Microsoft SQL Server

Microsoft SQL Server (Structured Query Language) is a proprietary relational database management system developed by Microsoft. As a database server, it is a software product with the primary function of storing and retrieving data as requested by other software applications—which may run either on the same computer or on another computer across a network (including the Internet).

History

 The history of Microsoft SQL Server begins with the first Microsoft SQL Server product—SQL Server 1.0, a 16-bit server for the OS/2 operating system in 1989—and extends to the current day. Its name is entirely descriptive, it being server software that responds to queries in the SQL language.

Editions

 Enterprise

SQL Server Enterprise Edition includes both the core database engine and add-on services, with a range of tools for creating and managing a SQL Server cluster. It can manage databases as large as 524 petabytes and address 12 terabytes of memory and supports 640 logical processors (CPU cores).

Standard

SQL Server Standard edition includes the core database engine, along with the stand-alone services. It differs from Enterprise edition in that it supports fewer active instances (number of nodes in a cluster) and does not include some high-availability functions such as hot-add memory (allowing memory to be added while the server is still running), and parallel indexes.

 Web

SQL Server Web Edition is a low-TCO option for Web hosting.

 Business intelligence

Introduced in SQL Server 2012 and focusing on Self Service and Corporate Business Intelligence. It includes the Standard Edition capabilities and Business Intelligence tools: Power Pivot, Power View, the BI Semantic Model, Master Data Services, Data Quality Services and x Velocity in-memory analytics.

  Workgroup

SQL Server Workgroup Edition includes the core database functionality but does not include the additional services. Note that this edition has been retired in SQL Server 2012.

  Express

SQL Server Express Edition is a scaled down, free edition of SQL Server, which includes the core database engine. While there are no limitations on the number of databases or users supported, it is limited to using one processor, 1 GB memory and 10 GB database files (4 GB database files prior to SQL Server Express 2008 R2). It is intended as a replacement for MSDE. Two additional editions provide a superset of features not in the original Express Edition. The first is SQL Server Express with Tools, which includes SQL Server Management Studio Basic. SQL Server Express with Advanced Services adds full-text search capability and reporting services.

Specialized Editions

 Azure

Microsoft Azure SQL Database is the cloud-based version of Microsoft SQL Server, presented as a platform as a service offering on Microsoft Azure.

Azure MPP

Azure SQL Data Warehouse is the cloud-based version of Microsoft SQL Server in a MPP (massively parallel processing) architecture for analytics workloads, presented as a platform as a service offering on Microsoft Azure.

Scale limits

Feature	Enterprise	Standard	Web	Express with Advanced Services	Express
Maximum compute capacity used by a single instance – SQL Server Database Engine	Operating system maximum	Limited to lesser of 4 sockets or 24 cores	Limited to lesser of 4 sockets or 16 cores	Limited to lesser of 1 socket or 4 cores	Limited to lesser of 1 socket or 4 cores
Maximum compute capacity used by a single instance – Analysis Services or Reporting Services	Operating system maximum	Limited to lesser of 4 sockets or 24 cores	Limited to lesser of 4 sockets or 16 cores	Limited to lesser of 1 socket or 4 cores	Limited to lesser of 1 socket or 4 cores
Maximum memory for buffer pool per instance of SQL Server Database Engine	Operating System Maximum	128 GB	64 GB	1410 MB	1410 MB
Maximum memory for Column store segment cache per instance of SQL Server Database Engine	Unlimited memory	32 GB	16 GB	352 MB	352 MB
Maximum memory-optimized data size per database in SQL Server Database Engine	Unlimited memory	32 GB	16 GB	352 MB	352 MB
Maximum memory utilized per instance of Analysis Services	Operating System Maximum	16 GB  64 GB	N/A	N/A	N/A
Maximum memory utilized per instance of Reporting Services	Operating System Maximum	64 GB	64 GB	4 GB	N/A
Maximum relational database size	524 PB	524 PB	524 PB	10 GB	10 GB

RDBMS high availability 

Feature	Enterprise	Standard	Web	Express with Advanced Services	Express
Server core support	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Log shipping	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Database mirroring	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Backup compression	Yes	Yes	No	No	No
Database snapshot	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Always On failover cluster instances	Yes	Yes	No	No	No
Always On availability groups	Yes	No	No	No	No
Basic availability groups	No	Yes	No	No	No
Automatic read write connection rerouting	Yes	No	No	No	No
Online page and file restore	Yes	No	No	No	No
Online index create and rebuild	Yes	No	No	No	No
Resumable online index rebuilds	Yes	No	No	No	No
Online schema change	Yes	No	No	No	No
Fast recovery	Yes	No	No	No	No
Accelerated database recovery	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Mirrored backups	Yes	No	No	No	No
Hot add memory and CPU	Yes	No	No	No	No
Database recovery advisor	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Encrypted backup	Yes	Yes	No	No	No
Hybrid backup to Microsoft Azure (backup to URL)	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Cluster-less availability group	Yes	Yes	No	No	No
Failover servers for disaster recovery	Yes	Yes	No	No	No
Failover servers for high availability	Yes	Yes	No	No	No
Failover servers for disaster recovery in Azure	Yes	Yes	No	No	No

RDBMS security

Feature	Enterprise	Standard	Web	Express with Advanced Services	Express
Row-level security	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Always Encrypted	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Always Encrypted with Secure Enclaves	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Dynamic data masking	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Server audit	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Database audit	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Transparent data encryption (TDE)	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Extensible key management (EKM)	Yes	Yes	No	No	No
User-defined roles	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Contained databases	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Encryption for backups	Yes	Yes	No	No	No
Data classification and auditing	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes