桃子视频

Welcome back to SQL University! This week we鈥檙e going to be discussing architecture. In previous weeks we鈥檝e discussed architecture at a high level () but this week we鈥檙e going to get a little more focused. SQL Server is used by businesses of all sizes from local grocery stores to large-scale sites like (Case Study) or (Case Study). So why are we focusing on architecture for small businesses? The reason is that if you鈥檙e expecting for your grow and expand, making the right architectural choices up front can help reduce the headaches that come with potentially rapid growth.

Software and Licensing

Before you start you developing on SQL Server you鈥檝e got to get the SQL Server software! There are several editions and options you can go with. Depending on your company鈥檚 IT budget, you鈥檒l need to make certain allowances and choices in regards to what edition of SQL Server you鈥檒l go with. There are several editions of SQL Server that I鈥檒l categorize as 鈥渆ntry-level鈥� listed from the most basic to the more advanced (read-also: more features):

Edition Name	Free (Y/N)
Express Edition	Y
Compact Edition	Y
Web Edition	N
Workgroup Edition	N
Standard Edition	N
SQL Azure	N

In Wednesday鈥檚 class we鈥檒l dive deeper into what the differences between each edition are their pros and cons are. For the purposes of today鈥檚 discussion we鈥檙e simply listing them out so you know that there are several options available to you. What we鈥檒l discuss today is how you go about getting said software to help you get started. The first couple of editions listed, Compact and Express, are available as free downloads directly from the Microsoft website. The other editions are paid editions that have several options of getting them. To see a quick price check/comparison, use the 鈥榃hich Edition?鈥� section on .

Microsoft has a special program created specifically to help getting small businesses setup with software called . What is BizSpark? In their own words:

Microsoft庐 BizSpark鈩� is a global program that helps software startups succeed by giving them access to Microsoft software development tools, connecting them with key industry players, including investors, and providing marketing visibility to help entrepreneurs starting a business.

Once you get signed up for BizSpark you鈥檒l get access to Microsoft鈥檚 developer software subscription service, . Development software you鈥檒l have access includes Office suite, Windows operating systems (Server and Desktop), Visual Studio, SharePoint Server, BizTalk, Exchange Server, access to Azure (Windows and SQL Server) and yes, SQL Server itself as well. This program is great small companies getting ramped up and you can review all the details over at .

The next important part is licensing. The MSDN subscription gives you license keys but eventually you鈥檒l need to budget for software licenses for your business. You can get a rough estimate of licensing needs by using on the . Don鈥檛 be started by the numbers you see/get. Those are retail prices and are usually negotiable for businesses and such. For the most accurate help in licensing I highly suggest you as they鈥檒l have someone available to you to help navigate licensing agreements that help best fit your particular needs.

SQL Server Licensing

In regards to SQL Server licensing there are a couple of ways you can purchase licenses:

• CAL (Client/Access License)
• Per Processor

The simpler (but more expensive) choice is using the per processor model. Purchasing a license per physical processor allows you to have unlimited connections for both users and devices to your server either inside or outside your firewall. This option is available for Datacenter (required), Enterprise, Standard, Workgroup, Web (required) and PDW (required) editions. Your other option, and the one most likely to make sense for a small business, is the Client Access License (CAL). CALs require that you buy a license for each device and/or user accessing or using the functionality of SQL Server or any of its components. This option is more beneficial if you are able to count the number of devices/users connecting to your SQL Server and that the number of users/devices is low enough that its more cost efficient than the per processor option. You can read more on these details from the (PDF).

To The Cloud!

Does your head hurt yet? I don鈥檛 blame you and you鈥檙e definitely not alone, these things can get complicated and annoying real fast. As you can see, simply choosing licensing and software can get convoluted and confusing, and we haven鈥檛 even installed anything yet! Enter: The Cloud. Last semester Buck Woody (| ) 聽 and what benefits it could bring. Depending on your particular needs, SQL Azure (the cloud offering for SQL Server from Microsoft) may be exactly what you need if you want the power and ease of SQL Server without the administrative headaches and overhead. SQL Azure will be covered more in-depth later on this semester but for the time being go check out the for more details. Also some more recommended reading, check out Andy Leonard’s (| ) post today about to get another viewpoint on the Cloud offering.

In our next lesson, we鈥檒l go more in-depth in to the different editions of SQL Server and what each one brings in terms of benefits. As a small business you want to make sure you make the right choices for your needs, but also want to make the best cost-effective decisions for the long haul. In addition to software, we will be discussing hardware and infrastructure choices as well later this week. Your assignment for this class is the following:

• Read the various resource links used in this post
• Respond to this question either here in comments or write up your own blog post and link it here: 鈥淒o you have or work for a small/medium size business? If so, what are your current licensing strategies? If you don鈥檛, share with the class how your company (if you know) does it.鈥�