There are three versions of SQL Server 2000 -- and three versions of SQL Server 2005 -- among which you can choose:
1. free version (called MSDE 2000 or SQL Server 2000 Desktop Edition; referred to as "Express Edition" in SQL Server 2005), 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 new databases - or even to create new tables in the Audit Leverage database. (However, we could add a custom table for you.)
| Versions of SQL Server 20001 |
|
| Feature |
Standard Edition
(whether "unrestricted"
or "runtime") |
Desktop Edition
(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
$146 for unrestricted. |
Free |
|
|
|
|
|
| Versions of SQL Server 20051 |
|
| Feature |
Standard Edition
(whether "unrestricted"
or "runtime") |
Express Edition
(formerly called MSDE) |
|
| Database size |
Unlimited |
4 GB (not 2 GB) |
|
| Number of concurrent users |
Unlimited |
Unlimited (no more slowdown after 5
concurrent connections) |
|
| Graphical tools included2 |
SSMS (SQL Server Management Studio) |
SSMS-EE (SQL Management Studio - Express Edition) |
|
| Cost per network server3 (US$) |
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 is a fourth option, although not a recommended one, since Microsoft charges more for it than for Standard Edition, and Audit Leverage does not use any of the features that are provided by Enterprise Edition and not Standard Edition.
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. The SQL Server 2005 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 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. Although this would require an additional server license for SQL Server, the cost for Audit Leverage itself would remain unchanged, since we charge by user, not by machine.
4 There are actually two types of network licenses for SQL Server Standard Edition.
A "server" license covers only the server itself, not the individual auditors' laptops or desktops.
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.
Using mutliple versions of SQL Server
Remember that for a given application such as Audit Leverage, Microsoft's licensing policy does not allow you to use the free version of SQL Server 2000 (Desktop Edition, also called MSDE) for some machines (such as user laptops) while using the paid version (Standard Edition) for other machines (such as the network server) that will be communicating with the MSDE machines.
As for SQL Server 2005, this restriction does not exist. The free version (Express Edition) can legally be used on laptops that connect with a paid version (Standard Edition) on the server, as long as you don't mind the following limitations of SQL Express Edition:
- 4 GB database size limit
- inability to use peer-to-peer replication (synchronizing two laptops together)
If you want a laptop to be able to synchronize its copy of the Audit Leverage database with the copy on the server, then you install SQL Express Edition on that latop, but SQL Server Standard Edition (which is not free) must be installed on the server.
Also, with the Standard Edition of SQL Server 2000 or 2005, it is permissible to use a "runtime" license on some machines and an "unrestricted" license on others, regardless of how those machines will be communicating with one another.
Processor License
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
SQL Server 2005
All features of Audit Leverage, including replication, have been successfully tested for compatibility with SQL Server 2005.
- The free version of SQL Server 2000, which was called Desktop Edition (or MSDE) has been renamed by Microsoft yet again. In SQL Server 2005, the name for the free version is "Express Edition."
- As noted in the above chart, the new database size limit for the free edition of SQL Server has increased from 2 GB (in the 2000 version) to 4 GB (in the 2005 version).