Editions

Choose the Right Edition for Your Needs

Business today demands a different kind of data management solution—one that offers excellent performance, scalability, and reliability, but is also easy to use and maintain. SQL Server 2008 delivers on this by providing a Trusted, Productive and Intelligent Data Platform that can solve your data management needs.

SQL Server 2008 is available in many editions to help meet the needs of your organization.

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	Core Editions		Specialized Editions			Free Editions
	Enterprise	Standard	Workgroup	Web	Developer	Express	Compact 3.5
Target Scenarios	Enterprise workloads that need redundancy and built-in Business Intelligence	Shared data scenarios in departments and small to large businesses	Remote offices that need local instances of company data	For web application hosting	Full featured edition for development and testing only	Entry level database, ideal for learning and ISV redistribution	Embedded database for developing desktop and mobile applications
CPU	OS Maximum	4 CPU	2 CPU	4 CPU	OS Maximum	1 CPU	OS Maximum
Memory	OS Maximum	OS Maximum	4 GB	OS Maximum	OS Maximum	1 GB	OS Maximum
DB Size	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	4 GB	4 GB
Additional Resources	Learn More	Learn More	Learn More	Learn More	Learn More	Learn More	Learn More
How to Buy	Volume Licensing Microsoft Store	Volume Licensing Microsoft Store	Volume Licensing Microsoft Store	Volume Licensing	Volume Licensing Microsoft Store	Download now!	Download now!
Licensing	Server/CAL Per Proc	Server/CAL Per Proc	Server/CAL Per Proc	Per Proc	Developer Tools	Free Editions
Pricing	See our Pricing overview page for more details					Free Editions

Feature Comparison by Edition

For a comparison of the features available in each edition of SQL Server, please see here.

Core Editions

SQL Server 2008 Enterprise

SQL Server 2008 Enterprise is a comprehensive data platform that meets the high demands of enterprise online transaction processing and data warehousing applications. Learn More

SQL Server 2008 Standard

SQL Server 2008 Standard is a data management and business intelligence platform that provides best-in-class ease of use and manageability for running departmental applications. Learn More

Specialized Editions

SQL Server 2008 Workgroup

Run branch locations on this reliable data management and reporting platform that provides secure remote synchronization and management capabilities. Learn More

SQL Server 2008 Web

Offer low-cost, large scale highly available web applications or data hosting solutions with a highly available Internet facing web serving environments. Learn More

SQL Server 2008 Developer

A low cost edition of SQL Server 2008 Enterprise licensed per developer for development, testing, and demonstration purposes only. Not for production use. Learn More

Free Editions

SQL Server 2008 Express

Available as a free download, SQL Server 2008 Express is ideal for learning and building desktop and small server applications and for re-distribution by ISVs. Learn More | Download Now

SQL Server Compact 3.5

Available as a free download, SQL Server Compact enables developers to embed SQL Server directly into their applications, enabling occasionally connected and stand-alone applications for mobile devices, desktops, and Web clients across all Microsoft Windows platforms. Learn More | Download Now

Cloud Services

SQL Azure Database

Microsoft SQL Azure™ Database is a cloud-based relational database service built on SQL Server technologies. It provides a highly available, scalable, multi-tenant database service hosted by Microsoft in the cloud. SQL Azure Database enables easy provisioning and deployment of multiple databases. Developers do not have to install, setup, patch or manage any software. High Availability and fault tolerance is built-in and no physical administration is required. SQL Azure Database supports Transact-SQL (T-SQL). Customers can leverage existing knowledge in T-SQL based familiar relational data model and existing programming tools. SQL Azure Database offers two editions: Web Edition and Business Edition. Learn More

SQL Server also comes in a Small Business Edition for use in Small Business Environments. Click here to learn more.

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