Wednesday, July 06, 2005 2:30 PM
by
RepeatableRead
MSDE Pricing
One thing I forgot to cover in my previous 'cheet
sheet' post of MSDE functionality was any mention of the price.
I bring that up because it bit me in the hiney today. On aspadvice I said
that MSDE wasn't free, only free-distributable by owners of certain products
(like Visual Studio, etc.) BOY was I wrong. Only, no I wasn't.
Which just goes to confirm that MSDE is probably one of the most confusing
products in existance.
As of this posting, the MSDE
homepage said:
"Microsoft SQL Server 2000
Desktop Engine (MSDE 2000) is the free, redistributable version of SQL Server
that's ideal for client applications that require an embedded database, new
developers learning how to build data-driven applications, and Web sites serving
up to 25 concurrent users."
Furthermore, the Appropriate Use
FAQ made it clear that the application IS free:
Q. Can I obtain MSDE
for use with my applications without purchasing any Microsoft products or
services?
A. Yes. MSDE is available for download at
no charge.
However, there are a few quick twists to the whole 'free' thing.
And they're WEIRD twists.
The Appropriate Use
FAQ has a number of questions (who would have thought?). Summarized, they
effectively paint this portrait:
- MSDE is free to download and use.
- You can even redistribute it freely if you are licensed (licensing appears
to be automatic if you have licenses of logical applications such as Visual
Studio, Office Developer Edition, SQL Server, etc.). You can also redistribute
if you register.
- If you somehow get a distributed copy of MSDE with an application that you
deploy, you are only allowed to use that MSDE copy as intended, and only,
apparently, for the app that distributed it.
- Here's the clincher: If you want to distribute MSDE within your
organization, you must own a product such as MSDN, SQL Server, Visual Studio,
or Visual Fox Pro. (But if you can place a copy of MSDE on any client that has
MS Access on it.)
See the confusion? You can download it and use it free. But you can't
distribute it in your organization, unless you have licensed products. In other
words, let's say you just have developers using NotePad (a
licensed MS product, but not in the approved list <g>), and one copy of MS
Access on Computer A. Can you put a copy of MSDE on Computer B? I don't think
so. At least you can't deploy to it. (But apparently you could download it and
use it free on computer B?)
*scratches head*