SQL Server 2022 Standard

SQL Server Standard covers the great majority of line-of-business database workloads. It can be licensed two ways, and the choice makes a material difference: per core, with a four-core minimum per instance and no CAL requirement, or server-plus-CAL, where a single server licence is paired with a CAL for every user or device that connects.

Per-core licensing suits externally-facing or high-connection-count workloads. Server-plus-CAL suits internal applications with a countable, stable user base. We price both against your actual connection pattern rather than defaulting to one.