External Connector and SQL Licensing

bbrown

We are working with a customer that intends to use the External Connector with NAV. They run NAV using SQL 2005 Enterprise on a 4 processor server. Microsoft has told us/them that since the External Connector allows unlimited user they must also license SQL for unlimited users. This is ~$140,000 (including Software Assurance) less discount.

No one at MS can provide any official written explanation on the licensing requirements. The responses I've gotten have been more like "we think it's like this". They ask me "how will it connect to SQL", but it's their own product, don't they know.

Has anyone ran into this? I spoke with one of our salepeople. He said NAV Marketing makes no mention of SQL licensing when talking about the external connector. Seems to be a huge disconnect somewhere.

kine

Take it as two application: MS SQL and NAV

MS SQL require unlimited CALs for that or per processor licensing (like when the SQL is used for some WebSite)
NAV require External connector to cover the access to the data

You need to license both in correct way... :whistle:

bbrown

That I understand but not really my issue. I see no discussion of this issue in the NAV marketing. Unlike where they do discuss licensing of SQL in terms of the core database install. What I see is NAV sales people telling customer "we have this neat feature and it's only $5000" without any mention of SQL license requirements.

kine

bbrown wrote:

That I understand but not really my issue. I see no discussion of this issue in the NAV marketing. Unlike where they do discuss licensing of SQL in terms of the core database install. What I see is NAV sales people telling customer "we have this neat feature and it's only $5000" without any mention of SQL license requirements.

That's common problem... I know what you are talking about... 8)

bbrown

This more a situation of frustration then technical. The responses I'm getting from MS seem to be more guesses then concrete answers. When I push for clearer explanations I just get shuffled of to a different department. They don't seem to have an official documented position.

kine

And try to ask them about the NAV Run-Time licensed SQL in connection with this situation...

bbrown

What we are talking about here is using Web Services to access NAV from a web site. The web site has it's own database (Oracle) and does not directly access NAV. All access to NAV is via Web Services.

In prior versions this would be done using NAS. The only user requiring to be licensed for the SQL server would be the NAS user. Why would Web Services change this?

bbrown

kine wrote:

And try to ask them about the NAV Run-Time licensed SQL in connection with this situation...

The runtime license is based on named-users. Not sure you can license for unlimited.

kine

bbrown wrote:

kine wrote:

And try to ask them about the NAV Run-Time licensed SQL in connection with this situation...

The runtime license is based on named-users. Not sure you can license for unlimited.

Yes, it is why it will be much worse if you ask them how to solve this... ;-)