Links & Resources

The primary Microsoft licensing guide covering all SQL Server editions, CAL vs. core-based models, and Software Assurance benefits.

Per-edition limits for cores, sockets, and memory. Useful for sizing decisions and verifying 2022 vs. 2025 Standard upgrades.

Feature comparison tables for Enterprise, Standard, and Express in SQL Server 2025, including new AI and vector capabilities.

Feature comparison tables for all 2022 editions including Web edition, SSRS, and Azure Synapse Link.

Details on SA benefits including passive failover rights, upgrade rights, and unlimited virtualization for Enterprise.

Full-featured 180-day evaluation of SQL Server 2025 Enterprise. The best way to test before committing to a license.

180-day evaluation of SQL Server 2022 Enterprise. Use this if a vendor application requires the 2022 release.

Free Express and Developer editions for SQL Server 2022 and 2025. Developer is the fastest way to get a full-featured local instance.

The primary GUI for managing SQL Server instances, running queries, and administering databases. Free for all editions.

The recommended lightweight, cross-platform SQL editor for Linux/macOS/Windows developers. The mssql extension provides IntelliSense, query results, and connection management. Azure Data Studio has been deprecated. VS Code with mssql is the official replacement.

Official documentation for SSIS, Microsoft's ETL and data transformation platform. Included with Enterprise and Standard editions.

Feature matrix showing which SSIS capabilities are available across Enterprise, Standard, and other editions.

Included in SQL Server 2022 and earlier. Delivers pixel-perfect paginated reports via a web portal and web service API. Not included in SQL Server 2025.

The successor to SSRS for on-premises reporting starting with SQL Server 2025. Hosts Power BI reports alongside traditional paginated reports.

Official product page for Power BI Report Server including download links and licensing guidance.

Explains why SSRS was consolidated into Power BI Report Server in SQL Server 2025 and what this means for existing deployments.

Comprehensive overview of SQL Server 2025 additions: native vector type, DiskANN indexing, ONNX model support, native JSON type, time series, and more.

Root documentation index for all SQL Server on-premises versions: installation, configuration, tuning, HA/DR, and security.

Documentation on setup, implementation, and configuration of the SQL Server MCP Server.

Step-by-step guide for installing SQL Server via the setup wizard, including feature selection and post-install configuration.

Full reference for Azure SQL Database: provisioned and serverless tiers, elastic pools, security, and performance tuning.

Documentation hub for Azure SQL Managed Instance. Near 100% SQL Server compatibility in a fully managed PaaS service.

IaaS option for SQL Server. Covers sizing, licensing (PAYG vs. BYOL), HA using Availability Sets, and Azure Hybrid Benefit.

Tutorials and documentation for Power BI Report Server: installing, publishing reports, and managing the report portal.

A set of free T-SQL stored procedures for diagnosing SQL Server performance issues fast: sp_Blitz (health check), sp_BlitzFirst (wait stats), sp_BlitzIndex (index analysis), and sp_BlitzCache (query performance).

A massive free PowerShell module with over 500 commands for migrating, managing, and automating SQL Server tasks: migrations, backups, restores, logins, jobs, and more.

Free, open-source performance monitoring built by a working DBA. 30+ T-SQL collectors, real-time alerts (tray, email, Slack/Teams/PagerDuty webhooks), and a built-in MCP server for AI analysis. Your data never leaves your network. Two editions: Full Dashboard (installs on each server via SQL Agent) and Lite (standalone, no install required; also supports Azure SQL DB). Supports SQL Server 2016–2025, Azure SQL MI, and AWS RDS.

The industry-standard free T-SQL solution for SQL Server backups, integrity checks, and index/statistics maintenance. Used in thousands of production environments.