1. Dustin Dorsey
10 reasons you are paying too much (or too little) on your SQL licenses

2. Who am I?
Managing Database Engineer for Lifepoint Health (Fortune 500 company) -
LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/dustindorsey
Twitter
Blog -
I have been working with SQL Server for over a decade
Active speaker and blogger

3. Thank you for being my friend!

4. Evaluations!

5. Agenda
Review the licensing calculator which is a free to use tool to help you with licensing decision making
Look at common compliance issues that can cost your organization lots of money
Look at ways you can reduce your existing licensing footprint and save money
Help you become more prepared if you are faced with an audit

6. Disclaimer
I am not a representative for Microsoft or any other Microsoft approved partner. This session is intended for informational purposes only. You need to work with your Microsoft Rep or 3rd party provider to understand your agreement and the actual costs\benefits to your organization. This presentation is created with the guidelines in SQL Server 2017 (the latest licensing guide)
This presentation is not a blueprint for how you should do licensing, it is meant to provide you with information to help you determine that.
HIGHLY encourage you work with your reseller. Also highly suggest that you get anything that tell you in writing. Mistakes happen, licensing is confusing

7. How we think of licensing

8. Why do we care?
The way you manage licensing can mean the difference between being a hero or being unemployed
Saved companies around 15 million dollars using the information I am going to show you in this presentation

9. SQL Licensing Calculator
The SQL licensing Calculator is a free easy-to-use and independent script that you can start using to help you make better decisions with your licensing, compare different models and avoid costly mistakes.
Talk about calculator
Look at script to create and review parameters

10. Not maintaining an inventory and performing self-audits

11. Microsoft MAP Tool Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit
A free tool that can be used to scan your environment for SQL services running
Download -
How to use -

12. https://blogs. technet. microsoft

13. Make sure you select the right licensing model!
Host vs VM

14. Core-based licensing Host vs VM Host – Easier to manage
VM- lower cost option

15. Not paying for Software Assurance

16. Benefits of Software Assurance
Ability to Upgrade
Ability to move server around a virtual environment
High Availability and Disaster Recovery
License Mobility
Licenses transferrable to the cloud
24x7 support
Deployment planning services and training

17. Running Enterprise edition when other versions would suffice
sys.dm_db_persisted_sku_features
-- Other things can impact this as well such as CPU, memory, HA, etc.

18. MSRP Costs* Enterprise – $14,256 per license which includes 2 cores
Standard – $3,717 per license which includes 2 cores
Standard server + CAL - $931 server license + $209 per CAL
Express – Free
Developer – Free**
Software Assurance (SA) – Usually around 30% of license costs and paid yearly
* Based on SQL 2017 pricing
** Microsoft made Developer edition free starting with SQL 2014
Licensing is expensive, so understanding and making the right decisions can save you tons!
These are MSRP numbers and not the numbers you are likely paying. Please work\negotiate with your Microsoft rep or 3rd party re-seller
Developer edition became free through Dev Essentials or Microsoft website starting April 1, You must make sure there it is truly non-production.

19. Not meeting minimum licensing requirements
Licenses are sold in packs of 2 (2-cores each). So the minimum core count is 4.

20. Running applications or other software on your SQL servers

21. Not correcting issues with overprovisioning

23. Pro-active performance tuning

24. Running production workloads in non-prod

25. Not keeping up with product terms
Licensing changes and your agreement may change

26. Licensing for hyper-threading
Physical servers only

27. Check to see if I am using hyper-threading
Open command prompt
Type wmic
Type CPU Get NumberOfCores,NumberOfLogicalProcessors /Format:List
If Logical processors is greater then number of cores then hyper-threading is enabled
WMI interface

28. Determine OEM licenses
These are licenses that are included with your products

29. Not allocating CALs properly
Multi-plexing

30. To learn more about edition differences
SQL 2019 (Preview)
SQL 2017
SQL 2016
SQL 2014

31. Licensing Guides SQL 2017 SQL 2016 SQL 2014
SQL 2016
SQL 2014
The complete information is available in the licensing guides.
NOTE: There is a licensing datasheet which is a complete summary. There is also a licensing guide which covers more in-depth and advanced scenarios. Please review these and again, work with your Microsoft rep\reseller