Microsoft SQL Server 2025 1 User CAL Perpetual License
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
Microsoft SQL Server 2025 1 User CAL Perpetual Licence (DG7GMGF0VNHV:0002) - Local Support
What a User CAL Actually Grants
Microsoft's Product Terms: a User CAL “allows access to corresponding version of the server software or earlier versions of the server software from any device by one user.”
A User CAL is assigned to a named person, who may then connect from as many devices as they like — desktop, laptop, phone, tablet, home machine. It is the right answer wherever staff use several devices each, or work from more than one place.
A CAL is not a licence to run SQL Server. It is a licence to access a server that has already been licensed under the Server plus CAL model. You need the server licence as well, and we list it.
Choosing Between User and Device CALs
The alternative is the Device CAL, assigned to a machine rather than a person, which any number of people may then use. Device CALs win where several staff share one terminal — shift work, a shop floor, a clinic reception, a warehouse scanner. Where each person has their own devices, User CALs win.
Count your people, not your machines. If you have 40 staff sharing 12 terminals, 12 Device CALs is the cheaper buy. If you have 12 staff using 40 devices between them, 12 User CALs is. You may mix both types in the same environment.
There is no requirement to pick one and stick to it. Mixing is allowed and usually cheapest: Device CALs for the shared terminals, User CALs for the mobile staff.
Indirect Access Still Needs a CAL — the Multiplexing Rule
Microsoft's licensing guidance is explicit: “CALs are required even when the server is accessed indirectly. Additionally, all devices accessing SQL Server require a CAL, even if they are not attended to by a human.”
Putting a web front end, a reporting portal or a middle-tier application server between your users and the database does not reduce the number of CALs you need. Nor does an unattended machine escape the rule — sensors, scanners, kiosks and production-line equipment all need CALs if they reach the database.
If counting your users or devices is turning out to be impossible — a public-facing application, say — that is the signal to move to per-core licensing instead, which needs no CALs at all. Ask us to cost both.
Version Rules, and Buying Through SourceIT
A CAL reaches its own version of SQL Server or earlier. A SQL Server 2025 CAL can access a 2025, 2022 or 2019 server; a SQL Server 2022 CAL cannot access a 2025 server. If you are upgrading the server, the CALs must be upgraded with it.
Microsoft's published open no-level estimated retail price for a SQL Server 2025 CAL is US$230, captured on 8 September 2026. Microsoft's pricing datasheet lists a single CAL line and does not publish different User and Device CAL list prices, so neither do we. We quote in Singapore dollars with a GST invoice.
This is a licence, not hardware, so it carries no hardware warranty. Supplied by SourceIT in Singapore with a GST invoice and local support. For a written quotation, current stock position or delivery lead time, contact our team.
Licensing note. A CAL is not a licence to run SQL Server. It grants a named person, from any number of devices, the right to access a server that has already been licensed under the Server plus CAL model, and the server licence is sold separately. Microsoft requires a CAL even for indirect access through a web or application tier, and even for unattended devices — a middle tier does not reduce the count. A CAL reaches its own version or earlier, so a SQL Server 2022 CAL cannot access a 2025 server. Server plus CAL is available on Standard edition only. Microsoft publishes a single CAL list price of US$230 and does not publish different User and Device CAL prices, so we quote none. This is a licence, not hardware, so it carries no hardware warranty.
Microsoft SQL Server 2025 User CAL Datasheet — Licensing and Specifications
Licence
| Product name | Microsoft SQL Server 2025 User Client Access Licence |
| Part number (SourceIT) | DG7GMGF0VNHV:0002 |
| Quantity | 1 CAL |
| Licence type | Perpetual — a one-time purchase, no Software Assurance included |
| What it grants | a User CAL “allows access to corresponding version of the server software or earlier versions of the server software from any device by one user.” |
| What it does not grant | The right to run SQL Server. A server licence is required separately |
| Licensing model it belongs to | Server plus CAL, which Microsoft offers on Standard edition only |
| Version rule | Grants access to the corresponding version or earlier. A 2025 CAL reaches a 2025, 2022 or 2019 server; an older CAL does not reach a 2025 server |
| Indirect access | Still requires a CAL. Microsoft: “CALs are required even when the server is accessed indirectly” |
| Unattended devices | Still require a CAL. Microsoft: “even if they are not attended to by a human” |
| Microsoft published list price | US$230 — open no-level estimated retail, captured 8 September 2026 |
| Local support (Singapore) | Supplied by SourceIT with local support and a GST invoice |
User CAL versus Device CAL, as Microsoft Defines Them
| User CAL | “Allows access to corresponding version of the server software or earlier versions of the server software from any device by one user” — one person, unlimited devices |
| Device CAL | “Allows access to corresponding versions of the server software or earlier versions of the server software from one device by any user” — one machine, unlimited people |
| Choose User CALs when | Staff each use several devices, or work from more than one location |
| Choose Device CALs when | Several people share one machine — shift work, shared terminals, point of sale, shop floor |
| Mixing | Permitted. Most estates end up with a mix |
| List price difference | None published. Microsoft's pricing datasheet carries a single CAL line at US$230 |
What Microsoft Does Not Publish for This SKU
Microsoft publishes no separate User and Device CAL list prices, no Singapore-dollar CAL price, and no CAL count guidance specific to any deployment. We size CAL counts with you against your own user and device numbers rather than printing a rule of thumb.
The Multiplexing Rule and How to Count Your CALs
Microsoft's licensing guidance: “CALs are required even when the server is accessed indirectly. Additionally, all devices accessing SQL Server require a CAL, even if they are not attended to by a human.”
This is the rule that most often turns a cheap-looking SQL Server order into a compliance problem. Three worked shapes:
| A web application over the database | Every end user of the web application needs a CAL, or every device they use does. The web server is not “the one user” |
| A reporting portal | Same. The people reading the reports are accessing SQL Server indirectly and need CALs |
| Unattended equipment | Scanners, sensors, kiosks and production-line machines that reach the database need CALs of their own |
| When to stop counting | If the user or device population is large, unknown or external, switch to per-core licensing, which requires no CALs |
The Alternative: Per-Core Licensing
Under the per-core model Microsoft states that “unlimited users and devices can access SQL Server… without Client Access Licenses (CALs)”. Core licences are sold in two-core packs with a minimum of four per physical processor. We list Standard and Enterprise two-core packs in both perpetual and annual subscription form, and we will cost both models against your numbers.
Lifecycle, Version Compatibility and Support Dates
SQL Server 2025 reached general availability on 18 November 2025 under Microsoft's Fixed Lifecycle Policy. A 2025 CAL is the current CAL and reaches every earlier server version still in support.
| Release (general availability) | 18 November 2025 |
| Lifecycle policy | Fixed Lifecycle Policy |
| Mainstream end date | 7 January 2031 |
| Extended end date | 7 January 2036 |
| Dates published in | Pacific Time, per Microsoft's lifecycle database |
| Applies to | All editions on Windows and on Linux |
Which Servers This CAL Reaches
| SQL Server 2025 | Yes — the corresponding version |
| SQL Server 2022 | Yes — an earlier version. Mainstream ends 12 January 2028, extended 12 January 2033 |
| SQL Server 2019 | Yes — an earlier version. Mainstream ended 1 March 2025; extended runs to 9 January 2030 |
| SQL Server 2017 | Yes, but extended support ends 13 October 2027 |
| SQL Server 2016 | Yes, but extended support ended 15 July 2026 — out of support. Microsoft's Extended Security Updates FAQ renders the same date as 14 July 2026; we publish the lifecycle page figure and name the discrepancy |
| The rule in reverse | An older CAL does not reach a newer server. A 2022 CAL cannot access a 2025 server |
Support and Warranty Position
A software licence carries no hardware warranty. SourceIT supplies this licence with local Singapore support and a GST invoice. No warranty term is quoted or implied.
Deployment Notes and What the Server Needs
A CAL is a paper entitlement. There is nothing to install and no key to enter — what it does is make lawful the access that is already technically possible. The system requirements below belong to the server this CAL grants access to, and are published here so you can check the server side of the order.
| Processor architecture | x64 only. Microsoft: “Installation of SQL Server is supported on x64 processors only.” Intel and AMD x86-64 CPUs, up to 64 cores per NUMA node |
| Processor speed | Minimum 1.4 GHz; Microsoft recommends 2.0 GHz or faster |
| Memory | Minimum 1 GB (Express 512 MB). Microsoft recommends at least 4 GB, increased as the database grows |
| Disk space | Minimum 6 GB available, and 6 GB must be free on the system drive even when components are installed elsewhere |
| .NET | SQL Server 2025 requires .NET Framework 4.7.2 |
| Supported Windows | Windows Server 2025, 2022 and 2019 (all editions, including Server Core); Windows 11 or greater; Windows 10 or greater |
| Supported Linux | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.x and 10.x; Ubuntu 22.04 and 24.04; Docker Engine 1.8+ on Linux. File systems XFS or ext4 |
| No longer supported | SUSE Linux Enterprise Server. Microsoft: “Starting with SQL Server 2025 (17.x), SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) is no longer supported.” |
Editions the Server Plus CAL Model Covers
Server plus CAL is available on Standard edition only. There is no Enterprise CAL and no Enterprise server licence — Enterprise is licensed per core. Standard edition is capped at the lesser of four sockets or 32 cores with a 256 GB buffer pool per instance.
Discontinued in SQL Server 2025
Microsoft lists the following as discontinued in SQL Server 2025: Data Quality Services, Master Data Services, Azure Synapse Link, Purview access policies, Web edition, and Express with Advanced Services. Hot add CPU and lightweight pooling (fiber mode) are deprecated. Check any dependency on these before you upgrade.
Official Microsoft Sources & Downloads
- Microsoft Product Terms, SQL Server — the User CAL and Device CAL definitions
- SQL Server 2025 licensing guidance — microsoft.com/licensing, including the indirect-access rule
- Core-based licensing models — microsoft.com/licensing
- Editions and supported features of SQL Server 2025 — Microsoft Learn
- Hardware and software requirements for SQL Server 2025 — Microsoft Learn
- SQL Server 2025 lifecycle — Microsoft Learn
- SQL Server Extended Security Updates FAQ — Microsoft Learn
Supplied by SourceIT in Singapore with a GST invoice and local support. For a written quotation, current stock position or delivery lead time, contact our team.
Frequently Asked Questions — SQL Server 2025 1 User CAL Perpetual Licence
What is the difference between a User CAL and a Device CAL?
A User CAL is assigned to one person who may connect from any number of devices. A Device CAL is assigned to one machine that any number of people may use. Count your people against your machines and buy whichever number is smaller — or mix the two.
Does this CAL let me run SQL Server?
No. A CAL grants access to a server that has already been licensed. You need the server licence as well, which we list separately.
Do I need CALs if I bought core licences?
No. Microsoft states that under the per-core model “unlimited users and devices can access SQL Server… without Client Access Licenses”.
Our users reach the database through a web application. Do they still need CALs?
Yes. Microsoft: “CALs are required even when the server is accessed indirectly.” The web tier does not absorb the requirement.
What about machines with nobody sitting at them?
They still need CALs. Microsoft: “all devices accessing SQL Server require a CAL, even if they are not attended to by a human.”
Can a SQL Server 2022 CAL access a 2025 server?
No. A CAL reaches its own version or earlier, never a newer one. Upgrading the server means upgrading the CALs.
Can I use this with Enterprise edition?
No. Microsoft offers Server plus CAL on Standard edition only.
Is there a warranty?
Not a hardware warranty — this is a software licence. SourceIT provides local Singapore support and a GST invoice.
