses with future version core
licenses, without the need to track or otherwise reassign covered licenses based on software version alone.
Note: All licenses must be covered with SA and product use rights do not change when using downgrade rights
to deploy prior software versions.
SQL Server customers with active SA coverage for their SQL Server 2012 software licenses can enjoy these
additional benefits:

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