Applies to: SQL Server 2022 (16.x)
Choosing the right edition of SQL Server is crucial for any organization or individual looking to leverage its powerful database capabilities. SQL Server 2022 comes in various editions, each tailored to meet specific needs, from small-scale applications to mission-critical enterprise workloads. This article delves into the features supported by each SQL Server 2022 edition, with a particular focus on Sql Server Express 2022, a robust and free entry point into the SQL Server ecosystem.
Understanding the distinctions between editions is key to optimizing performance, managing costs, and ensuring you have the necessary features for your projects. Whether you’re a developer, a small business owner, or part of a large corporation, SQL Server 2022 offers an edition to match your requirements.
For those exploring other versions of SQL Server, or Azure SQL options, refer to the following resources:
For users interested in cloud-based solutions, explore the Features comparison: Azure SQL Database and Azure SQL Managed Instance.
Installation requirements are diverse, adapting to the wide range of application needs. The different SQL Server editions are designed to accommodate varying performance demands, runtime environments, and budget considerations for organizations and individuals alike. The specific SQL Server components you choose to install will also depend on your unique needs. The following sections aim to guide you through the selection process, helping you make the most informed decision when choosing between the available SQL Server editions and components.
Stay up-to-date with the latest enhancements and updates by reviewing the release notes and “what’s new” information:
Ready to get started with SQL Server? Download SQL Server 2022 from the Evaluation Center and explore the edition that best suits you, including the free SQL Server Express 2022.
Note
Microsoft Entra ID is the new name for what was previously known as Azure Active Directory (Azure AD).
SQL Server 2022 Editions Explained
SQL Server 2022 offers a range of editions, each designed for different workloads and organizational sizes. Here’s a breakdown of each edition:
| Edition | Definition |
|---|---|
| Enterprise | As the premium offering, SQL Server Enterprise edition provides comprehensive, high-end datacenter capabilities. It delivers exceptional performance, unlimited virtualization capabilities for optimized resource utilization1, and complete end-to-end business intelligence tools. This edition ensures high service levels for mission-critical workloads and empowers end-users with access to deep data insights. The Enterprise edition is available for evaluation, providing a full-featured deployment experience for 180 days. For detailed licensing information, consult the SQL Server Licensing Resources and Documents. |
| Standard | SQL Server Standard edition offers a robust data management and business intelligence database solution, perfectly suited for departments and smaller organizations. It enables them to run their applications efficiently and supports popular development tools for both on-premises and cloud environments. Standard edition facilitates effective database management while minimizing the need for extensive IT resources. |
| Web | SQL Server Web edition is designed as a cost-effective solution for Web hosters and Web Vertical Application Providers (VAPs), including those utilizing Web edition on IaaS in Azure. It provides the necessary scalability, affordability, and manageability to support web properties ranging from small websites to large-scale web applications. |
| Developer | SQL Server Developer edition is a fully featured edition that allows developers to build and test any type of application on the SQL Server platform. It encompasses all the functionality of the Enterprise edition but is specifically licensed for development and testing purposes, not for production environments. SQL Server Developer is an ideal, cost-effective choice for individuals and teams involved in application development and testing. |
| Express edition | SQL Server Express edition stands out as the entry-level, free database offering from Microsoft. It is an excellent starting point for learning database management and for building desktop and small server data-driven applications. SQL Server Express 2022 is particularly well-suited for independent software vendors (ISVs), developers, and hobbyists creating client applications. It provides a solid foundation with essential features, and if your needs grow, SQL Server Express offers a seamless upgrade path to more advanced SQL Server editions. SQL Server Express LocalDB is a lightweight variant of Express edition. It retains all the programmability features of Express but runs in user mode, offering a fast, zero-configuration installation experience with minimal prerequisites. This makes Express LocalDB an exceptionally convenient option for embedded database scenarios and rapid application prototyping. |
1 Unlimited virtualization is exclusive to the Enterprise edition for customers with Software Assurance. Deployments must adhere to the licensing guidelines. Refer to SQL Server Licensing Resources and Documents for comprehensive details.
Selecting Your SQL Server Features
The Feature Selection page within the SQL Server Installation Wizard is your control panel for choosing the components to include in your SQL Server installation. By default, no features are pre-selected, giving you complete customization.
The tables below provide detailed descriptions to help you decide on the feature set that aligns perfectly with your specific requirements.
Core Server Features
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| SQL Server Database Engine | The SQL Server Database Engine is the cornerstone of SQL Server. It includes the core database service responsible for data storage, processing, and security. It also incorporates essential features like replication, full-text search for efficient text-based queries, and tools for managing both relational and XML data. Furthermore, it provides in-database analytics integration, PolyBase integration for accessing diverse data sources, and Machine Learning Services to execute Python and R scripts directly within your relational data environment. |
| Analysis Services | Analysis Services provides a comprehensive suite of tools for building and managing online analytical processing (OLAP) solutions and data mining applications. It enables you to create multidimensional data models for complex data analysis and business intelligence. |
| Reporting Services | Reporting Services offers both server and client components for the complete lifecycle of report creation, management, and deployment. It supports various report types, including tabular, matrix, graphical, and free-form reports. Reporting Services is also designed as an extensible platform, allowing developers to build custom report applications. |
| Integration Services | Integration Services (SSIS) is a powerful platform for data integration and transformation. It includes a set of graphical tools and programmable objects designed for moving, copying, and transforming data between various sources. SSIS also incorporates Data Quality Services (DQS) components, enhancing data cleansing and quality management within your integration workflows. |
| Master Data Services | Master Data Services (MDS) is SQL Server’s solution for master data management. It provides a centralized platform to manage and maintain critical business data. MDS is highly configurable and can be adapted to manage any domain, such as products, customers, or accounts. It offers features like hierarchies for data organization, granular security for access control, transaction support for data integrity, data versioning for tracking changes, and business rules for data validation. Additionally, it includes an Add-in for Excel, empowering users to manage master data directly within a familiar environment. |
| Machine Learning Services (In-Database) | Machine Learning Services (In-Database) enables the creation of distributed and scalable machine learning solutions that leverage enterprise data sources directly within SQL Server. Initially supporting the R language in SQL Server 2016, SQL Server 2022 (16.x) expands its capabilities to include both R and Python, offering greater flexibility for data scientists and machine learning engineers. |
| Data Virtualization with PolyBase | PolyBase allows you to query diverse data types residing in various external data sources directly from within SQL Server. This eliminates the need to physically move data, enabling efficient access and integration of heterogeneous data landscapes. |
| Azure connected services | SQL Server 2022 (16.x) significantly enhances Azure connectivity, offering a suite of Azure-integrated services and features. These include Azure Synapse Link for near real-time analytics, Microsoft Purview access policies for unified data governance, the Azure extension for SQL Server to manage SQL Server instances from Azure, pay-as-you-go billing options for Azure services consumed by SQL Server, and the link feature for seamless integration with Azure SQL Managed Instance. |
Developer and Evaluation Editions: Full Feature Sets
Both the Developer and Evaluation editions of SQL Server provide access to the complete feature set found in the SQL Server Enterprise edition, as detailed in the tables throughout this article. This allows developers and evaluators to explore and utilize the full spectrum of Enterprise-level capabilities.
It’s important to note that the Developer edition continues to support only 1 client for SQL Server Distributed Replay, a feature that has been deprecated in SQL Server 2022 (16.x).
Scale Limits Across SQL Server 2022 Editions
Understanding the scale limits of each edition is essential for choosing the right one for your workload and future growth. Here’s a comparison of the resource limitations for different SQL Server 2022 editions:
| Feature | Enterprise | Standard | Web | ExpresswithAdvancedServices | Express |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum compute capacity used by a single instance – SQL Server Database Engine 1 | Operating system maximum | Limited to lesser of 4 sockets or 24 cores | Limited to lesser of 4 sockets or 16 cores | Limited to lesser of 1 socket or 4 cores | Limited to lesser of 1 socket or 4 cores |
| Maximum compute capacity used by a single instance – Analysis Services or Reporting Services | Operating system maximum | Limited to lesser of 4 sockets or 24 cores | Limited to lesser of 4 sockets or 16 cores | Limited to lesser of 1 socket or 4 cores | Limited to lesser of 1 socket or 4 cores |
| Maximum memory for buffer pool per instance of SQL Server Database Engine | Operating System Maximum | 128 GB | 64 GB | 1,410 MB | 1,410 MB |
| Maximum memory for Columnstore segment cache per instance of SQL Server Database Engine | Unlimited memory | 32 GB | 16 GB | 352 MB | 352 MB |
| Maximum memory-optimized data size per database in SQL Server Database Engine | Unlimited memory | 32 GB | 16 GB | 352 MB | 352 MB |
| Maximum memory utilized per instance of Analysis Services | Operating System Maximum | 16 GB 2 64 GB 3 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Maximum memory utilized per instance of Reporting Services | Operating System Maximum | 64 GB | 64 GB | 4 GB | N/A |
| Maximum relational database size | 524 PB | 524 PB | 524 PB | 10 GB | 10 GB |
1 Enterprise edition under the Server + Client Access License (CAL) based licensing model (no longer available for new agreements) is capped at a maximum of 20 cores per SQL Server instance. This limitation does not apply under the Core-based Server Licensing model. For more details, see Compute capacity limits by edition of SQL Server.
2 Tabular
3 MOLAP
Azure Connected Services in SQL Server 2022
SQL Server 2022 excels in hybrid cloud scenarios, offering seamless integration with key Azure services: Azure Synapse Analytics, Azure SQL Managed Instance, and Microsoft Purview.
| Feature | Enterprise | Standard | Web | ExpresswithAdvancedServices | Express |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Azure extension for SQL Server | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Azure Synapse Link 1 | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Link feature for SQL Managed Instance 1 | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Failover servers for disaster recovery in Azure | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Microsoft Entra integration | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Microsoft Purview access policies 1 | Yes | Yes | Yes 2 | Yes 2 | Yes 2 |
| Pay-as-you-go billing | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
1 These features are subject to their respective Lifecycle Policies.
2 Configuration is done through the Azure portal.
High Availability (HA) and Disaster Recovery (DR) Features
Ensuring database availability is paramount. SQL Server 2022 provides various features for high availability and disaster recovery across editions:
| Feature | Enterprise | Standard | Web | ExpresswithAdvancedServices | Express |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Server core support 1 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Log shipping | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Database mirroring 7 | Yes | Yes 2 | Yes 3 | Yes 3 | Yes 3 |
| Backup compression | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Database snapshot | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Always On failover cluster instances 4 | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Always On availability groups 5 | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Basic availability groups 6 | No | Yes | No | No | No |
| Contained availability groups | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Distributed availability groups | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Automatic read write connection rerouting | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Online page and file restore | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Online index create and rebuild | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Resumable online index rebuilds | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Resumable online ADD CONSTRAINT | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Online schema change | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Fast recovery | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Accelerated database recovery | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Mirrored backups | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Hot add memory and CPU | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Database recovery advisor | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Encrypted backup | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Backup and restore to S3-compatible object storage over REST API | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Snapshot backup | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Cluster-less availability group 5,6 | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Failover servers for disaster recovery | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Failover servers for high availability | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
1 For details on installing SQL Server on Server Core, see Install SQL Server on Server Core.
2 Full safety only
3 Witness only
4 Enterprise edition supports up to 16 nodes in a failover cluster. Standard edition supports two-node clusters.
5 Enterprise edition supports up to 8 secondary replicas, including 5 synchronous secondary replicas.
6 Standard edition supports basic availability groups, which include two replicas for a single database. More information on basic availability groups can be found at Basic Always On availability groups for a single database.
7 Database mirroring is a deprecated feature and is not recommended for new deployments.
Scalability and Performance Features
SQL Server 2022 is engineered for performance and scalability. Here’s a feature breakdown across editions:
| Feature | Enterprise | Standard | Web | ExpresswithAdvancedServices | Express |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columnstore 1, 2 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Large object binaries in clustered columnstore indexes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Online nonclustered columnstore index rebuild | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| In-Memory Database: In-Memory OLTP 1, 2 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes 3 | Yes |
| In-Memory Database: hybrid buffer pool | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| In-Memory Database: hybrid buffer pool support for direct write | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| In-Memory Database: Memory-optimized TempDB metadata | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| In-Memory Database: persistent memory support | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Stretch Database 4 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-instance support | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 |
| Table and index partitioning 2 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Data compression 2 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Resource governor | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Partitioned table parallelism 2 | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Multiple filestream containers 2 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| NUMA aware and large page memory and buffer array allocation | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Buffer pool extension | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Buffer pool parallel scan | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| I/O resource governance | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Read-ahead | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Advanced scanning | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Delayed durability | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Intelligent Database: approximate count distinct | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Intelligent Database: approximate percentile | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Intelligent Database: automatic tuning | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Intelligent Database: batch mode for row store 1 | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Intelligent Database: cardinality estimate feedback | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Intelligent Database: degree of parallelism feedback | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Intelligent Database: memory grant feedback persistence and percentile | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Intelligent Database: optimized plan forcing | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Intelligent Database: parameter sensitive plan optimization | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Intelligent Database: row mode memory grant feedback | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Intelligent Database: table variable deferred compilation | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Intelligent Database: scalar UDF inlining | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Intelligent Database: Batch mode adaptive joins | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Intelligent Database: Batch mode memory grant feedback | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Intelligent Database: Interleaved execution for multi-statement table valued functions | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Bulk insert improvements | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Advanced Vector Extension (AVX) 512 integration | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Integrated acceleration and offloading (hardware) | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Integrated acceleration and offloading (software) | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| System page latch concurrency enhancements | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
1 In-Memory OLTP data size and Columnstore segment cache are limited by edition as detailed in the Scale Limits section. The degree of parallelism (DOP) for batch mode operations is limited to 2 for SQL Server Standard edition and 1 for SQL Server Web and Express editions. This applies to columnstore indexes on both disk-based and memory-optimized tables.
2 Aggregate Pushdown, String Predicate Pushdown, and SIMD Optimizations are scalability enhancements exclusive to SQL Server Enterprise edition. For more information, see What’s new in columnstore indexes.
3 This feature is not included in the LocalDB installation option of Express.
4 Stretch Database is a deprecated feature and is not recommended for new deployments.
Security Features in SQL Server 2022
Security is a core consideration in SQL Server 2022. Here are the security features available across editions:
| Feature | Enterprise | Standard | Web | ExpresswithAdvancedServices | Express |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Always Encrypted | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Always Encrypted with secure enclaves | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Contained databases | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Database audit | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Data classification and auditing | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Dynamic data masking | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Encryption for backups | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Extensible key management (EKM) | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Ledger for SQL Server | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Microsoft Entra authentication 1 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Row-level security | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Server audit | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Transparent data encryption (TDE) | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| User-defined roles | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
1 Requires SQL Server enabled by Azure Arc.
Replication Features
SQL Server 2022 offers various replication features to distribute and synchronize data:
| Feature | Enterprise | Standard | Web | ExpresswithAdvancedServices | Express |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heterogeneous subscribers | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Merge replication | Yes | Yes | Yes 1 | Yes 1 | Yes 1 |
| Oracle publishing | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Peer to peer transactional replication | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Peer to peer – last write wins – transactional replication | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Snapshot replication | Yes | Yes | Yes 1 | Yes 1 | Yes 1 |
| SQL Server change tracking | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Transactional replication | Yes | Yes | Yes 1 | Yes 1 | Yes 1 |
| Transactional replication to Azure | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Transactional replication updatable subscription | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
1 Subscriber role only.
Management Tools
Efficient management is key to database operations. SQL Server 2022 provides a range of management tools:
| Feature | Enterprise | Standard | Web | ExpresswithAdvancedServices | Express |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SQL Management Objects (SMO) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| SQL Assessment API | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| SQL Vulnerability Assessment | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| SQL Configuration Manager | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| SQLCMD (Command Prompt tool) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| SQL Profiler | Yes | Yes | No 1 | No 1 | No 1 |
| SQL Server Agent | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Microsoft System Center Operations Manager Management Pack | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Database Tuning Advisor (DTA) | Yes | Yes 2 | Yes 2 | No | No |
1 SQL Server Web, SQL Server Express, SQL Server Express with Tools, and SQL Server Express with Advanced Services can be profiled using SQL Server Standard and SQL Server Enterprise editions.
2 Tuning capabilities are limited to Standard edition features.
Note
Distributed Replay is deprecated in SQL Server 2022 (16.x).
Manageability Features
SQL Server 2022 provides features to simplify database manageability:
| Feature | Enterprise | Standard | Web | ExpresswithAdvancedServices | Express |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| User instances | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| LocalDB | No | No | No | Yes | No |
| Dedicated admin connection | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes 1 | Yes 1 |
| SysPrep support 2 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| PowerShell scripting support 3 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Support for data-tier application component operations – extract, deploy, upgrade, delete | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Policy automation (check on schedule and change) | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Performance data collector | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Able to enroll as a managed instance in multi-instance management | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Standard performance reports | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Plan guides and plan freezing for plan guides | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Direct query of indexed views (using NOEXPAND hint) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Direct query SQL Server Analysis Services | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Automatic indexed views maintenance | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Distributed partitioned views | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Parallel index operations | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Automatic use of indexed view by query optimizer | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Parallel consistency check | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| SQL Server Utility Control Point | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Buffer pool extension | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Master instance for big data cluster | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Compatibility certification | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
1 Requires trace flag for dedicated administrator connection in Express editions.
2 For further information, see Considerations for installing SQL Server using SysPrep.
3 On Linux, PowerShell scripts are supported from Windows machines targeting SQL Server on Linux.
Development Tools
SQL Server 2022 offers robust development tools across editions:
| Feature | Enterprise | Standard | Web | ExpresswithAdvancedServices | Express |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Visual Studio integration | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Intellisense (Transact-SQL and MDX) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| MDX edit, debug, and design tools | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
Programmability Features
Extend SQL Server 2022 capabilities with these programmability features:
| Feature | Enterprise | Standard | Web | ExpresswithAdvancedServices | Express |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic R integration 1 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Advanced R integration 2 | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Basic Python integration | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Advanced Python integration | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Machine Learning Server (Standalone) | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Data Virtualization with PolyBase | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| JSON | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Query Store | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Query Store: on by default for new databases | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Query Store: hint support | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Query Store: read-replica support | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Temporal | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Common Language Runtime (CLR) Integration | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Java Language Runtime Integration | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Native XML support | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| XML indexing | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| XML compression | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| MERGE and UPSERT capabilities | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| FILESTREAM support | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| FileTable | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Date and Time datatypes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Time series support | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Internationalization support | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Full-text and semantic search | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Specification of language in query | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Service Broker (messaging) | Yes | Yes | No 3 | No 3 | No 3 |
| Transact-SQL endpoints | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Graph | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| UTF-8 support | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
1 Basic integration is limited to 2 cores and in-memory datasets for R integration.
2 Advanced integration for R can utilize all available cores for parallel processing of datasets of any size, limited only by hardware.
3 Client components only for Service Broker in Web and Express editions.
Integration Services (SSIS)
For a detailed breakdown of SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) features supported across different SQL Server editions, refer to Integration Services features supported by the editions of SQL Server.
Master Data Services (MDS) and Data Quality Services (DQS)
For information on Master Data Services and Data Quality Services features availability in each SQL Server edition, see Master Data Services and Data Quality Services Features Support.
Data Warehouse Features
SQL Server 2022 provides features for data warehousing, with varying availability across editions:
| Feature | Enterprise | Standard | Web | ExpresswithAdvancedServices | Express |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auto-generate staging and data warehouse schema | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Change data capture | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Star join query optimizations | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Parallel query processing on partitioned tables and indexes | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Global batch aggregation | Yes | No | No | No | No |
Analysis Services (SSAS)
For a comprehensive list of Analysis Services features supported by SQL Server editions, consult Analysis Services Features Supported by the editions of SQL Server.
Reporting Services (SSRS)
To understand the availability of Reporting Services features in different SQL Server editions, see SQL Server Reporting Services features supported by editions.
Business Intelligence (BI) Clients
For details on Business Intelligence client features supported by SQL Server editions, refer to Analysis Services Features Supported by the editions of SQL Server or SQL Server Reporting Services features supported by editions.
Spatial and Location Services
SQL Server 2022 includes spatial and location services features:
| Feature | Enterprise | Standard | Web | ExpresswithAdvancedServices | Express |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spatial indexes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Planar and geodetic data types | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Advanced spatial libraries | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Import/export of industry-standard spatial data formats | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Additional Database Services
SQL Server 2022 offers these additional database services:
| Feature | Enterprise | Standard | Web | ExpresswithAdvancedServices | Express |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SQL Server Migration Assistant | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Database mail | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
Conclusion
SQL Server 2022 provides a spectrum of editions to accommodate diverse needs and budgets. From the comprehensive Enterprise edition designed for mission-critical applications to the free and accessible SQL Server Express 2022, there’s an edition for every scenario. SQL Server Express 2022 is a particularly compelling choice for developers, students, and small businesses seeking a powerful yet cost-free database solution. Its limitations in scale are balanced by its zero cost and ease of use, making it an ideal entry point into the SQL Server world. By carefully evaluating your requirements against the features and limitations of each edition, you can select the SQL Server 2022 edition that will best empower your data-driven initiatives.
Related content
Get help
Contribute to SQL documentation
Did you know you can contribute to SQL documentation? By editing SQL content, you not only enhance the documentation for the community but also gain recognition as a contributor.
For details, see Edit Microsoft Learn documentation.
