Microsoft SQL Server 2022 Standard – Digital/Virtual License

Microsoft SQL Server 2022 Standard is a modern relational database platform for business-critical apps, reporting, and analytics. It delivers strong performance, robust security, and seamless hybrid integration with Azure while keeping licensing and operations simple for small to mid-sized deployments.

Delivery & Fulfillment

• Type: Virtual / Digital product (no physical shipment)
• What you receive: License key (activation code) + official download link
• Delivery method: Electronic (email/account delivery)
• License model: Choose Per Core or Server + CAL during purchase (see below)

Key Highlights

• Core Database Engine: Reliable OLTP, ACID transactions, high-quality indexing, partitioning, and advanced T-SQL.
• Performance & Intelligence: Intelligent Query Processing, Query Store & Plan Forcing, memory grant feedback, and parallelism improvements.
• Security: Always Encrypted enhancements, row-level security, dynamic data masking, transparent data encryption (TDE), audit, Ledger (tamper-evident).
• High Availability (Standard): Basic Always On availability groups, database mirroring (deprecated feature path), log shipping, backup/restore with S3-compatible object storage.
• Hybrid & Azure Integration: Azure Synapse Link for near-real-time analytics, Microsoft Purview integration for governance, Azure Arc–enabled management options.
• Developer & BI Tools: Support for JSON, XML, Full-Text Search, basic Machine Learning Services, and integration with Power BI (via connectors).
• Cross-Platform: Windows and Linux support (feature availability can differ by OS).

Ideal For

• Departmental/line-of-business apps and web backends
• Small & mid-sized company databases
• Reporting/analytics that don’t require Enterprise-level scale
• Hybrid scenarios leveraging Azure services

Edition Scope & Limits (Standard)

• Compute: Up to 4 sockets or 16 cores per instance (whichever is lower).
• Memory (Buffer Pool): Up to 64 GB per instance (other caches/components may have their own caps).
• High Availability: Basic availability groups (reduced replicas/features vs Enterprise).
• Advanced features such as online indexing/rebuild across all scenarios, online page/file restore with full options, and advanced partitioning/virtualization rights are limited vs Enterprise.

Licensing Options

• Per Core: License the cores used by the server/VM; good for internet/external workloads or uncertain user counts.
• Server + CAL: One server license plus a Client Access License (CAL) for each user or device accessing the server; cost-effective for known/limited users.
• Software Assurance (optional): Adds rights like version upgrades, license mobility, selected HA/DR benefits, and enhanced support.
• Virtualization: Standard supports licensing per VM (Per Core or Server+CAL). Unlimited virtualization requires Enterprise + Software Assurance.

What You Get

• Product license (activation key)
• Official download & installation media link
• Access to updates per licensing/SA terms
• Documentation and setup guidance

System Requirements (Summary)

• Supported OS: Windows Server (current/LTS versions) and supported Linux distros (e.g., Red Hat, SUSE, Ubuntu). Feature sets vary by OS.
• CPU: x64-compatible; recommend modern multi-core processors.
• RAM: Minimum 4–8 GB for testing; production typically 16 GB+ (subject to edition caps).
• Storage: SSD recommended; allocate additional space for tempdb, logs, and backups.
• Network: Stable connectivity for client apps and optional Azure integrations.

Technical Specifications

Important Notes

• Feature availability can vary between Windows and Linux.
• Some advanced performance/HA features are exclusive to Enterprise edition.
• Ensure you have the correct number of CALs (if using Server + CAL model) for all users/devices.
• Consult your reseller or Microsoft documentation for the latest support matrix and licensing terms.

Optional Add-On Services

• Installation & initial configuration
• Migration/upgrade planning (from older SQL Server versions or other RDBMS)
• Performance health check and tuning
• Backup/DR planning and cloud integration setup

Short Summary

SQL Server 2022 Standard is the ideal mid-tier database platform for secure, fast, and hybrid-ready business applications. Choose flexible licensing (Per Core or Server + CAL), deploy on Windows or Linux, and integrate with Azure services when needed.