Microsoft SQL Server 2012: with many business intelligence and cloud functions

The Microsoft SQL Server version 2012 represents another major step in the development of functions and services that meet the requirements of companies in terms of business intelligence applications and an increasingly strong connection to cloud services. To this end, SQL Server 2012 offers extensive optimizations in existing areas - supplemented by additional functions, making cross-team collaboration even more efficient.

Among the most important innovations of SQL Server 2012 is the optimization of performance for SharePoint Services, which facilitate collaboration on projects as well as the coordination of tasks and management. In addition, the server version offers

with Always On Availability Groups (AG), a powerful high availability solution and disaster recovery capability that supports up to nine availability replicas and multiple failover methods.

In addition, xVelocity further enhances query performance and the ongoing performance of the SQL server. 

Other new features worth mentioning for SQL Server 2012 is the stronger integration of the cloud solution SQL Azure: This means that databases can also be provided via the Internet and local databases can be synchronized. SQL Azure is managed in the SQL Server Management Studio. In addition, the new Contained Databases function significantly simplifies the moving of databases including the 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 of data, resulting in up to ten times higher query performance compared to traditional row-based storage.

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

Likewise, the Microsoft licensing model has also been adapted to the current performance of modern server systems. The Standard edition of SQL Server 2012, which is available in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions, already 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 its correct licensing. More details on this below.

SQL Server 2012 is also compatible with older Windows versions 7 or 8. Thus, with a license of SQL Server 2012 you get an extremely powerful server software, which can also 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

Already the edition SQL Server Standard contains many functions for the use in the daily business as well as extensive administration tools, with which the requirements of smaller companies and organizations are fulfilled, also concerning the virtualization as well as the data security

Virtualization and data security.

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

We will be happy to advise you on purchasing the SQL Server edition that best suits your needs and put together a customized server license package for you.

Brief overview of SQL Server 2012 editions

In addition to the editions known from previous SQL versions Standard - for small to medium businesses - and Enterprise, with the full range of features - designed for the needs of medium to large companies and organizations - the new Business Intelligence Edition is the new member of the extensive SQL Server family, which includes other editions. As the name suggests, the BI edition is designed specifically to meet the needs of companies that want to use high-performance tools for typical business tasks.

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

Important Business Intelligence functions of the SQL Server 2012 version

With the comprehensive SQL Server BI features of the 2012 version companies implement a functional BI platform. To this end, this offers extensive reporting and analysis capabilities Key BI features include the following:

• BI Semantic Model (BISM): With BI Semantic Model, SQL Server 2012 provides a tool for creating models in SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS) and Powerpivot for Excel - the latter of which allows administrators to create purely tabular models.
• Semantic Search for Business Intelligence: Semantic Search extends the existing full-text search capability in SQL Server with new scenarios that go beyond keyword searches: Semantic search lets you query for similarities between documents, analyzing their respective meanings.
• SQL Server PowerPivot for SharePoint: SQL Server PowerPivot connects SharePoint Server to SQL Server 2012 to take advantage of its capabilities. With PowerPivot, data stored locally in Excel tables or Access databases can be made accessible to other users and quickly analyzed.
• Analysis Services in SQL Server 2012: The SSAS provide solutions for creating as well as making available analytical databases, which can then be used in BI applications such as Excel, Performance Point, Reporting Services, etc. The Analysis Services instance is designed for different types of solutions: Administrators can choose between a multidimensional or a tabular solution.
• SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT): SSDT is the successor to Business Intelligence Development Studio in SQL Server version 2008 R2.SQL Server Data Tools can be used 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 data to be grouped and managed and retrieved in a column-based data format. In doing so, all columns are linked together to create an overall index.
• Data Quality Services (DQS): Data Quality Services (DQS) enhance procedures such as data cleansing and data matching in SQL Server 2012. DQS cleanses and optimizes data sets by finding and eliminating duplicates or inconsistent data before it is used for reporting in 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 as well as ad hoc report building that enables rapid data visualization.

The current licensing model for SQL Server 2012 from Microsoft

The modified licensing metric applies to the 2012 version of SQL Server. With it, Microsoft defines the type as well as the need of licenses that are available per server edition. This means that there are different licensing options for the SQL software.

The processor license known from earlier versions no longer exists. It was replaced by the core licensing, where each core of all processors of a server must be licensed. Whereas the server performance based on the cores did not play a role in the licensing of older Microsoft Server versions, the number of cores is now the starting point for calculating the license requirement for the SQL Server Enterprise editions. Thus, the growing performance of the servers, which can handle higher workloads and which is made possible by the number of cores, becomes the basis for licensing.

Virtual servers can also be provided with Server/CAL licenses, among other things. In this case, as with the Standard edition, additional client access licenses (CALs) are required in addition to the server licenses. With Core licensing, on the other hand, no CALs are required for access to the server.

Overview of licensing options for SQL Server 2012

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

• Standard Edition (SE) - here you can choose to license 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-Edition

The Standard edition 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 differentiates between the different needs of small and medium sized companies versus larger and large companies in terms of the performance and scalability of SQL Server

Performance and the scalability of the SQL functions. With the financially usually more favorable licensing alternative of Server & CALs, these can also use the performance and the versatile cloud functions of SQL Server 2012 in the company, adapted to a lower, but for their purposes usually completely sufficient server performance.

However, even organizations and companies of smaller size sometimes need the full SQL power that can only be covered with a Core license. To buy the right type of licensing for SQL Server Standard edition from the start, you should

First determine the typical workloads and also the number of employees using the SQL Server services. In some circumstances, it may be advantageous to purchase Core licenses.

The following section illustrates the differences between the two licensing options for SQL Server 2012. To find out which Standard edition licensing is best for your company, simply contact us for a consultation, also welcome to chat.

Licensing SQL Server Standard and Enterprise Edition with 2-core packages

For core-based licensing of SQL Server 2012, the following requirements apply according to the criteria set by Microsoft:

• Each core license is valid for exactly two cores - the pure number of cores per processor is not counted - rather, the following also applies:
• 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 therefore not be licensed at a lower price.
• The core licenses are only available as 2-packages.

That means: You have to buy at least 16 core licenses = 8 packages of the 2-core licenses. The additional licensing with User or Device CALs is not applicable.

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

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

• Each server requires its own license. This includes admin access rights that are exclusively for administration.
• Each employee who is to use the server services and functions requires a client access license (CAL).
• These CALs come in two flavors: a User CAL and a Device CAL.
• Once a client access license has been issued, it cannot be transferred or used in any other way than specified.

License Microsoft SQL Server 2012 at a special price with Wiresoft

Wiresoft offers the SQL Server 2012 version in the editions Standard, Business Intelligence and Enterprise as original Microsoft licenses at particularly low prices. Software prices at Wiresoft are so favorable because the offered licenses are unused, free usage rights, which come 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 ruling by the European Court of Justice.

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 Wiresoft 's unusual, license offer to save costs - including expert advice. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions about the most advantageous licensing with Microsoft SQL Server 2012 editions.