How to limit SQL Server Developer edition to Standard features - sql-server

I use
Developer edition in my dev environment
Standard edition in production
I want to make sure that in my dev env, indexed views will be treated the same way as in production.
Can I setup the Developer Edition to behave like Standard?
[Edit]
There is no such feature, but you can vote for it here:
feedback.azure.com -> community -> SQL: Limit SQL Server Developer Edition features to a more restrictive edition (Standard Edition)

Related

Is switching SQL Server installed edition from "Enterprise" to "Developer" allowed?

I attempted to change a SQL Server 2019 Enterprise edition to developer edition and it says it not allowed.
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I think you are asking if there's a way to do the edition change despite the message? In this case, it's not supported. I likely would build a new server and do a migration if this had to be done.
The "one-way" migration path is not uncommon in version and edition upgrades. Here is a link to the supported upgrade matrix.
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/database-engine/install-windows/supported-version-and-edition-upgrades-2019?view=sql-server-ver16
Can a developer edition be in production or an enterprise edition in development by accident? Sure. If you have paid for a Enterprise license for a DEV edition production server, then you are likely good. If you have MSDN, then you are okay for non-production use of non-DEV editions.
I never base our licensing on just the edition. I seem to remember reading in a licensing whitepaper from Microsoft that the edition was not important, but the use was. For example, a test setup using STD and ENT editions via MSDN was fine. If any of it was production, then MSDN is not fine.
All the gory details:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/Licensing/product-licensing/sql-server
https://download.microsoft.com/download/e/2/9/e29a9331-965d-4faa-bd2e-7c1db7cd8348/SQL_Server_2019_Licensing_guide.pdf
https://www.visualstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Visual-Studio-2017-Licensing-Whitepaper-March-2017.pdf
In the the last link "What Software is Included and Downgrade Rights" clearly indicates you can use any STD and ENT versions for non-production using MSDN. This is why you can't use edition alone to determine licensing. However, all those accessing the MSDN licensed servers must have MSDN with the exception of UAT. A client testing the app would not need a MSDN license. If anybody does not have MSDN, then a production license is required. This is a where a DEV edition can be costly with an ENT license when a STD edition would have been used otherwise.

SQL Server 2016 - Developing in developer edition - production in Standard edition

I am designing a new environment. Our production load/requirements dictates using SQL Server Standard edition. I am wanting to setup our Dev and Test environments with Developer Edition(DE). As DE is a fully functional Enterprise version, are there any features that would be inherently used that would cause any issues when moved to standard or do all of the feature differences need to be "turned on" in order to use them?

SQL Source Control and SQL Express "Support"

Red Gate's SQL Source Control product documentation (http://documentation.red-gate.com/display/SOC3/Requirements) states:
SQL Source Control doesn't support SQL Server 2000, SQL Express, SQL Azure or SSMS Express
I have been evaluating their product and assumed based off this statement that "doesn't support" meant "will not work". However, I have made admittedly trivial changes to a central SQL Server Standard Edition database FROM a local SQL Express edition installation.
SQL Server edition differences notwithstanding - I am wondering what pitfalls this kind of architecture would have, again, strictly from a SQL Source Control perspective. We are looking for a way to bridge the gap between our planned upgrade to SQL Server 2012 from 2008 R2, and do not want to purchase 2008 dev edition licenses knowing that we have months until we start on our upgrade path.
Is anyone implementing a dedicated database development model with SQL Express on developer machines?
I'm a pre-sales engineer for Redgate. We use SQL Express for most of the machines that we use in our own training courses for the same reason - licencing.
While it will probably work fine we don't officially support Express. The SQL Server editions that we say we support are the ones we test against. Given the number of SQL Server editions out there we only test against the ones we list on our website as officially supported. Hence we try to make it clear if you are using an edition that we do not test against.
However, assuming your dev databases are disposable and that your source of truth is your source code - which can be rolled back - and on the proviso that you understand our disclaimer that it is not officially supported, I'd unofficially say that it will probably work well enough.
Sorry for not answering this a year ago. I've just started making an effort to be more pro-active on Stack!

Upgrade from SQL Server 2008 Standard to Developer?

I have installed SQL Server 2008 Standard edition and I want to upgrade it to Developer version. I installed the Standard version for my MSDN subscription. I have tried to upgrade from the Standard ISO and Developer ISO and it does not give you an option to upgrade. It ask for a product key but MSDN states "No key is required for this product" for Developer version. This should be real simple. How do I upgrade from Standard to Developer using the ISO's on my MSDN subscription?
Just install the developer version next to the standard version. You can uninstall the standard edition if you want. The database .mdf files can be used by either. Detach them from the standard edition and attach them to the developer edition.
You should just be able to do it using the "Edition Upgrade" option from the Maintenance portion of the Installation Center.
If that doesn't work, you might also try constructing a command line to the setup program, using /ACTION=editionupgrade, among other parameters.

Is SQL Server Express good enough for a developer, or should they get Developer edition?

Just wondering if it's worth it for a developer to use SQL Server 2005/2008 Developer Edition instead of the bundled SQL Server Express edition that comes with Visual Studio. I'm talking about for initial development of a website, where you need to create SQL scripts to generate the tables and things like that. I know with Express it's easy to add an .mdf file to your project and program against that, but wouldn't it be better to install Developer edition and program against a "real" database that would mimic what you're going to be using in production? That way if you're using VS Professional and can create a "database project" you can include all of your creation scripts and run them in production to recreate the environment.
If you have access to it, you're better off using Developer Edition because it supports more features and larger databases. For example, if you want to restore a 50gb database from your production server onto your workstation to do testing, you'll need Developer Edition.
Another example is if you're working with Enterprise-only features like partitioning, compression or the Resource Governor. Those features aren't available in Express, but they are available in Developer Edition.
If it is good enough for production then how can it be insufficient in development. And SQL Express is quite capable of handling fair loads (the kind of loads that would have stressed serious hardware just a few years ago).
SQL Server Express does not require licensing but has a smaller set of features.
Developing against full SQL Server (and Developer Edition matches Enterprise Edition) always leaves the chance that you rely on some feature that is not in the production edition.
At the very least all your testing (including unit testing) should happen against the edition to be used in production.
In this question, since a "full" version is being targeted for production then developer edition should be a good match, just be careful of enterprise features if you will deploy against Standard.
Personally, I think your development environment should look like as much as you can to your production environment.
SQL Server Express edition
has many limitations like size of database, supports only one processor, etc. It is the "lite" version of SQL Server
SQL Server Developer edition
is basically Enterprise edition but it cannot be used for production.
Be aware that if the success of your backend database relies on the use of enterprise features for development, and you want the same features on production, this will require enterprise license.
It depends on what you are doing. In general, I would say it is fine. If you can get a copy of Developer, I would recommend that route, but a great majority of your work can be done in Express.
Express has basic Reporting, with Advanced Services. If you go beyond the basic Reporting in the product, you will have to move up. YOu also have Service Broker. But, you will not have Analysis Services (no data warehousing) or SSIS (no ETL). If you need either of these features, you have to go to Developer.
You will also not have some of the BI features, as the Express Manager is missing many of the bits in the full SQL Management Studio and BI Developer. If you need these, you will need SQL Server Developer.

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