SQL Server 2022 Standard

What you get with SQL Server 2022 Standard

SQL Server 2022 Standard is the edition of Microsoft’s database server meant for production databases in small and mid-sized businesses. This listing gives you a product key for one server. Setup asks for it on its Product Key page, and the same key can convert an Evaluation instance to Standard. The e-mail contains the key and the link to Microsoft’s installer. It is a perpetual license bought with one payment.

What the Standard edition of SQL Server 2022 includes

• Scale: one instance uses up to the lesser of 4 sockets or 24 cores, and up to 128 GB of memory for the buffer pool. Columnstore cache and memory-optimized data are capped at 32 GB each.
• Security: transparent data encryption (TDE), Always Encrypted with secure enclaves, row-level security, dynamic data masking and server and database audit are all in Standard.
• Ledger: ledger tables keep a tamper-evident history of changes, and the feature is available in every edition.
• Availability: basic availability groups with two replicas for one database, two-node failover cluster instances, log shipping, backup compression and encrypted backups.
• Backups to S3-compatible object storage over the REST API are supported in Standard from this version.
• Azure links: Azure Synapse Link, the link feature for Azure SQL Managed Instance, Microsoft Purview access policies and the Azure extension for SQL Server are optional, and Standard supports them.
• Query Store is switched on by default for new databases, and parameter sensitive plan optimization is part of every edition.

Standard, Enterprise or an earlier version

Enterprise removes the core and memory caps and adds full Always On availability groups with up to eight secondary replicas, contained availability groups, online index rebuilds and Resource Governor. If your databases fit in 24 cores and 128 GB of buffer pool, Standard runs the same T-SQL and the same tools.

Some business applications are certified only for an older release. For those, the shop also offers SQL Server 2019 Standard and SQL Server 2019 Standard (16 Core).

How to activate SQL Server 2022 Standard

1. Download the SQL Server 2022 installer from the Microsoft link in your e-mail and run setup.exe as an administrator.
2. In SQL Server Installation Center, select Installation, then New SQL Server standalone installation or add features to an existing installation.
3. When the Product Key page appears, choose Enter the product key and paste your key; the edition shown changes to Standard.
4. Accept the license terms. On the Azure Extension for SQL Server page, clear the check box if you do not want to connect the server to Azure.
5. Under Feature Selection, tick Database Engine Services and anything else you need, name the instance, pick Windows or Mixed Mode authentication, add yourself as an administrator and click Install.

If the Evaluation edition is already installed, open Installation Center, choose Maintenance, then Edition Upgrade, enter the key and select the instance; Setup restarts the SQL Server services to apply Standard. Management Studio (SSMS) is a separate free download. The full walk-through is in our step-by-step SQL Server setup guide.

System requirements

Questions about SQL Server 2022 Standard

Can I install it on a Windows 11 workstation?

Yes. Microsoft supports the Standard edition on Windows 10 and Windows 11 as well as on Windows Server 2016 and later.

Do I need an Azure subscription?

No. With a product key, SQL Server 2022 runs fully on-premises. Azure is only needed if you pick the pay-as-you-go option in setup or connect the Azure extension.

Will my databases survive the switch from the Evaluation edition?

Yes. Edition Upgrade changes the edition of the existing instance in place, so databases and settings stay as they are. Plan for a short break while the services restart.