Depending on your deployment scenario and company requirements, SQL Licensing and compliance can be complex, and we recommend that you speak to your Microsoft supplier or compliance specialist if unsure.
We’ve found that many customers and SOLIDWORKS users find the word ‘server’ induces fear and worry. So let’s address a few of the common concerns and equip you with what you need to deal with Microsoft SQL server licensing.
Figure 1: PDM Architecture Do I need to purchase Microsoft SQL Server licensing for SOLIDWORKS PDM Standard?
No. SOLIDWORKS PDM Standard is only compatible with Microsoft SQL Server Express, meaning that the PDM Standard database cannot be hosted on any other edition of Microsoft SQL Server.
Microsoft SQL Server Express is free for commercial use so no additional licensing needs to be purchased.
As an entry level database server, Express Edition is subject to a number of limitations such as only being able to use a Single Processor (of up to 4 processor cores) and 1 GB of memory per instance.
The database file itself is limited to a maximum size of 10 GB but this is unlikely to be a problem with SOLIDWORKS PDM.
What Version and Edition of Microsoft SQL Server should I use to host my SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional databases?
To check the supported versions of SQL Server for the version of PDM you are installing, please refer to the system requirements on the SOLIDWORKS website.
SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional Microsoft SQL Server is supported by the two main commercial editions allowing you to select the most appropriate edition for your feature, performance, and budget requirements.
- SQL Standard Edition delivers fully featured database capabilities for mid-tier applications and is the most common platform for hosting PDM Professional.
- SQL Enterprise Edition is ideal for applications requiring mission critical in-memory performance, security and high availability as it is the only edition that support Database replication within PDM Professional.
NOTE: Whilst Microsoft SQL Server Express can work with PDM Professional, it is neither tested nor certified by SOLIDWORKS for use with PDM Professional.
This means that, whilst SQL Express could be used for sandbox or training vaults, we do not recommend using it to host a production SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional or SOLIDWORKS Manage vault, where the resource limits of this edition (and the inherent risks associated with using an unsupported hardware configuration in a production environment) make it a risky choice for a mission-critical tool such as PDM.
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Learn More SQL Server licensing
Microsoft offers a variety of SQL Server licensing options which are aimed at aligning with how customers typically purchase application and system software.
The Server+CAL licensing model provides the option to license users and/or devices (whichever is the smaller number) providing low-cost access to incremental SQL Server deployments (adding additional CAL’s as required).
For customers who cannot count users or require premium database capabilities (i.e. SQL Enterprise), Microsoft also licenses SQL Server in a core-based licensing model.
What is core-based licensing?
Core-based licensing gives customers a more precise measure of computing power and a more consistent licensing metric, regardless of whether solutions are deployed on physical on-premises servers, or in virtual or cloud environments.
| SQL Server | Description | Licensing options |
| Server+CAL | Per Core | Requirements |
| Standard | Delivers fully featured database capabilities for mid-tier applications and data marts. | | | SQL Server CALs required when licensing Server+CAL |
| Enterprise | For applications requiring mission critical in-memory performance, security and high availability. |
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As there are many variables affecting how you select the correct SQL Licensing model, especially when planning to host the software in a virtual and/or cloud environment. The primary focus of this blog will be on-premise deployment only.
Server+CAL licensing
When licensing the SQL Server Standard Edition software under the Server+CAL model, customers purchase a server license for the server, and a client access license (CAL) for each device (Device CAL) and/or user (User CAL) accessing SQL Server or any of its components.
A CAL is not software, but a license granting users and devices access to the SQL Server software.
Figure 2: This figure illustrates the licenses used in the Server+CAL licensing model. Core-based licensing
Under the Per Core licensing model, each server running SQL Server software or any of its components (such as Reporting Services or Integration Services) must be assigned an appropriate number of SQL Server core licenses.
Figure 3: This figure depicts the representations of the physical server, physical processor, physical and virtual cores, virtual machines and containers that are used in this guide. The number of core licenses needed depends on whether customers are licensing the physical server based on physical cores or licensing individual virtual operating system environments (OSEs).
Unlike the Server+CAL licensing model, the Per Core model allows access for an unlimited number of users or devices to connect from either inside or outside an organization’s firewall.
With the Per Core model, customers do not need to purchase additional client access licenses (CALs) to access the SQL Server software.
| Physical Server
| A server is a physical hardware system capable of running server software. A hardware partition or blade is considered to be a separate physical hardware system.
|
| Physical Core | Each physical processor contains smaller processing units called physical cores. Some processors have two cores, some four, some six or eight, and so on. |
| Virtual Core | A virtual core is a virtual representation of one or more hardware threads. |
| Hardware Thread | A hardware thread is either a physical core or a hyper-thread in a physical processor. |
| Physical Operating System Environment | A physical operating system environment (OSE) is configured to run directly on a physical hardware system and is all or part of an operating system instance. |
How to license SQL Server using the per core licensing model
When running SQL Server in a physical OSE, all physical cores on the server must be licensed.
Software partitioning does not reduce the number of core licenses required, except when licensing individual virtual machines (VMs).
A minimum of four core licenses is required for each physical processor on the server.
To determine and acquire the correct number of core licenses needed, customers must:
- Count the total number of physical cores in the server.
- Purchase the appropriate number of core licenses required for the server. Core licenses are sold in packs of two, so customers must divide the number of licenses required by two to determine the actual number of line items (licensing SKUs) to order.
For an expanded overview of the terms, requirements and caveats associated with SQL Server under the Volume Licensing Model please download and review the Microsoft SQL Server 2022 Licensing guide.
So… what does that mean for me?
In the Server + Client (CAL) model the minimum requirement would be for 1 Server License and 1 User or Device license.
In the Server x Cores model licences are purchased in 2 Core packs and the minimum requirement, as defined by Microsoft, is 4 cores (2 x 2 Core Licences).
CALs, unlike your SOLIDWORKS PDM licenses, do not float and in the Server + CAL model, the number of licenses that you require will be based on the number of distinct database connections. In effect, each user or device that connects to PDM will require their own CAL.
For example, if you have 2 CAD Editors linked to 2 SOLIDWORKS desktops and a pack of 5 Viewers shared by 10 individuals, you will need to purchase 1 Server license, plus 12 User CALs. However, this can be different if you have multiple users sharing devices (PCs).
With the same scenario of 2 CAD Editors and a pack of 5 Viewers shared by 10 people if, instead, 4 of those people share a single PC (e.g. in the machine shop) then you would instead require a Server license, 8 User CALS and 1 Device CAL.
For this reason, the Server + CAL model is most suited to smaller installations where there is a fixed and known number of users and that number is not expected to exceed roughly 30 - which is the point at which an entry (4) Core based license becomes more cost effective. Ask yourself…
- Will the number of users defined in the system be greater than the PDM Licenses you are using or looking to purchase? If YES, how many Users in total will ‘connect’ to PDM?
- Will any of the Users be accessing PDM via a shared device (PC)? If so, how many Devices are shared and by how many users?
As the Server + Cores model is not limited to a number of connections, it is most suitable for larger deployments or those with a potentially larger number of data consumers, including those potentially outside the business, using the Web Client for example.
If I’m buying a new edition of SQL Server, what is Software Assurance (SA) and what does it give me?
Software Assurance (SA) is a Microsoft program that helps users manage, deploy, and use SQL Server more efficiently. It provides a range of benefits, including…
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Public Cloud Usage: Customers are increasingly moving their servers to public cloud services and Solid Solutions are able to offer a ‘Cloud hosted’ PDM environment via our partnership with Iomart through our ‘CloudSure’ package and services.
Whilst we can supply SQL Licenses via the SaaS (Subscriber Access License (SAL) and Microsoft Services Provider License Agreement (SPLA)) models, moving an existing SQL license to the Cloud requires Software Assurance.
Likewise for Customers looking to relocate from Physical Servers to Azure, user with SA can move their SQL Server to an Azure VM without having to re-license or buy a database within Azure.
- New Version Rights: With New Version Rights you can upgrade to the most recent product version for no additional cost, taking advantage of performance benefits only available to Customers using the most up to date (supported) technology.
- Disaster recovery and fail over benefits: You may run a passive secondary instance of SQL Server only if you have Software Assurance attached to your SQL Server Licenses.
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Load balancing: Software assurance removes the 90 day limitation on moving software licenses between devices. This restriction means that with your existing SQL 2014 Licenses you are unable to utilise automatic load balancing in a virtualised Server environment.
This works by moving the Virtual Server between different hosts in order to improve performance and as this could happen quite regularly Software Assurance would be required in order to remain compliant.
- Cost savings: SA can help users save costs. For example, users can save money by licensing individual virtual machines (VMs) instead of a physical server.
We are moving/planning to deploy PDM within Azure. Can I use Azure SQL / Azure Managed Instance?
Azure SQL Database and Azure SQL Managed Instance share a common code base with the latest stable version of SQL Server.
Most of the standard SQL language, query processing, and database management features are identical.
However, they are not the same product and you will not be able to create or work with PDM databases that are restored on a Managed instance.