Deployment options, licensing, and feature differences in SQL Server 2022
SQL Server 2022 offers similar deployment, edition, and licensing options as with previous releases of SQL Server. There are some differences, which you'll learn about in this module.
Deployment options for SQL Server 2022
Just like in SQL Server 2017 and SQL Server 2019, SQL Server 2022 can be deployed on Windows and Linux operating systems on computers, virtual machines, and in cloud virtual machine platforms. SQL Server 2022 can also be deployed using containers and on Kubernetes platforms.
SQL Server 2022 is supported on Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server. SQL Server 2022 for Linux is supported on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.0 - 8.5 Server, SUSE Enterprise Linux Server v15, and Ubuntu 20.04 LTS.
You can deploy SQL Server using the same methods as in previous versions, such as the Windows graphical setup wizard, command line options, Linux package managers, and container runtime engines, such as Docker. SQL Server 2022 is also available through Azure Virtual Machine marketplace images.
Editions for SQL Server 2022
As with previous versions of SQL Server, SQL Server 2022 can be deployed using the following editions:
SQL Server Evaluation edition can be used to evaluate all features of SQL Server 2022. There's a time limit of 180 days after you run setup. This edition doesn't require a paid license but can't be used for production.
SQL Server Developer edition can be used to test all features for your SQL Server 2022 application. There's no time limit for this edition and no paid license is required, but it can't be used for production.
SQL Server Express edition doesn't require a paid license and can be used in production. This edition contains many of the core capabilities of SQL Server 2022, but has limits on specific features and resources, such as CPU, memory, and database size.
SQL Server Web edition is a low total-cost-of-ownership option for Web hosters and Web Value Added Providers (VAPs) to provide scalability, affordability, and manageability capabilities for small to large-scale Web properties.
SQL Server Standard edition includes most of the core capabilities of SQL Server, along with a common surface area of features so that developers can access most SQL Server features from an application. SQL Server Standard edition doesn't include all SQL Server features and has some limitations for resources, such as CPU and memory.
SQL Server Enterprise edition includes all features and capabilities of SQL Server with unlimited access to resources, such as CPU and memory.
For more information, and a list of all the capabilities for each edition, see our documentation, Editions and supported features of SQL Server.
Licensing for SQL Server 2022
SQL Server 2022 paid editions are licensed on individual instances using models like per core, or with contract agreements such as Software Assurance (SA). SQL Server 2022 offers a new licensing model called Pay-as-you-go (PAYG). Learn more about all the licensing options for SQL Server 2022 at SQL Server licensing.
Feature differences for SQL Server 2022 from previous releases
In future units, you'll learn about all the new features and capabilities in SQL Server 2022 compared to previous releases:
- Cloud connected
- Built-in query intelligence
- Core engine
- Data virtualization
- Transact-SQL (T-SQL) enhancements
Some of the differences for features that have been removed, deprecated, or enhanced from SQL Server in SQL Server 2022 from a perspective of deployment are listed below.
Tip
Stay up to date with all the latest release notes at SQL Server 2022 release notes.
Features removed or deprecated in SQL Server 2022
The following features have been removed from SQL Server 2022 that were available in previous releases:
R, Python, and Java runtimes - R, Python, and Java runtimes are no longer included as part of the setup for SQL Server 2022. The Machine Learning Services feature is still supported, but you'll need to add your own packages that include runtimes you need.
Polybase Hadoop Connectivity with Java - The Polybase feature with Hadoop connectivity is removed from SQL Server 2022. You can still use Polybase services with ODBC drivers or new REST API based connectors for Azure Blob storage, Azure Data Lake Storage, or S3 compatible object storage.
Polybase scale out groups - The Polybase scale out group feature has been removed from SQL Server 2022. Queries using external tables or OPENROWSET for data virtualization can take advantage of scale-up processing built into SQL Server.
Machine Learning Server - Machine Learning Server was retired in July of 2022. Therefore, the Machine Learning Server feature has been removed from the SQL Server setup.
Distributed Replay - Distributed Replay is no longer available to configure with the setup for SQL Server 2022 on Windows.
Stretch Database - Stretch Database is deprecated in SQL Server 2022. This feature will be removed in a future version of Microsoft SQL Server. Avoid using this feature in new development work, and plan to modify applications that currently use this feature.
New deployment experiences in SQL Server 2022
In SQL Server 2022, the Azure extension for SQL Server configuration is part of the SQL Server 2022 setup experience. The Azure extension for SQL Server can be used to configure SQL Server 2022 as an Azure Arc-enabled SQL Server. There's no subscription charge to set up an Azure Arc-enabled SQL Server. You only incur subscription charges when you use specific Azure services such as Microsoft Entra authentication, Microsoft Purview, or Microsoft Defender for SQL.