Hi,

Let's say I have 50 users that will connect to MS-SQL server with the ES, how many MS-SQL user licenses will I need to have?

Edhy Rijo

According to the SQL Server documentation, you would still need 50 licences, because each device that uses "data" from the SQL Server needs a license.  So, the ES won't officially buy you anything on the licensing, just the connection load to the server.

Hi Ben,

What about "un-officially"?

This is where I then get confuse, since the client applications are not accessing the SQL server directly and the ES is the one with the connection to the server, then it looks to me that technically only one connection is made to the database by the ES.

Edhy Rijo

Yes, technically, only one device is connecting to the SQL Server, but more than that are accessing the data from the SQL Server, so I can't give you an "unofficial" answer, sorry.

Just for anyone's future reference, I stumbled on this today confirming Ben's answer (as if there were any doubt MS would allow such a way to work around licensing royalties)

http://www.microsoft.com/sql/howtobuy/multiplexing.mspx

"Sometimes organizations develop network scenarios that use various forms of hardware and/or software that reduce the number of devices or users that directly access or use the software on a particular server, often called "multiplexing" or "pooling" hardware or software. Use of such multiplexing or pooling hardware and/or software does not reduce the number of client access licenses (CALs) required to access or use SQL Server software. A CAL is required for each distinct device or user to the multiplexing or pooling software or hardware front end. This remains true no matter how many tiers of hardware or software exist between the server running SQL Server and the client devices that ultimately use its data, services, or functionality. "

-- Larry

Yup...that is why our CAL licenses follow the same structure as SQL Server.  It reduces the complications!