[thelist] Database Licensing Question

[Ken Schaefer]

: -----Original Message-----
: From: thelist-bounces at lists.evolt.org
[mailto:thelist-bounces at lists.evolt.org] On
: Behalf Of Richard Bennett
: Subject: Re: [thelist] Database Licensing Question
: 
: > : Well... scalability would be one... MSDE is restricted to 2GB database>
: > size, and 5 concurent users... and when you need to scale to MSSQL your
: > : licenses go through the roof.
: >
: > The 5 concurrent user limit is incorrect - I'm not sure what you're
basing
: > that on.
: On a few webpages, but that could be outdated info...
: http://www2.goldfisch.at/knowledge/290
: http://www.databasejournal.com/features/mssql/article.php/1442291

Checking the vendor's site generally gives you more authoritative information
:-)


: > There is a workload governor which limits you to 8 concurrent
: > operations, which is enough to support dozens (or even a hundred or more
: > users):
: Here they say 25 users...
: http://www.microsoft.com/sql/msde/howtobuy/msdeuse.asp

Well, there's no direct correlation between concurrent operations and
concurrent users. I imagine that Microsoft is performing a CYA when
stipulating 25 concurrent users. I imagine there would be even more extreme
corner-cases where the app might only support a handful of concurrent users.

 
: >
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/?url=/library/en-us/architec/8_ar_sa2_0ci
: >q. asp?frame=true
: Yeah it explains how it has been crippled so that it slows down when it's
: doing more than 8 operations at the same time, that's what i meant when i
: said;
: "Well... scalability would be one... <snip> ... and when you need to scale
to
: MSSQL your licenses go through the roof.
: Which was based on:
: http://www.microsoft.com/sql/howtobuy/default.asp

Again "through the roof" is relative, and depends on context. 

We've built plenty of enterprise applications for some of the world's biggest
companies. Even buying a dozen processor licences for SQL Server Enterprise
Edition costs less than the annual salary of one of the DBAs that's going to
need to be there to maintain the app. In such a case, "through the roof"
probably doesn't apply. 

On the other hand, if you're right at the edge between outgrowing MSDE, and
requiring SQL Server, then you might experience some pain if you don't have
access to a volume license, or you're not a MS partner (or have some other
access to cheaper licences).

But likewise I can argue that if you use mySQL, and outgrow that, you're in
for a world of pain migrating your application from mySQL to, say, SQL Server
or Oracle :-)

Bottom line: it's all kinda theoretical how much something's going to cost
unless we look at a specific instance and the circumstances surrounding that.

Cheers
Ken