Downgrade SQL SErver 2016 Enterprise to sandard edition hosted on Azure VM

Question

Hi All,
I have a Prod Azure VM which has SQL Server 2016 Enterprise Edition installed from Marketplace. SQL license itself costs 3000 AUD. I want to downgrade from SQL Server 2016 enterprise to SQL Server 2016 Standard Edition as Standard Edition will cost 1000 AUD per month. What are ways to do this with minimal changes.

It has been running Windows Server 2016 + SQL Server 2016 Enterprise for a few weeks. The VM was created from Azure Marketplace image and is running without Azure Hybrid Use Benefits. The license for the SQL Server nearly costs us $3,000 a month. Is there is possible way to reduce that cost?

Answer 1

Hi,

An in-place downgrade of SQL Server is not supported.

To downgrade the version of SQL Server, you have to completely uninstall SQL Server, and reinstall it again by using the desired version. This is similar to a fresh installation of SQL Server because you will not be able to restore the earlier database from a later version to the newly installed earlier version. The databases will have to be re-created from scratch. If you also changed the edition of SQL Server during the upgrade, change the Edition property of the SQL Server VM in the Azure portal to the new edition value. This updates the metadata and billing that is associated with this VM.

For more information, you can refer to the link below which offers step-by-step details:

Downgrade the version of SQL Server
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/virtual-machines/windows/change-sql-server-version#downgrade-the-version-of-sql-server

Best regards,
Leon