Navigating SQL Server perpetual licensing without Software Assurance (SA) can be complex and costly if not planned correctly. This tool is designed to simplify the process. Use our interactive estimator to calculate your license requirements for various on-premises and cloud scenarios, including Per Core licensing for physical hosts, Server+CAL for virtual machines, container deployments, and high availability/disaster recovery setups. Get a clear picture of your licensing needs and understand the specific limitations and options when migrating to Azure without the Hybrid Benefit. SQL Server (No-SA) Licensing Options Estimator

SQL Server (No-SA) Licensing Estimator

Plan deployments when your SQL Server perpetual licenses do not include Software Assurance (SA). This tool computes license counts and clearly flags what’s not permitted without SA. For guidance only—validate against current Product Terms.

No SA mode locked

Edition & Model

Edition

Enterprise for high-end needs; Standard for core database capabilities.

Licensing model

'Per Core' for performance; 'Server+CAL' for a known number of users (Standard only).

Host Hardware (for Per Core)

Physical processors

Number of CPU sockets on the server motherboard.

Total physical cores

Total cores across all physical processors.

Rule: license all physical cores; min 4 core licenses per processor.

Optional Pricing

Core — Enterprise

Your cost per Enterprise core license.

Core — Standard

Your cost per Standard core license.

Server (Std)

Your cost for one Standard Server license.

CAL

Your cost for a single Client Access License.

Physical Host — Per Core

Core licenses required

—

Sold in 2-packs ⇒ —

Est. cost

—

using current per-core input

Enterprise max-virtualization (No-SA rule)

If you fully license all physical cores with Enterprise (no SA), you may run up to as many VMs/containers as the number of core licenses assigned on that server. It is not unlimited without SA.

Planned VMs on this host

How many SQL virtual machines will run here.

Max VMs/containers allowed

—

Note: License reassignment follows the 90-day rule without SA.

Virtualization Choices (No-SA)

Option	Allowed w/o SA?	How to estimate
Per-VM (vCore) licensing	❌ Not allowed	Requires SA/subscription
Host fully licensed (Enterprise)	✅ Yes	Use Physical Host card
Server+CAL for VMs (Standard)	✅ Yes	Use box below

VMs via Server+CAL (Standard)

Number of SQL VMs (Std)

Each VM needs a Standard Server license.

CAL type

License per user or per device.

CAL count

Total unique users or devices needing access.

Std server licenses

—

CALs

—

Est. cost

—

Containers (No-SA)

Containers to run

Total number of SQL Server containers.

vCores per container

Rule: min 4 core licenses per container.

Path	Allowed?	Licenses computed
Per-container via Per Core	✅ Yes	— cores (— × 2-packs)
Per-container via Server+CAL (Std)	✅ Yes	— Server licenses + CALs
Enterprise host fully licensed	✅ Yes	— containers max
Unlimited containers in a VM	❌ No	Requires SA

Est. cost (Per-container via Per Core)

—

HA/DR Impact (No-SA)

Without SA there are no “free” passive replicas. Any installed secondary (HA or DR), even if passive, must be fully licensed to the level of the primary.

Primary core requirement

Core license count of the production server.

Number of replicas (HA+DR)

Total passive servers for failover/DR.

Extra cores needed

—

2-packs

—

Est. cost

—

SQL Server Software Assurance (SA) Benefits Checker

Software Assurance Benefits Checker

Quickly see the key benefits and limitations of SQL Server licensing based on your Software Assurance (SA) status.

Do you have active Software Assurance?

Migration to Azure (No-SA)

Key Limitation: Without Software Assurance (SA), you cannot use the Azure Hybrid Benefit. This means you cannot bring your existing perpetual licenses to Azure to get a discount on pay-as-you-go rates.

Your primary options for running SQL Server in Azure without SA are:

1. Azure Virtual Machines (Pay-as-you-go)

You deploy an Azure VM using a marketplace image that includes the SQL Server license. The cost of the license is built into the hourly price of the virtual machine. You pay for what you use, but at the full rate.

2. Azure SQL Managed Instance or Azure SQL Database (PaaS)

These are fully managed Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) offerings. The SQL Server license is always included in the service's pricing. This simplifies licensing but is a different operational model than running SQL Server on a VM.

Summary

What you CAN do without SA

License all physical cores (min 4 per processor).
On Enterprise hosts: run VMs/containers ≤ core licenses assigned.
Use Server+CAL with Standard for VMs/containers.
License individual containers with Per Core (min 4 cores each).

What is NOT available without SA

Per-VM (vCore) licensing and license mobility.
Unlimited virtualization/containers.
“Free” passive HA/DR replicas.
Azure Hybrid Benefit & Power BI Report Server.

Disclaimer: The Questions and Answers provided on https://gigxp.com are for general information purposes only. We make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose.