Manage, Synchronize and Exchange Data

Guide to Editions and Licensing Models

Current Editions

SQL Anywhere has different editions (Edge, advanced) and licensing models (per core, per named user, per device...). Some of them were recently deprecated by SAP, others are still valid. This may create some confusion as to which edition, type of license and capacity is the right fit for a given project.

Below are some definitions to clarify this matter.

Edge Edition

Entry-level version of SQL Anywhere 17.
Per named users or per core licenses (4 or 8 cores only) are available.

Advanced Edition

This is the High-end version of SQL Anywhere 17.
Per named users or per core licenses are available.
Compared to Edge, Advanced supports more OS and provides more features (high availability, production tools). See feature Matrix.

DB & Sync Client

DB & Sync Client is an add-on to per-named user Server licenses (Edge or Advanced).

  • First, you have to purchase per named user licenses
  • Then you can add additional devices with "DB & Sync Client" licenses

Personal Database

In the Editions described above (Edge, Advanced…), the database is running on a server and clients access concurrently this server DB.

A Personal Database license adds the possibility to run an additional database on a client, providing a local storage to the client device:

  • Personal Database may connect, if needed, to a SQL Anywhere Server.
  • If the Personal Database is running on a PC, it's called "Personal Server with Sync non Handheld". It's basically the same software than the SQL Anywhere Server.
  • If the Personal Database is running on a mobile device, it is called "Personal Db/UltraLite with Sync, Handheld". It's a lighter version of the SQL Anywhere designer for a smaller footprint called "UltraLite".
  • All users running a local database on their device need a "Personal Database" license, regardless if they have already purchased per Core or per Named user Server licenses.
  • They can purchase Personal Database licenses at a later time than the Server license.

Licensing Models

Per User or per Core?

Core and Named-users are alternative licensing models in a client/server scenario.
Any SQL Anywhere Server is either:

  • Per named-user, regardless of the number of Cores used
  • Per Core, regardless of the number of users accessing the DB Server

Per CPU or per Core?

  • Before SQL Anywhere 17, licenses were limited to a number of chips (CPUs), if not per named users
  • In 2016, SAP replaced the per-CPU model with per-Cores, by multiples of 4

Per device

It's important to note the difference between "DB & Sync Client" (per device) and per-named user Server (per users).

The SAP literature explains that the DB & Sync Client "allows one (1) device to access the multi-user database server of SAP SQL Anywhere or the SAP SQL Anywhere remote database components (such as the Personal Server with Synchronization or UltraLite with Synchronization)."

Since this license is per device, and the Server is per named users,  the end result is a combination of these 2 types of licenses.

In the example of a server with an existing 5 named-users Edge license:

  • Adding 5 "DB & Sync Client" licenses to this server increases the server capacity to 5 named users + 5 devices.
  • Adding a second Edge license to the same server increases the server capacity to 10 named-users.

Compare features by editions

Discontinued Editions

WorkGroup Edition (obsolete after V16)

Workgroup Edition was the previous name of the "Edge" Edition and was limited to 2 CPUs.
In order to better guide older customers, the name "SAP SQL Anywhere Workgroup, Edge edition" is sometimes used in the SQL Anywhere literature.

Standard Edition (obsolete after V16)

This edition is now obsolete, and was previously positioned between "Workgroup" and "Advanced". Customers could purchase a per-chip (CPU) Standard License, up to 4 Chips.

Features by Editions

Feature Edge Advanced
General
Maximum number of cores 8 Not limited
SQL Anywhere Server
Operating systems1 Windows
Linux
OS X
Windows
Linux
OS X
Solaris
AIXHP-UX IA64
Options
High Availability n/a X
Monitoring Tool - development & testing X X
Monitoring Tool - production deployment n/a X
Read-Only Scale-Out n/a X
In-Memory Runtime n/a X
RSA Security X X
FIPS Security O X
MobiLink Synchronization Server
Operating systems1 Windows
Linux
OS X
Windows
Linux
OS X
Solaris SPARC
AIX
Database & Sync Client
Personal Server (Local DB on Client PC) U U
UltraLite2 (Local DB on Mobile Device) U U

1 Please consult this page for a comprehensive listing of platforms supported for specific SAP SQL Anywhere components
2 Supported platforms for UltraLite can be found at the link in note 1 above.

Legend

  • X - Included feature
  • O - Paid option
  • U - Option included in User License model. Options not included in Core License model but available separately as per device licenses
  • n/a - Option not available in this edition