Just a few minutes ago SQL Server 2016 is released. You can download SQL Server 2016 Developer Edition for FREE. There are many different versions of SQL Server 2016 and they are all available for download for everyone who has a valid MSDN subscription.
You will need a copy of Windows or Windows Server to run SQL Server Developer Edition. For additional detail about Developer Edition use rights, please see the Microsoft SQL Server 2014 Licensing Guide.
SQL Server 2016 have many new features. I have been exploring some many of the features in the Release Candidates and I have blogged before. I will be blogging about SQL Server 2016 in the future blog posts. Here is the list of top 10 features which I have liked so far and I will start my focus from these features.
| Always Encrypted | Query Store |
| Row Level Security | R Built-in T-SQL |
| Temporal Table | Stretch Database |
| Dynamic Data Masking | PolyBase |
| Multiple TempDB Database Files | JSON Support |
Additionally, there are many improvements in the In-Memory OLTP which I will be looking forward to explore and implement at my customer.
Download SQL SERVER 2016 Developer Version for FREE
Earlier Microsoft has announced that SQL Server 2016 Developer version is available to download for FREE. You will have to sign in to Visual Studio Dev Essentials before you can download SQL Server 2016 Developer Edition. Remember that Visual Studio Dev Essential is FREE developer program.
Click to Download SQL Server 2016 Developer Edition for FREE
(You will have to either login via your Microsoft account – hotmail, outlook or create a new one)
Click Here to Read How to Install SQL Server Management Studio 2016
Microsoft Sql 2012 Developer Edition
If you have an MSDN subscription you can download SQL Server 2016 from here.
In other news, AdventureWorks sample database is retired now and Microsoft has released new sample database WideWorldImporters.
Click to See all the artifacts related to WideWorldImporters
I will write future blog posts about how to use this sample database with SQL Server 2016.
Download
Pro Tip: Bookmark this blog post for future reference. I will keep it updated with the latest information.
Here is a 2 minute short video which explains how to install SQL Server 2016.
Reference: Pinal Dave (https://blog.sqlauthority.com)
I was planning to download a trial of SQL Server Developer today from MSDN Subscriber Downloads. I have two questions:
- Next to each download it says: 'No product key is required'. I assume this means that a 28 day trial is initiated after download?
- What is the difference between SQL Server Developer; SQL Server Web Edition and SQL Server Business Intelligence? I assume that SQL Developer can do everything that SQL Server Business Intelligence and SQL Server Web Edition can do?
I followed these steps:
- Went to the appropriate MSDN Subscriber Download page
- Selected: SQL Server 2014 with SP1 x64
- Logged In
- Saved the file locally
- During the installation select 'Evaluation' rather than the license key.
To my surprise there was already a license key populated. I have an active Bizspark account (though I did not renew in year three). It must be this account that has populated the license key. Why is Enterprise Edition evaluation installed rather than developer edition?
Paul White♦3 Answers
Current information
SQL Server Developer Edition is a free download starting with SQL Server 2014.
You can download SQL Server 2017 Developer Edition for Windows, Linux, and Docker from the Microsoft SQL Server downloads page.
SQL Server 2017 Developer is a full-featured free edition, licensed for use as a development and test database in a non-production environment.
Original answer
We can't advise on detailed licensing issues, that is something you should read about on the MSDN Subscriptions site, and contact support if necessary. With that said, I can respond to other points in your question:
- Next to each download it says: 'No product key is required'. I assume this means that a 28 day trial is initiated after download?
You have a choice here. During installation, you are presented with a screen like:
If you choose the pre-populated product key, you are installing Developer Edition (not a trial) under the MSDN Subscriber licence terms. No product key is required for this option, because one is provided for you.
If you choose Evaluation, you are installing a time-limited trial of Enterprise Edition, with different licensing terms. This is just the same as if you had download Trial Edition from anywhere.
- What is the difference between SQL Server Developer; SQL Server Web Edition and SQL Server Business Intelligence? I assume that SQL Developer can do everything that SQL Server Business Intelligence and SQL Server Web Edition can do?
SQL Server Developer contains all the features of SQL Server Enterprise Edition, just on different licensing terms. You can compare the various editions here:
You cannot download software from MSDN Subscriber Downloads without a Microsoft account associated with a valid subscription. As it says on the Using Subscriber Downloads help page:
You must be signed in to your Microsoft account that is associated with your subscription in order to download products on Subscriber Downloads. If you are not signed in, you'll be prompted to sign in when you attempt to download a product or view product keys. Everyone, including non-subscribers, can view Subscriber Downloads, but only active subscribers can download products and keys.
Paul White♦Paul WhiteDownload Sql 2014 Developer Edition
- Yes - Microsoft Trial Tools not use activation keys, and starttrial period from date of installing
- Developer Edition include All functions of MS SQL Server and restricted for use in production environment
Full feature compare matrix - https://www.microsoft.com/en/server-cloud/products/sql-server-editions/overview.aspx
It not expensive, if You not have MSDN subscription, You can purchase it, cost less than 100USD
a_vlada_vladIf this helps anyone, I found a blog with responses from The SQL Server Teamhere:
SQL Server 2014 Developer Edition is free and there is no time limit, but it cannot be used for production. Developer Edition offers the full feature set of Enterprise Edition, but is for development and testing only, and not for production environments or for use with production data. Express Edition can be used in production, but has the scalability and feature limitations detailed on our SQL Server Editions webpage. You will need a copy of Windows or Windows Server to run SQL Server Developer Edition. For additional detail about Developer Edition use rights, please see the Microsoft SQL Server 2014 Licensing Guide
Sql Server Developer Edition Free
You can also sign up to the Visual Studio developer site and then download any version in either Express or Developer edition. Click Join Now then scroll down a bit and it should be on the left hand side - here