Overview of all SQL Server versions available at Wiresoft
At Wiresoft you can find the following versions of Microsoft SQL Server at a reasonable price, including the editions available for each:
- SQL Server 2019 - Editions: Standard, Standard 2-Core, Enterprise 2-Core
- SQL Server 2017 - editions: Standard, Standard 2-Core, Enterprise 2-Core
- SQL Server 2016 - Editions: Standard, Standard 2-Core
- SQL Server 2014 - Editions: Standard, Enterprise
- SQL Server 2012 - Editions: Standard, Standard, Business Intelligence, Enterprise
The Enterprise editions are primarily suitable for mission-critical applications in medium-sized and larger companies, while the Standard editions already offer comprehensive database functions even for smaller companies.
With the Standard editions you can alternatively choose between licensing by server license plus client access licenses or by cores (SQL Server versions 2014 - 2019), or in the case of SQL version 2012 by processors.
Below is an overview of the performance portfolio of the individual SQL versions. Detailed information as well as comparisons of the differences between the editions available in each case and on the licensing terms can be found on our respective product pages.
SQL Server 2019
SQL Server 2019 is the latest version of the proven server software from Microsoft. With its extensive portfolio of functions, it meets all the needs that companies have for a modern database management system: for detailed analysis and descriptive reporting tasks with interactive visualizations, as well as for the protection and security of sensitive data - both on the company side and on the customer side, e.g. in the context of business transactions. Therefore, the compliance area as well as the security sector also play a particularly important role in SQL Server 2019, so that high reliability is ensured for all business-critical applications.
SQL Server 2019 also offers a whole range of other innovative features that increase efficiency in the company: these include intelligent cloud solutions and interfaces to compatible databases such as Oracle, as well as the first-time integration of Java. Intelligent Query Processing (IQP) accelerates the processing of queries, which is a major advantage, especially with larger data volumes. Clustering (group assignment) and data monitoring are also included here. The Big Data Management in SQL Server uses AI technologies, which also include machine learning models, with which data can be analyzed almost in real time. For more information, visit the product page.
SQL Server 2017
Microsoft's SQL Server 2017 release provides users with a database solution that offers the greatest flexibility in both managing and protecting data. SQL Server 2017 can be individually adapted to the typical requirements of a company through many options, for example with the choice between a local or cloud-based application of the functions as well as in the use of different operating systems, which also allows Linux.
The server system provides all the typical services of a Relational Database Management System (RDMS) for use in enterprise resource planning systems, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and CRM.
Other important features here include In-Database Advanced Analytics - both with Python and R - as well as numerous performance improvements to Master Data Services (MDS) and Reporting Services (SSRS). SQL Server Analysis Services also offers important new features, for example in tabular models or with Power Query, which extends the previous data sources in M queries with Get Data. In Integration Services, the Scale Out feature also provides additional functionality that simplifies and improves your execution. Check out the product page for more key features of SQL Server 2017.
SQL Server 2016
Compared to its predecessors, the SQL database system of version 2016 from Microsoft is characterized by many innovations in the areas of performance, high availability and security. These allow the fast processing of larger amounts of data, which have a higher complexity, among other things with real-time analysis, in-memory performance and the Advanced Analytics functions. These are complemented by the PolyBase feature for processing Transact-SQL queries of relational and non-relational data, as well as the easy exchange of data via JavaScript Object Notation (JSON).
In addition, in SQL 2017 it is possible to capture OLTP data and store it in Microsoft Azure - this offers hybrid scenarios for this purpose when backing up, including restoring local databases as well as storing active secondary replicas in Always On availability groups.
Always Encrypted technology supports the protection of critical enterprise data locally as well as in the cloud. The performance portfolio of the database software is complemented by business intelligence features in SQL Server Reporting Services, these are now also available on Android and iOS smartphones to create reports in Excel 2016, supplemented by extensive visualizations. For an overview of the full range of SQL Server 2016 features, visit the corresponding product page.
SQL Server 2014
Microsoft SQL Server 2014 is a powerful database solution that enables companies of different sizes to store and make available extensive data sets as well as functions locally for desktop applications as well as online. In line with the increasingly strong orientation towards the cloud, the server software impresses with its stronger link to the Azure cloud platform including Azure Virtual Machine, which support a variety of hybrid scenarios, complemented by higher scalability and performance as well as backup and disaster recovery.
Together, the proven components of the SQL Server system - also called Microsoft Services - provide a comprehensive set of capabilities that address the analysis, processing and management of data, based on the strong SQL database engine, including DQS (Data Quality Services) Server: These include Analysis Services, which can be used to create OLAP (Online Analytical Processing) queries as part of forecasting and trending data mining, as well as financial reports. These are complemented by Reporting Services, which are used in SQL Server 2014 to create, manage and provide reports in a variety of forms. Finally, administrators benefit from the Integration Services, with which data can be easily copied, moved or transformed. A detailed description of SQL Server 2014 can be found on the corresponding product page.
SQL Server 2012
With SQL Server 2012, companies and organizations have a proven relational database management system at their fingertips. Its predecessor was developed in cooperation between Microsoft and Sybase - with the aim of meeting the latest SQLStandard. To this end, this software offers not only important business intelligence applications, but also the connection to cloud services in order to make data available not only locally, but also on the web.
A wide range of functions and optimizations support cross-team collaboration to make business processes even more efficient. This includes increasing the performance of SharePoint Services using SQL Server PowerPivot, which improves coordination, management and collaboration. These are also complemented by Always On Availability Groups: This high-availability solution provides fast disaster recovery with nine availability replicas and various failover methods.
With better SQL Azure integration, databases are easily provisioned online while synchronizing with on-premises databases. SQL Server Management Studio also makes moving databases via Contained Databases even easier. In the area of data warehousing, SQL Server 2012 offers with
Columnstore Index for Transact-SQL, a new Standard for the analysis of large tables, which allows up to ten times faster query performance. Last but not least, SQL Server Data Tools provide a compelling successor to Business Intelligence Development Studio for creating and managing data warehouses. Detailed information about SQL Server 2012 can be found on the product page.
The Microsoft licensing model for SQL Server versions
With SQL Server version 2012, Microsoft has updated the licensing metric. This defines not only all the licensing options available for individual SQL editions, but also the rules that apply in particular to the Enterprise edition, with which the license requirement is calculated.
While in the previous versions this was calculated on the basis of the available processors of the servers, the number of cores now represents the basis. This means that the server performance is now the measure for licensing.
Licensing of SQL Server on a core basis
For core-based licensing of SQL Server versions, the following conditions defined by Microsoft apply:
1. Core licenses are available as 2-packs.
2. When calculating the license requirement, the pure number of cores per processor is not decisive - instead, a minimum of 16 cores is assumed, even if the actual number is lower. Thus, 8 packages with 2-core licenses must be purchased in any case.
3. When licensing per cores, no additional access licenses are required.
Server/CAL licensing for SQL Server
For the Standard edition of SQL Server 2012, licensing per server license plus additional client access licenses (CALs) is also available as an alternative. Here, according to Microsoft, the following provisions apply:
1. Each server requires one license. This includes admin access rights for managing the server services.
2. A client access license must be purchased for each employee who uses the SQL Server services and functions.
3. CALs for users come in two flavors: the User CAL for one person or the Device CAL for one device.
4. Client access licenses can only be issued once and cannot be transferred to other persons or end devices afterwards.
License purchase and license consulting for SQL Server at Wiresoft - all from one source
At Wiresoft you will find these SQL Server 2012 versions as well as CALs as original Microsoft licenses at a particularly favorable price. Our customers always benefit from our reduced price of all software products - which also include server licenses - that originate from European companies and have been legally purchased by Wiresoft. You as a customer are always on the safe side, because when you buy from us you receive 100% usable licenses that have been thoroughly checked for authenticity. License your servers economically with the license offer from Wiresoft and benefit from our professional advice. If you have any questions about the most advantageous licensing for you with a Microsoft SQL Server version, please do not hesitate to contact us.
