Database questions

[php newbie]

We are negotiating with a vendor and we have a few questions:

1) From a licensing point of view, what is a database? Can we install
multiple copies of SQLServer on one box? In that case, would each
copy be a different database?

2) Within a single SQL Server installation, I can create multiple
databases, as listed in the Enterprise Manager. I can switch among
them using "use ..." commands. Would these be treated as different
databases?

3) We have copies of our transactional database in identical
development, QC, and production environments. Is this a single
database, or 3 databases?

[Erland Sommarskog]

Re: Database questions

php newbie (newtophp2000@y ahoo.com) writes:[color=blue]
> We are negotiating with a vendor and we have a few questions:
>
> 1) From a licensing point of view, what is a database? Can we install
> multiple copies of SQLServer on one box? In that case, would each
> copy be a different database?
>
> 2) Within a single SQL Server installation, I can create multiple
> databases, as listed in the Enterprise Manager. I can switch among
> them using "use ..." commands. Would these be treated as different
> databases?
>
> 3) We have copies of our transactional database in identical
> development, QC, and production environments. Is this a single
> database, or 3 databases?[/color]

Technically, you can install several instances of SQL Server on one box, and
I cannot recall that the license terms for SQL Server puts any constraints
on this. Each instance can host any number of databases up to some high
number determined by technical constraints.

From this follows that the technical answers to question 2 and 3 is that
yes, they are each one database, and they are three databases.

But from a legal perspective it may be different, and it is up to the
license terms of this particular vendor. If you buy a product from a
vendor, it is not unreasonable that you should be permitted that beside
the production environment, to also have an test environment where you
can test new releases from the customer. On the other hand, if you
would have two different departments running the application with
two different databases, it would not be unreasonable if that required
a second license.

In any case, this nothing that can be answered in this group. If you are
negotiating license terms with a vendor before buying their stuff, it
is up to your negotiating skills. If you are discussing the implications
of the terms of a license you already have, then you need a lawyer.

--
Erland Sommarskog, SQL Server MVP, esquel@sommarsk og.se

Books Online for SQL Server SP3 at

http://www.microsoft.com/sql/techinfo/productdoc/2000/books.asp

[Greg D. Moore \(Strider\)]

Re: Database questions


"php newbie" <newtophp2000@y ahoo.com> wrote in message
news:124f428e.0 411160231.4ccde 1c2@posting.goo gle.com...[color=blue]
> We are negotiating with a vendor and we have a few questions:[/color]


To add to Erland's response, I think perhaps the best way to think of this
is to think of databases, database servers/instances and physical servers.
[color=blue]
>
> 1) From a licensing point of view, what is a database? Can we install
> multiple copies of SQLServer on one box? In that case, would each
> copy be a different database?[/color]

Each would be a separate database server usually known as a separate
instance. As Erland points out, check with MS. I believe Standard Edition
does requires a separate license for each instance, Enterprise Server
permits multiple instances.
[color=blue]
>
> 2) Within a single SQL Server installation, I can create multiple
> databases, as listed in the Enterprise Manager. I can switch among
> them using "use ..." commands. Would these be treated as different
> databases?[/color]

Yes, separate databases, but not separate instances.
[color=blue]
>
> 3) We have copies of our transactional database in identical
> development, QC, and production environments. Is this a single
> database, or 3 databases?[/color]

You have 3 copies of the same database on 3 separate physical servers.
Again, see MS for details on licensing. (For example, you may need CPU
licenses for Production, but could get away with developer licenses in Dev.

[php newbie]

Re: Database questions

Thanks for the helpful responses! Things are now easier to explain on our side.