Below is a list of the three version choices for EACH of the following: SQL Server 2000, SQL Server 2005, and SQL Server 2008 (for a total of 9 choices):
1. free version (called "MSDE" 2000 or SQL Server 2000 "Desktop Edition"; referred to as "Express Edition" in SQL Server 2005 and 2008), which is available for free on our download page.
2. SQL Server Standard Edition - "unrestricted use."
3. SQL Server Standard Edition - "runtime." Costs about half as much as an "unrestricted use" license, since Microsoft allows you to use a runtime license for only one application (Audit Leverage in this case) and does not allow you to create new databases - or even to create new tables in the Audit Leverage database. (However, we can add a custom table for you.)
| Versions of SQL Server 20001 |
|
| Feature |
Standard Edition
(whether "unrestricted"
or "runtime") |
Desktop Edition: free
("MSDE") |
|
| Database size |
Unlimited |
2 GB |
|
| Number of concurrent users |
Unlimited |
Slows down after 5
concurrent connections. |
|
| Graphical tools included2 |
Enterprise Manager |
None |
|
| Cost per network server3 (US$) |
$384 for runtime, or
$665 for unrestricted. |
Free |
|
| Cost per laptop or desktop4 (US$) |
$84 for runtime, or
$146 for unrestricted. |
Free |
|
|
|
|
|
| Versions of SQL Server 2005 or 20081 |
|
| Feature |
Standard Edition
(whether "unrestricted"
or "runtime") |
Express Edition: free
(formerly called MSDE) |
|
| Database size |
Unlimited |
4 GB for SQL 2005,
8 GB for SQL 2008 R1,
10 GB for SQL 2008 R2. |
|
| Number of concurrent users |
Unlimited |
Unlimited (no longer slows down after 5
concurrent connections) |
|
| Graphical tools included2 |
SSMS (SQL Server Management Studio) |
SSMS-EE (SQL Management Studio - Express Edition) |
|
| Cost per network server3 (US$) |
Free for runtime, or
$752 for unrestricted. |
Free |
|
| Cost per laptop or desktop4 (US$) |
$60 for runtime, or
$137 for unrestricted. |
Free |
|
|
|
|
|
1 SQL Server Enterprise Edition (2000, 2005, or 2008) is a fourth option, although not a cost-effective one, since Microsoft charges much more for it than for Standard Edition, and Audit Leverage does not use any of the Enterprise Edition's features that are not already provided by the Standard Edition. (For a list of the other 3 options besides Enterprise Edition, please see the numbered list immediately after the first paragraph at the top of this page.)
2 Enterprise Manager is SQL Server 2000's user interface for managing multiple databases and their security settings. It is not required for Audit Leverage. In SQL Server 2005 and 2008, the equivalent of Enterprise Manager is called SSMS (SQL Server Management Studio).
3 Normally your department will need to install SQL Server on only one network server. If you have auditors who are based in more than one city, then you might also want a copy of the Audit Leverage database to reside on one additional network server per additional city. Each city's server can then be synchronized with the other cities automatically, based on a daily or weekly schedule that you specify ahead of time. Although this would require an additional server license for SQL Server, the cost for Audit Leverage itself would remain unchanged, since our pricing is per user, not per machine.
4 There are actually two types of network licenses for SQL Server Standard Edition (whether 2000, 2005, or 2008).
A "server" license covers only the server itself, not the individual auditors' laptops or desktops. Each auditor would require a "CAL" (Client Access License) to SQL Server.
A "processor" license covers the server AND unlimited laptops or desktops that will connect to it. For a description, see the "Processor License" section below.
Can I use the free version of SQL Server 2000 on the laptops with the paid version on the server?
No. For a given application such as Audit Leverage, it is a violation of Microsoft's licensing policy (although it is technically possible) to use the free version of SQL Server 2000 (Desktop Edition, also called MSDE) for some machines (such as user laptops) while using a paid version (such as Standard Edition) for the network serve that will be communicating with those MSDE machines.
Can I use the free version of SQL 2005 (or 2008) on the laptops with the paid version on the server?
Yes. For SQL Server 2005 and 2008, the restriction in the previous paragraph does not exist. The free version of SQL Server (Express Edition) 2005 or 2008 can legally be used on laptops that connect with a paid version (such as Standard Edition) on the server, as long as you don't mind the following limitations of Express Edition:
- database size limit for Express Edition: 4 GB for SQL 2005 or 10 GB for SQL 2008 R2 (but only 8 GB for SQL 2008 R1).
- inability to use peer-to-peer replication (synchronizing two laptops with each other directly without a connection to the network copy of your Audit Leverage database) unless at least one of the laptops is using a paid version (such as Standard Edition).
Can I run use the free version of SQL 2005 (or 2008) on both the server and the laptops?
It depends. If you do not need the replication feature, then you can use the free version (SQL Server Express) on both the server and the individual auditors' laptops. However, if you want one (or more) of the laptops to be able to synchronize its copy of the Audit Leverage database with the copy on the server, and you want to use SQL Express on that laptop, then Standard Edition (or some other paid version) must be installed on the server.
Can I run SQL 2005 on some computers with SQL 2008 on others?
It depends. If you do not need the replication feature, then the server and the laptops can run any combination of any version (whether free or paid) of SQL 2005 or SQL 2008. However:
- If you are running SQL 2005 Standard Edition (or some other paid version) on the server, and you want a particular laptop to synchronize its copy of the Audit Leverage database with the server's copy of it, then the laptop must have some version of SQL 2005 or SQL 2000. If the laptop has SQL 2008 (whether a free version or not), then it cannot synchronize with a SQL 2005 server.
- However, the reverse is not true. If the server has SQL 2008 Standard Edition, then it can synchronize with a laptop that has any version (whether free or not) of SQL 2000, 2005, or 2008. As stated by Microsoft at
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms143241(v=SQL.100).aspx, "a Subscriber to a merge publication can be any version no later than the Publisher version." In the case of Audit Leverage, the "subscriber" refers to the auditor's laptop, and the "publisher" refers to your server's copy of the database. (In SQL Server, Audit Leverage uses only "merge replication," not transactional replication.)
Can I use a SQL Server "runtime" license on some computers with an "unrestricted" license on others?
Yes. For a paid version (such as Standard Edition) of SQL Server 2000, 2005, or 2008, Microsoft allows this, regardless of whether the computer is a server or a client machine, and regardless of how those computers will be communicating with one another. (For the definition of "runtime license," please see item #3 immediately after the first paragraph at the top of this page. Remember that there is no such thing as a runtime license for SQL Server Express Edition, since its unrestricted license is already free.)
Can a SQL Server 32-bit machine synchronize with a 64-bit machine?
Yes, because SQL Server's on-disk storage format is the same in 64-bit and 32-bit environments.
Processor License for SQL Server
Instead of purchasing a runtime "server license" plus multiple runtime "CALs" (Client Access Licenses; one for each user), an alternative is to purchase a runtime "processor license" for US$2,759 for SQL Server 2000 or US$1,758 for SQL Server 2005. The processor license includes unlimited CALs (but only for one specific processor on one specific network server). How large does your department need to be in order for a runtime processor license to be a wiser purchase than a runtime server license plus CALs? The break-even point is about 29 users, which is calculated as follows for both SQL Server 2000 and 2005:
SQL Server 2000 SQL Server 2005
$2,759 Cost of a runtime processor license $1,758
- 384 Cost of server runtime license (each CAL is extra) - 0 (free)
$2,375 Difference $1,758
/ $84 Divided by cost per runtime CAL / $60
28 users 29 users
- The free version of SQL Server 2000, which was called SQL Desktop Edition (using the MSDE engine) has been renamed by Microsoft yet again. In SQL Server 2005, 2008, and 2012, the name for the free version is "Express Edition."
- As noted in the above chart, the database size limit (including all workpaper file attachments) for the free edition of SQL Server increased from 2 GB (in the 2000 version) to 4 GB (in the 2005 version) to 10 GB (in the 2008 R2 version).