Other new features worth mentioning for SQL Server 2012 are the stronger integration of the SQL Azure cloud solution: This means that databases can also be provided via the Internet and local databases can be synchronized. SQL Azure is managed in SQL Server Management Studio. The new Contained Databases function makes it much easier to move databases and their dependent objects.

Columnstore Index (Transact-SQL) introduces a Standard for storing and querying large data warehouse tables. Columnstore-Index uses column-based data storage and processing to achieve up to ten times better query performance than traditional row-based storage.

Last but not least, the new SQL Server Data Quality Services (DQS) allow you to create a knowledge base that can be used to perform important data quality tasks such as standardization, correction, extension and deduplication of data.

The Microsoft licensing model was also adapted to the current performance of modern server systems. Even the Standard SQL Server 2012, which is available in both 32 and 64 bit versions, has a connection to the cloud. This can be purchased either with a core license or with a server license plus CALs. Each SQL Server 2012 edition has different rules for proper licensing. See below for details.

SQL Server 2012 is also compatible with the older Windows 7 and 8. With a license of SQL Server 2012 you get an extremely powerful server software, which can be used in many scenarios.

Microsoft SQL Server 2012 is available from Wiresoft in the following editions and at an unbeatable price

• SQL Server 2012 Standard
• SQL Server 2012 Business Intelligence
• SQL Server 2012 Enterprise

The SQL Server Standard edition already contains many features for use in daily business as well as comprehensive administration tools to meet the requirements of smaller companies and organizations, including

Virtualization and data security.

The Business Intelligence Edition adds another member to the number of server editions available for SQL 2012, with the Premium Edition, SQL Server 2012 Enterprise, providing end users with the broadest portfolio of features and services to build scalable yet highly available SQL Server applications.

We will be happy to advise you on the purchase of the SQL Server edition that best suits your needs and put together a tailor-made server license package for you.

Quick overview of SQL Server 2012 Editions

In addition to the Standard - for small to medium-sized businesses - and Enterprise editions, with the full range of functions - developed for the requirements of medium-sized to large companies and organizations - known from previous SQL versions, the new Business Intelligence Edition is the new member of the extensive SQL Server family, to which other editions belong. As the name suggests, the BI Edition is designed to meet the needs of organizations that want to deploy powerful tools for typical business tasks.

SQL Server 2012 is available as a 32-bit version in addition to the 64-bit version, but it is recommended that you install the 64-bit version. For the editions, Standard, Business Intelligence and Enterprise, the maximum database size is limited to 524 PByte (petabyte).

Important Business Intelligence features of the SQL Server 2012 version

With the comprehensive SQL Server BI capabilities of the 2012 edition, organizations can implement a fully functional BI platform. This includes comprehensive reporting and analysis features. Key BI features include the following:

• BI Semantic Model (BISM): With the BI Semantic Model, SQL Server 2012 provides a tool for creating models in SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS) and Powerpivot for Excel - the latter allows administrators to create purely tabular models.
• Semantic Search for Business Intelligence: Semantic Search extends the existing full-text search functionality in SQL Server with new scenarios that go beyond keyword searching: Semantic Search allows you to query for similarities between documents, analyzing their respective meaning.
• SQL Server PowerPivot for SharePoint: With SQL Server PowerPivot, the SharePoint Server is connected to SQL Server 2012 in order to use the corresponding functions. With PowerPivot, data stored locally in Excel spreadsheets or Access databases can be made available to other users and quickly analyzed.
• Analysis Services in SQL Server 2012: SSAS provide solutions for creating and deploying analytical databases that can be used in BI applications such as Excel, Performance Point, Reporting Services, and more. The Analysis Services instance is designed for different types of solutions: Administrators can choose between a multidimensional or tabular solution.
• SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT): SSDT is the successor to Business Intelligence Development Studio in SQL Server 2008 R2, which allows you to create data warehouses and manage Analysis Services in SQL Server 2012.
• Columnstore Indexes: Columnstore indexes in SQL Server 2012 are an efficient tool for typical data warehouse applications. They allow you to group and manage and retrieve data in a column-based data format. All columns are linked together to create an overall index.
• Data Quality Services (DQS): The Data Quality Services (DQS) enhance procedures such as data cleansing and data matching in SQL Server 2012. DQS cleanses and optimizes data records by finding and removing duplicates or inconsistent data before it is used for reports in the Reporting Services or data warehouses.
• Power View: Another BI feature is Power View, an add-in for the SharePoint Server. Power View is a web-based dashboard tool for data analysis and the construction of ad-hoc reports, which enables rapid data visualization.

The current licensing model for SQL Server 2012 from Microsoft

SQL Server 2012 will be subject to the changed license metric. With it Microsoft defines the type and the need for licenses, which are available per server edition. This means that there are different licensing options for the SQL software.

The processor license known from previous versions is no longer available. It has been replaced by core licensing, where each core must be licensed by all processors on a server. If the server performance based on the cores had not played a role in the licensing of older Microsoft Server versions up to now, their number is the starting point for the SQL Server Enterprise editions to calculate the license requirement. Thus, the growing performance of servers that can handle higher workloads and that is enabled by the number of cores becomes the basis for licensing.

Virtual servers can also be equipped with server/CAL licenses. As with the Standard, additional client access licenses (CALs) are required in addition to the server licenses. With the Core Licensing, however, no CALs are needed for access to the server.

SQL Server 2012 licensing options overview

This overview shows the different licensing types for the SQL Server 2012 editions available from Wiresoft:

• Standard Edition (SE) - here you can choose between licensing with cores or per server plus CALs
• Business Intelligence Edition (BI) - this can only be licensed per server plus CALs
• Enterprise Edition (EE) - only core-based licensing is possible

Licensing of the Standard

The Standard of SQL Server Version 2012 is the only one that offers the choice between 2-core licensing and licensing by server/CALs. This is due to the fact that Microsoft distinguishes between the different requirements of small and medium sized companies compared to larger and larger companies, which makes the

performance as well as the scalability of SQL functions. With the most affordable licensing alternative of Server & CALs, they can also take advantage of the power and rich cloud capabilities of SQL Server 2012 in the enterprise, adapted to lower, but usually sufficient server performance for their needs.

But also organizations and companies with smaller size sometimes need the full SQL power, which can only be covered with a core license. To purchase the appropriate licensing form for the SQL Server Standard from the start, you should

Start with the typical workloads and also the number of employees using the SQL Server services. Under certain circumstances it can be advantageous to buy core licenses.

The following section highlights the differences between the two licensing options for SQL Server 2012. To find out which licensing of the Standard is best for your organization, contact us for a consultation, including chat.

Licensing of SQL Server Standard and Enterprise Editions with 2-Core Packages

The following requirements apply to the core-based licensing of SQL Server 2012 according to the criteria defined by Microsoft:

• Each core license is valid for exactly two cores - not the pure number of cores per processor is counted, but also the number of cores per processor:
• The minimum number of cores is always 16 - regardless of whether an engine actually has fewer cores.
• A server with a lower number of cores than 16 can not be licensed cheaper.
• The core licenses are only available as packages of 2.

This means: You must purchase at least 16 core licenses = 8 packages of the 2-core licenses. The additional licensing with user or device CALs is not required.

Server/CAL Licensing for SQL Server 2012 Standard and Business Intelligence

Licensing SQL Server 2012 Standard or Business Intelligence with a server license plus additional client access licenses (CALs) consists of the following two components:

• Each server requires a separate license. This license includes admin access rights, which are exclusively for administration purposes.
• Each employee who is to use the server services and functions requires a client access license (CAL).
• These CALs are available in two variants: as user CAL and as device CAL.
• Once a client access license is granted, it cannot be transferred or used in any way other than that specified.

Licensing Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with Wiresoft at a special price

Wiresoft offers the SQL Server 2012 version in the editions Standard, Business Intelligence and Enterprise as original Microsoft licenses at a very reasonable price. The reason why Wiresoft's software prices are so low is that the offered licenses are unused, free usage rights, which originate from European companies and were acquired by us completely legally. The purchase and resale of software products such as server licenses was expressly permitted in a European judgement.

You can therefore be sure that you are buying a fully operational license package from Wiresoft, which is 100% usable and has also been thoroughly checked for authenticity.

Many customers already rely on the unusual license offer from Wiresoft to save costs - including expert advice. If you have any questions about the most advantageous licensing with Microsoft SQL Server 2012 editions, please contact us.