Microsoft SPLA

This document serves as a practical guide to the Microsoft SPLA license terms and is for informational purposes only. It does not replace the provisions of the SPLA agreement or the SPUR license terms. In the event of any discrepancies, the current Microsoft license documents (SPUR) shall prevail.

License Terms

The SPLA license terms take precedence over other Microsoft license terms. Exceptions include selected Software Assurance benefits, specifically License Mobility and Flexible Virtualization.

The SPUR – Commercial Licensing Terms oand End User License Terms (EULT) govern the use of specific Microsoft products by end users under the SPLA agreement.​

Glossary

Authorization – authorization to access means that the user is technically authorized to run and use the software, even if they do not actually do so. This entitlement may result from membership in a relevant domain group in Active Directory that has been granted rights to use the application or log in (e.g., via RDS) or from membership in a local group on the server that allows the program to be run.

Edition – a variant of the same software version that differs in its feature set, license, or intended use (e.g., Standard, Pro, or Enterprise).

Per-core license – refers to the physical processor core for physical servers and the number of virtual vCPU cores for virtual machines.

User SAL license – a user access license, understood as the individual to whom it is assigned.

OSE (Operating System Environment) – an operating system environment. In practice, this is most often a single, specific virtual or physical machine.

Virtual core (vCPU) – virtual cores assigned to a machine. Disabling cores in BIOS/UEFI does not reduce the licensing requirement.

Dedicated environment –  is infrastructure intended exclusively for a single customer (e.g., a single physical server). In this case, all virtual machines hosted on such hardware must belong to a single customer.

Production environment  – is defined as a physical OSE that runs a production workload or accesses production data, or any physical OSE that hosts at least one virtual OSE that runs a production workload or accesses production data.

Shared environment – is server infrastructure (e.g., a host) on which resources (e.g., virtual machines) intended for various customers are maintained.

VM – a virtual machine.

Version –  refers to a specific release of software identified by a number (e.g., 2025 or 11), which indicates the product’s development stage and the scope of changes between successive updates.

2.1 Right to Downgrade Software​

As a general rule, under the SPLA model, the end customer has the right to install a version of the product that is lower than the one covered by the license held. For Windows Server and SQL Server products, lower editions of these systems may also be used.

2.2 License Assignment and Reassignment

A license must be assigned to a user or server before the software is used.

Reassignment during the same calendar month is generally not permitted, except in the following cases:

• Permanent hardware failure or loss; or
• Temporary assignment of a SAL due to the user’s absence.

After transferring a license, the software must be removed or access blocked for the previous user or device.

2.3 General Restrictions

Without Microsoft’s consent, the following are prohibited: sharing or subleasing the software with third parties (e.g., leasing a server in the Atman environment and subleasing it to another entity), circumventing technical safeguards, using a single license on more than one OSE, and using Microsoft’s intellectual property in other solutions.

2.4 Multiplexing

Using intermediate layers (hardware or software) to restrict or group operating system environments, users, or devices accessing the product does not reduce the licensing requirement. Account sharing does not eliminate the obligation to hold separate licenses. The licensing requirement depends on the number of users or OSE(s) with direct or indirect access to the product based on actual use rather than the number of accounts.

Example of multiplexing:

• Authorizing accounts shared by multiple users (e.g., reception, security, IT, etc.) to access the product (e.g., Office, Windows Server RDS, etc.) without providing an individual license for each user.

2.5 Bringing Your Own Licenses (BYOL)

In shared cloud environments, BYOL is permitted only for licenses with active Software Assurance or subscription licenses.

For dedicated environments, the customer may bring its own licenses, regardless of whether it has Software Assurance.

As a general rule, SPLA licenses cannot be mixed with licenses from other channels for the same product in the same virtual machine. It is not permitted to partially satisfy the licensing requirement for a given virtual machine (e.g., Microsoft SQL Server) using SPLA licenses while supplementing the missing licenses with the customer’s own licenses.

However, for separate virtual machines created in a dedicated environment, it is permitted to license them with licenses from different channels (e.g., SPLA and Volume Licensing), provided each machine is covered by licenses from only one channel.

2.6 Disaster Recovery (Windows Server and SQL Server)

This solution enables the temporary deployment of backup servers for disaster recovery scenarios, including periodic tests performed every 90 days and actual production server failures. A backup server may also be briefly launched during a failure to ensure a smooth load transfer between the production server and the DR environment. Such a backup server must not be located in the same cluster as the production server to ensure proper separation of environments and compliance with disaster recovery principles.

3.1 Windows Server Licensing

Licenses are assigned to a physical server.

In a physical environment, the total licensing requirement depends on the number of processors and cores of the physical server. Minimum: 8 licenses per processor.

In a virtual environment, the total licensing requirement depends on the number of processor cores. Minimum: 8 licenses per processor.

The Datacenter edition allows you to run an unlimited number of virtual machines (VMs).

The Standard edition allows you to run 1 VM per license; each additional VM requires relicensing of the physical server.

• The total licensing requirement depends on the number of virtual machines hosted during a given calendar month.
• It is permissible to use Hyper-V on a physical server provided the server is used exclusively for hosting and managing virtual machines (VMs).
• Note: When VM migration is enabled, the licensing requirement is calculated as if all VMs were hosted on a single physical server.

Common non-compliance scenarios

• Uncontrolled VM migration with Windows Server Standard licensing.
• Omitting disabled servers when calculating the requirement.
• Failure to account for software installations (e.g., SQL Server, Office, etc.) on the host when calculating the requirement.

3.2 Windows Server RDS SAL Licensing

1 license = authorization for one user to access any number of servers.

Up to two administrators per server can be authorized for administrative tasks only without requiring a license. Each additional administrator for a given server requires an RDS SAL license.

When using Remote Desktop Services or the Server GUI (e.g., application virtualization via Citrix), every user of the solution requires a Windows Server RDS SAL license.

Common non-compliance scenarios

• General access (e.g., Domain Users)
• Maintaining access for archived accounts
• Account sharing and lack of individual licenses for users
• Authorizing more than two administrators

3.3 SQL Server Licensing

Editions

Commercial: Enterprise, Standard, and Web.

Free: Developer and Express.

Licensing models

Per core (Enterprise, Standard, and Web).

User SAL (SQL Standard only).

SQL Server Enterprise, Standard, and Web Licensing

Per-core licenses are assigned to a physical server.

When installing a database directly on a physical server, the total licensing requirement depends on the number of processors and cores on the server.

Minimum: 4 licenses per processor.

Covering a physical host with an SQL Server Enterprise license allows you to run an unlimited number of virtual machines with SQL Server installed on that host.

When installing the database directly on a virtual machine (VM), the total licensing requirement depends on the number of virtual cores (vCPUs) in the VM.

Minimum: 4 licenses per VM.

Automatic VM migration is permitted.

SQL Server Standard licensing – User SAL model

1 license = authorization for one user to access any number of servers.

Access licenses are only required for users authorized to access the software indirectly or directly, regardless of actual usage.

The User SAL model does not include any server licenses.

Explanation (example):

• Direct access – all authorized users and administrators who can perform operations on the SQL Server database require an appropriate SAL license.
• Indirect access – all authorized users who can use a third-party application that uses SQL Server as a database require an individual access license.

Example: accountants authorized to access an invoicing application that uses an SQL Server database and is billed under the SAL model require a license.

SQL Server components and edition dependencies

Functional scope of editions:

• Enterprise and Developer, Developer Enterprise (from version 2025) include the full range of features, such as Master Data Services, Machine Learning Services, and Data Quality Services. These editions also include all features available in lower editions.
• Standard, Developer Standard (from version 2025) include Analysis Services, Integration Services, Azure Connected Services, and features from lower editions.
• Web and Express include only the Database Engine, Reporting Services (up to version 2022), and Power BI Report Server (for all editions except the Express edition, starting with version 2025).

Installing a component not available in a given edition requires a license for a higher edition.

Example: installing Integration Services on an Express edition instance requires a SQL Server Standard license, etc.

SQL Server Web

The sotfware is permitted exclusively for supporting publicly accessible web services and applications.

It may not be used to support internal systems (e.g., ERP, CRM), or other operational solutions of the entity (e.g., a SQL Server Web database supporting SaaS solutions).

SQL Server Developer

Use of SQL Server Developer is permitted exclusively in non-production environments.

It is intended for designing, testing, demonstrating client software functionality, and UAT testing.

Failover rights – only for the per-core model

They allow for the temporary deployment of backup servers.

One OSE can be used on any server for any purpose (e.g., high availability), and one OSE can be used for disaster recovery (DR) purposes.

Backup servers must not provide database data to users or devices.

Backup servers cannot have more cores than production servers.

Common non-compliance cases

• Omitting indirect access when licensing under the User SAL model.
• Installing Standard or Enterprise edition services on Express or Web instances.
• Using SQL Server Web for non-public SaaS solutions.
• Incorrectly assuming that limiting the number of cores assigned to an instance reduces the licensing requirement.
• Widespread user access to a SQL Server Standard instance licensed under the SAL model.
• Using the Developer edition in a production environment.

3.4 Office Licensing (User SAL)

1 license = authorization for one user to access any number of servers. Only user access licenses are required for users who access (directly or indirectly) the software. The User SAL model does not include any server licenses. Individual components (e.g., Word, Excel, etc.) are available as separate SALs.

When software is made available via RDS, all users must be assigned a Windows Server RDS SAL. There is no right to downgrade; for example, an access license for Office Professional Plus does not cover access to an Office Standard installation.

3.5 Exchange Server Licensing (User SAL)

1 license = authorization for one user to access any number of servers.

Access licenses are only required for users who access the software directly or indirectly.

The User SAL model does not include any server licenses.

External users are licensed under the same terms as internal users.

SAL access license levels

• Basic – basic access.
• Standard – access to features such as: MAPI, sharing, OWA, mobile synchronization, multi-domain support per user, etc.
• Enterprise – access to features such as central and local archives, enhanced information protection, journal decryption, and multi-mailbox search.

Detailed breakdown of features by edition:
Licencjonowanie programu Microsoft Exchange Server w SPUR