Buy Pre-owned SQL Server 2022 Enterprise (2 Core) Licences

SQL Server 2022 Enterprise is Microsoft's relational database management software, ideal for mission critical workloads that demand in-memory performance, security and high availability. Enterprise Edition includes Microsoft's add-on services and is licensed under the Per Core model, so unlimited users and devices can access the server without the need for Client Access Licences (CALs). This page covers the 2 Core pack, the unit in which Microsoft sells SQL Server per-core licences.

This is a Pre-owned Perpetual Volume licence, valid for an unlimited period and sourced exclusively from Microsoft perpetual volume licensing 'Open', 'Select', 'Enterprise' or MPSA programmes. We do not supply FPP or OEM product, or any other manufacturer's software. Every licence is sold at a discounted price and is supplied with a complete documented audit trail to prove legal ownership in case of a vendor or SAM audit. Previous version downgrade rights included.

We operate a quote-based model, so no prices are published on this site. Add this product to your quote with the number of 2 Core packs your deployment requires, and we will respond to your request within 24 hours with a quotation. Licences for Corporate use only.

SQL Server 2022 Enterprise (2 Core) licensing, explained

SQL Server 2022 Enterprise is licensed under Microsoft's Per Core model only; the Server plus CAL model is offered for Standard edition alone. Per-core licences are sold in packs of two, so this product is one 2 Core pack and you order enough packs to cover the cores in your deployment.

Licensing a physical server:

• All physical cores on the server must be licensed, subject to a minimum of four core licences per physical processor. In practice that means at least two 2 Core packs per processor.
• Worked example: a server with two 8-core processors requires 16 core licences, which is eight 2 Core packs.
• No CALs are required. Under the Per Core model, unlimited users and devices may access the server without Client Access Licences.

Licensing virtual machines:

• Pre-owned software does not include Software Assurance. The number of operating system environments is limited to the number of core licences assigned to the server; plan your core counts on that basis, and tell us how you intend to deploy when requesting your quotation.

Downgrade rights and installation:

• Previous version downgrade rights included. Microsoft Commercial Licensing downgrade rights allow you to install and use an earlier version, or a permitted lower edition, in place of the licensed product, for example SQL Server 2019, or Standard edition in place of Enterprise. The use rights of the licensed product still govern.
• Installation method is ISO on 64 bit architecture. Media downloads and product activation keys are provided through our Secondary Software Licence Centre (SSLC) client portal.

Why buy pre-owned SQL Server licences from Discount-Licensing

Discount-Licensing has been in business since 2004, celebrating over 20 years, and launched the secondary market in Microsoft Volume licences in November 2005, after researching the legalities of a European secondary licence market with Microsoft's cooperation during 2003 and 2004. Today the business trades as Discount-Licensing Ltd in the UK, and Discount-Licensing S.L. in Spain, our EU HQ incorporated to maintain fully legal post-Brexit supply throughout Europe.

• ISO 9001:2015 certified in both the EU and the UK, providing software products and service that meet the applicable regulatory and statutory requirements as well as the customer's own.
• Every transaction is protected with our Professional Indemnity insurance.
• Our unique Secondary Software Licence Centre (SSLC) client web portal provides complete transparency: invoices, media downloads, product activation keys and full proof-of-ownership documentation for every transaction. Your SSLC account is created automatically when you place an order.
• We are a Registered Microsoft Partner and authorised Microsoft Reseller, so if pre-owned stock is unavailable we can supply new licences and offer a complete solution for your software licence needs.
• Customers include Microlise, Camira Fabrics Ltd and Worldmark, and customer references are available upon request.

The legal basis: compliant licence transfer, not grey-market keys

We warrant that all software licences purchased by Discount-Licensing have been first put into use within the European Union (EU) or United Kingdom (UK), and we provide proof of ownership for every purchase and sale in accordance with the European Software Directive 2009/24/EC.

Secondary software licence sales are provided for within Directive 2009/24/EC, Article 4(2), under which the first sale of a copy of a program in the Community by the right holder, or with his consent, exhausts the distribution right within the Community for that copy. On 3 July 2012 the European Court of Justice ruled against Oracle in the UsedSoft case, reaffirming secondary software resale in Europe and confirming that this Principle of Exhaustion also applies to intangible and digital software, including software within Volume Licence Agreements sold by vendors such as Microsoft. Under the same ruling, a Volume Licence Agreement can legally be split down to individual licence (product SKU) level, but no further.

A legitimate supplier must be able to demonstrate, for every transaction:

• that the software was first put to use in the UK or Europe (the original Country of Usage)
• the original Microsoft customer's unique Licence Agreement (LA) and product SKU numbers
• confirmation that the software has been divested and uninstalled from the original customer's servers (the Deletion statement)
• ownership documentation leading back to the original Microsoft customer

This is what separates a compliant transfer of licence ownership from grey-market key selling. We caution buyers against unlawful business models seen in this market: notary attestations used to conceal illegal sources, illegal resale of Microsoft Partner Pack or MSDN keys, self-designed 'software certificates', and invoices that lack unique Microsoft licence agreement numbers. Every licence we supply comes with a complete documented audit trail to prove legal ownership, and full proof-of-ownership documentation is provided for every transaction through our Secondary Software Licence Centre (SSLC). Pre-owned licences may legally be purchased to rectify non-compliance either before or after a SAM audit.

Request your SQL Server 2022 Enterprise (2 Core) quotation. Add the number of 2 Core packs you need to your quote and we will respond to your request within 24 hours with a quotation. Prefer to talk your core counts through first? Call our licensing team on +44 (0)1283 511524 (UK) or +34 934 923499 (EU). Licences for Corporate use only.