Microsoft License Advisor: Frequently Asked Questions

The Microsoft License Advisor is an easy-to-use online tool that can help you find and select Microsoft products, choose the right Volume Licensing program, quantify Software Assurance benefits, and determine estimated retail pricing (ERP), recommended retail pricing (RRP), or suggested retail pricing (SRP) based on your software needs.

The Microsoft License Advisor:

The Microsoft License Advisor is available on the Microsoft Volume Licensing Web site.

The Microsoft License Advisor was developed in response to direct customer feedback obtained from worldwide customer satisfaction surveys that requested information about the clarity and transparency of Microsoft licensing and pricing options. Microsoft provides the Microsoft License Advisor as an online resource to make it easier to understand licensing and pricing options.

The primary audience for the Microsoft License Advisor is IT professionals in the mid-market, but the Microsoft License Advisor is also useful for IT professionals and decision makers in other business segments.

Benefits of the Microsoft License Advisor include the following:

The Microsoft License Advisor is currently available in more than 90 regions and is localized in 22 languages: Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Portuguese (Brazil), Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Spanish, Swedish, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese.

Anyone can use the Microsoft License Advisor. It is publicly available on the Microsoft Volume Licensing Web site and can be accessed by any user of the Web site.

Yes, you can provide others with access to your report by sharing your unique report ID, which is generated when you save the report. When another user accesses the Microsoft License Advisor and enters your unique report ID, the report that you generated will be displayed. You can also share your report ID with your channel partner, who can link your quote information to Microsoft LicenseWise so that he or she can view your requirements, recommend additional products or other customizations as needed, and complete the quote.

The Microsoft License Advisor is currently available in Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Portugal), Portuguese (Brazil), Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Spanish, Swedish, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese. Additional languages are planned for future release.

The March 2008 release of the Microsoft License Advisor supports Open License, Open Value, Open Value Subscription, Select License Agreement, Enterprise Agreement, and Campus and School Agreement, including academic, charity, and government programs where available. It also provides support for second- and third-year products, with ERP quotes where available for Microsoft Volume Licensing programs, excluding any taxes that may apply. The organization profiling questions make it easier for you to narrow down applicable programs and products. In addition, you can now compare more programs, so you are not limited to the standard comparison of Select License Agreement to Enterprise Agreement or Open License to Open Value. The new Microsoft License Advisor also ensures that academic programs are compared only to other academic programs and government programs are compared only to other government programs.

No, the Microsoft License Advisor does not require a special login or password. It is available to everyone.

No, registration is not required.

No, the Microsoft License Advisor is free to use.

The Microsoft License Advisor does not have a secure version available.

No, you do not need a support incident to be connected to the Call Center Support.

For additional help with licensing questions, contact your Volume Licensing partner. A list of partners is available on the Microsoft Licensing Program Reseller page.

You can visit the Microsoft Volume Licensing Web site for information on specific program details, licensing briefs, and other resources. In the United States, call (800) 426-9400 to speak directly to a Microsoft customer service agent about the program options best suited to your needs. Agents are available Monday through Friday from 6:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. Pacific Time.

Customer support for the Microsoft License Advisor is available by e-mail and phone. For more information, visit the Microsoft Volume Licensing Web site.

There is no specific information required when you contact Microsoft Customer Support. However, if you are working on a quote in the Microsoft License Advisor, it will be useful if you can provide your report ID so that you can receive customized help.

If you are experiencing browser difficulties with the Microsoft License Advisor and are using an old version of a Web browser, try upgrading to the current version of that browser. You can also download a free copy of the current version of Microsoft Internet Explorer from the Microsoft Download Center.

The Microsoft Volume Licensing Glossary provides definitions for terms used in the Volume Licensing materials.

Your country or region's pricing may not be published. Not all country-specific pricing is available from the Microsoft License Advisor. If you don't see pricing for your country or region, contact a local reseller for pricing information.

The Microsoft License Advisor quotes estimated retail price (ERP), recommended retail price (RRP), or suggested retail price (SRP) for Microsoft licensing programs, excluding any taxes that may apply.

Yes, the Microsoft License Advisor quotes ERP, RRP, or SRP for Software Assurance when the recommended configuration includes that option.

The Microsoft License Advisor will direct you to your local Microsoft.com Web site, which has the most up-to-date reseller information and can provide you with local resources.

No. The Microsoft License Advisor is designed to provide licensing program comparisons and ERP, RRP, or SRP quotes (where available). To purchase licenses, contact a Microsoft partner.

The Microsoft License Advisor is an initial configuration resource that is designed to provide initial licensing program comparisons, guidance, and estimated quotes. For final quotes and more detailed licensing information, contact your Microsoft partner.

To purchase licenses, contact a Microsoft partner. A list of partners is available on the Microsoft Licensing Program Reseller page.

No. The Microsoft License Advisor interprets five licenses and five desktop PCs as the same value and has a minimum requirement of five desktop PCs. Contact your Microsoft reseller if you need additional help.

No. The Microsoft License Advisor does not offer a way to update your original selections because these selections determine which products are listed under Recommendations. If you want to change your selections, you can use a copy of your downloaded report to quickly adjust and create a second report.

Yes. To remove products, go back to the Products page, change the quantities to 0, and then click add to selection.

Some products are recommended as a prerequisite to extend the use of certain functionality for a selected product; these products are not always necessary for software product installation. If you have questions about why a product has been recommended, rest your pointer on the name of the recommended product. The Additional Information pane on the right side of your screen will display details about why the product is recommended.

If a prerequisite product is not listed, either the product you selected does not require another product to be run or the selected prerequisite product is already included in the initial configuration.