Microsoft SQL Server 2025 Enterprise With 16 Core And Unlimited User CALs

SQL Server 2025 Overview - Key Features, Licensing Models, and Optimizations

Feature and Product Updates

What's New in SQL Server 2025: SQL Server 2025 builds on the robust foundation of SQL Server 2022, introducing groundbreaking features in AI integration, real-time data streaming, and developer productivity, alongside enhanced security, performance, and hybrid cloud capabilities. The predecessor, SQL Server 2022, focused on stability and hybrid readiness. SQL Server 2025 advances toward a cloud-first, AI-empowered data platform.

SQL Server 2025 Edition and Feature Comparison

Enterprise Edition: advanced performance, high availability, unlimited virtualization

• Enterprise Edition is ideal for applications requiring mission-critical in-memory performance, security, and high availability.
• Enterprise Edition is only available under the Per-Core Licensing Model.

Standard Edition: core business functionality

• Standard Edition delivers fully featured database capabilities for mid-tier applications and data marts.
• Standard Edition is available under the Server + CAL Model and the Per-Core Model.

Note: Certain features with cloud integration require Software Assurance for full functionality, such as unlimited virtualization, Azure Hybrid Benefit, and HA.

SQL Server 2025 Licensing Models and Compliance

SQL Server is offered in two main editions to accommodate the unique feature, performance, and price requirements of organizations and individuals.

Server + CAL:

• To license your physical server or virtual operating system environment (OSE) using the Server + CAL model, customers purchase one server license for each OSE instance running SQL Server software.
• Client access licenses (CALs) are required for every user or device accessing a server in the Server + CAL licensing model.
• A CAL is not a software product. It is a license that grants a user the right to access the services of the SQL server.

Per-Core:

• The number of core licenses needed depends on whether customers are licensing the physical server or individual virtual operating system environments (OSEs).
• Per-Core model allows access for an unlimited number of users or devices to connect from either inside or outside an organization's firewall.
• Client Access Licenses (CALs) are not needed to access the SQL Server Software.
• When running SQL Server in a physical OSE, all physical cores on the server must be licensed. A minimum of a four core license is required for each physical processor on the server.
• To license individual VMs using the Per-Core model, customers must purchase a core license for each v-core allocated to the VM, subject to a minimum of four cores per VM.

SQL Server 2025 Licensing Cost Optimization

Server + CAL model cost optimization:

• Server + CAL model can be more cost-effective for small to mid-sized environments that can count the number of users or devices accessing the server.
• In some cases, a comparison between the costs of both licensing models may reveal that the Per-Core model is more cost-effective for the environment.

Per-Core model is appropriate / required when:

• Deploying SQL Enterprise Edition, which is only available under the Per-Core model.
• Deploying Internet or extranet workloads, systems that integrate with external-facing workloads (even if external data goes through one or more other systems).
• The number of users or devices accessing the server cannot be counted easily. Example: Centralized deployments that span a large number of direct and/or indirect users/devices.

Rights, Terms, and Compliance

• Refer to SQL licensing resources and product terms for additional information.
• Upgrade path documentation is not yet available. Check back at a later date.
• For minimum specifications, refer to the hardware and software requirements for installing and running SQL Server 2025.