In this article, we will cover the most common questions about this nice SQL Server Developer Edition.
Introduction
If you are reading this article, it means that you heard about a SQL Server edition with all the enterprise features, but FREE. Can that be possible? The advantages, disadvantages, usage and more. Much more.
What is the SQL Server Developer Edition?
It is an edition for Developers. It is free, but you cannot use it in production. It contains all the SQL Server Enterprise functionality, but it cannot be deployed in production.
Is SQL Server Developer Edition free?
Yes, it is. It is a free edition used for non-production environments.
If it cannot be used in production. What is the point to have it?
You can use it for development and for educational purposes, Demos, test environments, quality assurance and more.
What is the difference between the SQL Server Express Edition and the Developer Edition?
Both editions are free editions, but the Express edition has limited functionality whereas the Developer Edition does not have any limitations compared with an enterprise.
The following links show all the differences for SQL Server 2019 and older versions:
- Editions and supported features of SQL Server 2019 (15.x)
- Editions and supported features of SQL Server 2017
- Editions and supported features of SQL Server 2016
- Features Supported by the Editions of SQL Server 2014
What is new in the SQL Server Developer edition?
Depending on the Edition, you will have different features. The following links provide the new features per version:
How can I install the SQL Server Developer edition?
We created a pretty nice article about the SQL Server developer edition installation. You can find the link here:
Where can I see if my SQL Server is a Developer Edition?
Use the properties in SSMS of the SQL Server to check the SQL Server edition:
We can also query the edition using the following T-SQL statement:
|
1 |
SELECT @@VERSION |
The query will show not only the SQL version, but also the SQL Server edition and the Windows Edition used:
How can I upgrade from Developer Edition to Enterprise edition?
Sometimes, you have a Developer edition, but you need to change the development to production, and you need to upgrade from Developer Edition to Enterprise edition. To do that, you need to run the SQL Server installer. In the menu, go to maintenance and select the option Edition upgrade. For more details about upgrading from SQL server developer edition to another version, refer to this link:
What edition upgrades are supported from a SQL Server Developer edition?
You can upgrade from SQL Server Developer Edition to SQL Server Enterprise or Standard or Web edition.
Can I downgrade from Enterprise to Developer edition?
Basically, downgrade editions in SQL Server are not supported. You may need to uninstall the current version and install the new expected one. This applies to any version. You can upgrade, but not downgrade editions.
Can I upgrade from an older SQL Server Developer Edition to a new one?
You can upgrade from SQL Server 2012, service pack 4 to SQL Server 2019. If you have SQL Server 2014 Developer Edition, you need at least service pack 2 to upgrade to the 2019 developer edition. And if you have 2016 or 2017, no service pack is required right now, but it may change in the future.
For a complete list of supported paths, refer to this link:
What editions can be upgraded to the developer edition?
You can upgrade the SQL Server Express edition or the Evaluation edition to a Developer Edition. For more information about upgrading, refer to the following link:
Is SQL Server Developer Edition supported on Linux?
Microsoft is now closer to Linux and is creating a lot of software compatible with Linux. SQL Server is not an exception. All the Editions supported for Windows are not supported in Linux (Enterprise, Standard, Developer, Web and Express editions).
SQL Server for Linux is supported in Red Hat Enterprise 7.7 – 7.9, or 8.0 – 8.3 Server also in SUSE Enterprise Linux Server v12 SP3 – SP5. The concept of functionality is the same. For more information about the SQL Server Developer edition in Linux, refer to this link:
Conclusion
In this article, we tried to answer the most common questions related to the SQL Server Developer Edition. This edition is the best option to learn SQL Server and it is a better option than the Evaluation edition if you want to learn SQL Server because this license does not expire. You can also upgrade this version to a production edition if it is necessary. I hope you found the article useful.
He has worked for the government, oil companies, web sites, magazines and universities around the world. Daniel also regularly speaks at SQL Servers conferences and blogs. He writes SQL Server training materials for certification exams.
He also helps with translating SQLShack articles to Spanish
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