SQL Server Pricing for Edu cut by almost half
In the past two months Microsoft reduced the cost of SQL by nearly half. For example, a SQL Server Enterprise Single Processor (32- or 64-bit) was $10,619 ERP. Today, the same license is $5,371. A SQL 2005 Standard Server Single Processor was $2,548; today, $1,289. For databases migrated to SQL Server 2005 Enterprise from a competitive platform, an additional 50% discount is offered through June 2007. These price improvements are the best we have seen in a decade with Microsoft. If you are on SQL 2000, deploying a new database, or considering a migration, purchasing this year will insure you the lowest software cost.
More information on upgrading
The price reduction is great, but why upgrade? What value will you gain by upgrading from SQL 2000 to SQL 2005?
https://www.microsoft.com/sql/solutions/upgrade/default.mspx
· High Availability
o Native 32/64 Bit (x86 and Itanium) Support
o Support for up to 64 Processors
o Support for up to 64/128 GB of RAM (RAM limitation is set by the OS)
o Improved Data Mirroring Capabilities
o Supports up to 9 nodes in a cluster
o For more information go to https://www.microsoft.com/sql/technologies/highavailability/default.mspx
· Security
o Built with the Trustworthy Computing model extensive new security features
o Encryption of entire Database
o For more information go to https://www.microsoft.com/sql/technologies/security/security-at-a-glance.mspx
· Manageability
o Integrated Management
o Proactive Health and Performance Monitoring
o Enhanced Performance Tuning
o For more information go to https://www.microsoft.com/sql/technologies/manageability/default.mspx
· Business Intelligence
o Improved Reporting Services
o Improved Data Mining
o Integration with Microsoft Office
o For more information go to https://www.microsoft.com/sql/solutions/bi/default.mspx