Hello Rebecca

Full disclosure: I'm definitely not a SQL expert, but I have done many upgrades from Advanced to Premium, and the client's that I've worked with had the same goal of extracting data from the SQL database(s), to other applications. I think I can confidently say that these upgrades have been a success. 

I'm not sure what you mean by "SQL Server runtime" and how that ties into the licensing question. The Premium version requires to SQL accounts for the Sage application to work: MAS_User and MAS_Reports. These accounts handle the "translation" of user security and report generation between the application and the databases. The reporting application you want to use can authenticate to Sage by using the MAS_Reports SQL account. Once your connection is established, that shouldn't require a separate license for your 3rd party tool.

I hope that helps.

John

Thank you John!!  I appreciate the response.  The part I find confusing with conflicting information is the SQL licensing that is required.  For instance, it is clear that you can buy and host your own SQL server outside of Sage Premium.  That is fine.  Then you simply contact Sage and get the premium licenses, etc at no cost.  However, if you do NOT have a SQL server standard or enterprise there is reference to a SQL RUNTIME that would be installed when Sage premium is installed.  The question is do we need licensing for the SQL runtime?  There is a reference that the SQL runtime can be managed via SQL studio and is not hindered at all like SQL Express.  It is basically just like the full SQL standard you can buy standalone which leads me to believe that even though Sage gives you the keys to unlock premium at not cost you still need to buy licenses to use the SQL Runtime. 

That is where we are confused. 

I'm not an expert on the licensing, but provided that you purchase your SQL Standard or Enterprise software, then Sage can be installed and activated on the SQL instance that's created when you install SQL server. You should have no problems related to SQL runtime. Every upgrade that I've done has been done in this way. Yes, there are runtime components installed when you install Sage on the server and also on each workstation, but I've never had the client purchase separate runtime licenses. As I said, I'm not a SQL or licensing expert, but this has been my experience. I don't know how many SQL upgrades I've done, but I would say at least 50, and this has never been an issue. Perhaps someone else can comment on this to reassure you.

Thanks, John.  So based on what you are saying Sage is including the SQL Runtime for free along with the premium keys and purchasing SQL Standard is NOT required to upgrade to premium.  As long as data can be extracted from the SQL Runtime database without any issues as far as performance, etc then we should be good to go.  It is just odd to me that Sage does this since a normal SQL standard license can easily cost tens of thousands of dollars for 30+ users.  And Sage is saying that the SQL Runtime is exactly the same as the SQL Standard license with the exception that you can not use it for any other database functions other than Sage.  So this seems like a very good deal.

And Sage does have pricing for SQL on their website.  Perhaps this is there just in case you do want to buy the full separate SQL version to be able to use the SQL database license for other SQL databases outside of Sage.

Very confusing since several docs we have been reading are saying one of the prereqs is to get SQL Standard which is why I am posting here.

Thanks again

Thanks, John.  So based on what you are saying Sage is including the SQL Runtime for free along with the premium keys and purchasing SQL Standard is NOT required to upgrade to premium.  As long as data can be extracted from the SQL Runtime database without any issues as far as performance, etc then we should be good to go.  It is just odd to me that Sage does this since a normal SQL standard license can easily cost tens of thousands of dollars for 30+ users.  And Sage is saying that the SQL Runtime is exactly the same as the SQL Standard license with the exception that you can not use it for any other database functions other than Sage.  So this seems like a very good deal.

And Sage does have pricing for SQL on their website.  Perhaps this is there just in case you do want to buy the full separate SQL version to be able to use the SQL database license for other SQL databases outside of Sage.

Very confusing since several docs we have been reading are saying one of the prereqs is to get SQL Standard which is why I am posting here.

Thanks again

You need SQL licenses for Premium (one per connection, unless you license by core).  What Sage sells for SQL licenses is restricted to Sage 100 use only, and not applicable to cloud hosted servers.

I don't know where you are seeing a reference to SQL Runtime, but you absolutely need SQL preinstalled before installing Sage 100 Premium.  I've installed the version of SQL sold by Sage in the past, and it is not automatic / included.  There is a separate download / install for that, before you can install Premium.

I'd highly suggest you consult with a SQL license expert to review your requirements with them.

Thanks for chiming in Kevin. I've never done an upgrade using the version that Sage sells, which is exclusive to the Sage Premium version. 

Outstanding...Thanks for this information.  Now I understand.  I see links like this below and it was confusing as to whether I need to purchase from Sage or Microsoft.  It appears the Sage SQL Runtime is licensed with the limitation that it is dedicated to Sage which is understandable.

https://s-consult.com/2022/08/12/does-sage-sell-sql-runtime-licenses-for-sage-100-premium/

older: https://www.acutedata.com/pdf/sage-100/Sage-100-Premium-ERP-SQL-Server-Runtime-Edition.pdf

But we are good to go now and thanks. 

I did, once.  The customer failed an IT Audit because they were sold Sage's restricted SQL licenses that were not allowed on a cloud hosted service (which is where their Sage 100 was installed), and they were forced to purchase full SQL licenses at that time.

Yes, the terminology can be confusing.

If you see any reference to only needing two SQL licenses because Sage connects to SQL using the same two utility SQL logins, that is absolutely wrong.  SQL licensing doesn't work that way.

Make sure you consult with a MS SQL licensing expert. 

From a Sage 100 perspective, just make sure the version you use is on the Supported Platform Matrix, and that it is installed in Mixed mode with a collation method of SQL_Latin1_General_CP1_CI_AS.

Thanks Kevin...That is the other thing.  We did do a dry run on this on a test vm and installed it using windows authentication since there was no reference to needing mixed mode.  At least in the docs we were looking at. help-sage100.na.sage.com/.../Install_Premium.htm

And then we had all types of issues such as the tables not being created during the Premium install and "object reference not found" during the SQL test for MAS_USER and MAS_REPORTS (likely due to tables missing).  Anyway, we needed to wipe the VM and will start from scratch. 

Fun times.  Again thanks

Sage has scattered little tidbits of SQL requirements in the various PDF documentation.  You really have to read it all to find everything. That particular detail is in the Install  & Sys Admin guide.

In that same document is reference to the collation, which is a critical detail.  (Most don't notice this, because this is the default value for servers running in US English, but it is potentially disastrous if set incorrectly).

Are you working with your Sage Partner / reseller?

Thanks...You rock...This should be all that is needed. 

At this point we are not working with a reseller / partner.  Again this is a dry run for testing only.  We were part of an acquisition in Arizona and will reach out. 

Again Thanks!