{"id":769,"date":"2022-08-14T17:50:21","date_gmt":"2022-08-14T17:50:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/?p=769"},"modified":"2022-09-01T16:36:27","modified_gmt":"2022-09-01T16:36:27","slug":"sql-express-license","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/sql-express-license\/","title":{"rendered":"Does SQL Express Need A License? (Yes, But It\u2019s Free!)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>You may see some articles saying that SQL Express does not require a license. That is not true \u2013 which you\u2019ll find out when you try to install the software.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The license gives you free usage of the software which is a limited version of its big brother, SQL Server. However, the license forbids using SQL Express in certain types of systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This article explains everything you need to know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_64 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-66112b289e795\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-66112b289e795\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/sql-express-license\/#Installation_Requires_Accepting_The_License\" title=\"Installation Requires Accepting The License\">Installation Requires Accepting The License<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/sql-express-license\/#How_To_Find_The_SQL_Express_License\" title=\"How To Find The SQL Express License\">How To Find The SQL Express License<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/sql-express-license\/#Every_New_Install_Requires_A_License\" title=\"Every New Install Requires A License\">Every New Install Requires A License<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/sql-express-license\/#How_Many_SQL_Express_Installs_Can_You_Run\" title=\"How Many SQL Express Installs Can You Run?\">How Many SQL Express Installs Can You Run?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/sql-express-license\/#How_Many_Users_Are_Allowed_With_SQL_Express\" title=\"How Many Users Are Allowed With SQL Express?\">How Many Users Are Allowed With SQL Express?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/sql-express-license\/#Does_The_License_Let_You_Use_SQL_Express_As_An_Online_Database\" title=\"Does The License Let You Use SQL Express As An Online Database?\">Does The License Let You Use SQL Express As An Online Database?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/sql-express-license\/#Is_SQL_Express_Licensed_To_Use_On_A_Virtual_Machine\" title=\"Is SQL Express Licensed To Use On A Virtual Machine?\">Is SQL Express Licensed To Use On A Virtual Machine?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/sql-express-license\/#Can_You_Distribute_SQL_Express_As_Part_Of_Your_Software\" title=\"Can You Distribute SQL Express As Part Of Your Software?\">Can You Distribute SQL Express As Part Of Your Software?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/sql-express-license\/#What_The_License_Prohibits_You_From_Doing\" title=\"What The License Prohibits You From Doing\">What The License Prohibits You From Doing<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/sql-express-license\/#Technical_Limitations_That_Are_Part_Of_The_License\" title=\"Technical Limitations That Are Part Of The License\">Technical Limitations That Are Part Of The License<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Installation_Requires_Accepting_The_License\"><\/span>Installation Requires Accepting The License<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You cannot install SQL Express without accepting the Microsoft license.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You don\u2019t need to agree to a license to download the installation software. The license is embedded within the install sequence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When you run the install, the second screen displays the license agreement in a scrollable window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As I show in the picture below, there is no way of continuing with the install without clicking the \u201cAccept\u201d button. The only alternative is to go back a screen or to X out of the process.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"579\" height=\"448\" src=\"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/sql-express-license-terms-first-install.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-771\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/sql-express-license-terms-first-install.jpg 579w, https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/sql-express-license-terms-first-install-300x232.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 579px) 100vw, 579px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_To_Find_The_SQL_Express_License\"><\/span>How To Find The SQL Express License<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019ve already installed SQL Express, you may have forgotten that you accepted a license! It\u2019s easy to click blindly through the install screens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The installation process saves a copy of what you agreed to in the SQL Express application folder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can find the application folder on a Windows device under <strong>C:\\Program Files\\Microsoft SQL Server\\<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You may see several subfolders that are named as a number e.g. 150 or 100. Look in the subfolder named with the highest number.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The license is an RTF document in a subfolder named \u201cLicense Terms\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here is what my folder structure looks like:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/sql-express-license-location.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-772\" width=\"758\" height=\"186\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/sql-express-license-location.jpg 579w, https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/sql-express-license-location-300x74.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 758px) 100vw, 758px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Every_New_Install_Requires_A_License\"><\/span>Every New Install Requires A License<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>As I will explain later, you can install multiple instances of SQL Express on one machine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, each new install requires accepting the free license again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The install process detects your existing instance but still requires you to accept the license terms. You\u2019ll see this message on the license screen:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p><em>One or more SQL Server instances detected. To install a second instance, click Accept.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_Many_SQL_Express_Installs_Can_You_Run\"><\/span>How Many SQL Express Installs Can You Run?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Because each new install asks you to accept the license, there are no license restrictions on how many times you can install the database software.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, there is a restriction on how many instances you can install on the same device.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All versions of SQL Server, including SQL Express, are limited to fifty instances on one machine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re searching for this in the <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.microsoft.com\/en-us\/sql\/sql-server\/editions-and-components-of-sql-server-2019?view=sql-server-ver16\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">official documentation,<\/a> it\u2019s described as \u201cmulti-instance support\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I don\u2019t recommend cramming that many instances together! You should never be near to reaching this limit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Remember, one instance of SQL Express can hold plenty of databases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The theoretical limit is 32,767 databases on one instance. Again, I don\u2019t recommend that you go anywhere near that limit. But having ten or twenty databases isn\u2019t a problem. The only issue is hitting your memory constraints.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_Many_Users_Are_Allowed_With_SQL_Express\"><\/span>How Many Users Are Allowed With SQL Express?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The license doesn\u2019t specify the maximum number of users. Theoretically, this is unlimited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, there is a technical limit to how many simultaneous connections that SQL Express can accept. That number is 32,767.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Realistically, if you need a database that takes hundreds of user connections, SQL Express is probably not suitable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Does_The_License_Let_You_Use_SQL_Express_As_An_Online_Database\"><\/span>Does The License Let You Use SQL Express As An Online Database?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>I discussed that there is only a technical limit to the number of users of your database.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There\u2019s a common misconception that this is about employees in a company. But that is not the case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The SQL Express license lets you provide access to any number of online users within the technical limit of 32,767 concurrent connections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In summary, you can deploy SQL Express as an online database behind a website or application.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Is_SQL_Express_Licensed_To_Use_On_A_Virtual_Machine\"><\/span>Is SQL Express Licensed To Use On A Virtual Machine?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You may see articles saying that you\u2019re not allowed install SQL Express on a virtual machine. That information is out of date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the time of writing (2022), we can use SQL Express 2017 on an Azure VM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Of course, the operating system can be Windows. But Linux is also supported \u2013 specifically Red Hat, SUSE, or Ubuntu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_You_Distribute_SQL_Express_As_Part_Of_Your_Software\"><\/span>Can You Distribute SQL Express As Part Of Your Software?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The license lets you bundle or embed a SQL Express database as part of your software. Your customers won\u2019t have to click on SQL Server licensing options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At this point, I want to get into some of the small print of the license you accepted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It explicitly prohibits you from using the SQL Server trademark or any other Microsoft trademark as part of your documentation or marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You also can\u2019t use a Microsoft trademark in your application\u2019s name. For example, you couldn\u2019t call your app something like \u201cBob\u2019s SQL Express Marketing Tool\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_The_License_Prohibits_You_From_Doing\"><\/span>What The License Prohibits You From Doing<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/SQL-warning.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-773\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/SQL-warning.jpg 400w, https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/SQL-warning-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/SQL-warning-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>There are very few restrictions in the license document. I already mentioned that you can\u2019t use Microsoft trademarks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, there are a few usages that are strictly prohibited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There is a section labeled \u201cNo High-Risk Use\u201d near the end of the license agreement that I suspect very few people (apart from me) have actually read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You are not allowed use SQL Express in a system where a fault could cause physical harm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, you can\u2019t sell a SQL Express-backed system that controls cars or trucks. You can\u2019t distribute software with an embedded SQL Express database that operates a pacemaker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The reason is that SQL Express does not have features for fault tolerance, redundancy, or high availability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you need a database that is 99.99% stable and has an automatic copy that kicks in if the primary database is down, then SQL Express is not for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Technical_Limitations_That_Are_Part_Of_The_License\"><\/span>Technical Limitations That Are Part Of The License<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Microsoft has throttled the power of SQL Express, which is why they are providing it with a free license.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The main restrictions are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>10 GB maximum database size<\/li><li>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;1 GB maximum memory<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>If you need more resources than this, you will need to upgrade to a Standard or Enterprise SQL Server license.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You may see some articles saying that SQL Express does not require a license. That is not true \u2013 which you\u2019ll find out when you try to install the software. The license gives you free usage of the software which is a limited version of its big brother, SQL Server. However, the license forbids using &#8230; <a title=\"Does SQL Express Need A License? (Yes, But It\u2019s Free!)\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/sql-express-license\/\" aria-label=\"More on Does SQL Express Need A License? (Yes, But It\u2019s Free!)\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/769"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=769"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/769\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":774,"href":"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/769\/revisions\/774"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=769"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=769"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=769"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}