SQL Server Edition Feature Comparison

The most well known differences between SQL Express and other editions are the
caps on database size (10GB) and lack of a SQL Agent feature. There are many
other differences though, some of which can be extremely important for some
application and architecture requirements.
Due to the rarity of SQL Server Business Intelligence, SQL Server Web Edition, SQL
Server Datacenter, and other versions, they will not be included in the below
comparisons.
The features included below are selected base on overall popularity and value, and
do not represent every feature of SQL Server nor all of the parity between editions.

Windows Edition Features

 2019
 2017
 2016
 2014
 2012
 2008 R2

Linux Features
Some features of SQL Server, regardless of edition, are unsupported in Linux.

 Linux 2019
 Linux 2017

SQL Server Windows 2019

The complete listing for SQL Server 2019 Express features is available from on
Microsoft Docs' Editions and supported features of SQL Server 2019 .
Express w/
Feature Enterprise Standard Express Advanced
Services
Lesser of 4 Lesser of 1
Max. Compute Capacity Lesser of 1
OS Max. sockets / 24 socket / 4
(per instance) socket / 4 cores
cores cores
Max. Buffer Pool
OS Max. 128GB 1410MB 1410MB
Memory (per instance)
Max. Columnstore Unlimited 32GB 352MB 352MB
 Express w/
Feature Enterprise Standard Express Advanced
Services
Cache Memory (per
instance)
Max. Memory-
Optimized Data Size Unlimited 32GB 352MB 352MB
(per instance)
Max. database size 524PB 524PB 10GB 10GB
Log Shipping Yes Yes No No
Mirroring Yes Yes As Witness As Witness
Backup Compression Yes Yes No No
Database Snapshots Yes Yes Yes Yes
AlwaysOn AG Yes No No No
Basic Availability Groups
Yes Yes (2 nodes) No No

Encrypted Backups Yes Yes No No

Stretch Database Yes Yes Yes Yes
Table/index Partitioning Yes Yes Yes Yes
Buffer Pool Extension Yes Yes No No
Compression Yes Yes Yes Yes
Resource Governor Yes No No No
In-Memory OLTP Yes Yes Yes Yes
Auditing Yes Yes Yes Yes
Fine Grained Auditing Yes Yes Yes Yes
Dynamic Data Masking Yes Yes Yes Yes
Always Encrypted w/
Yes Yes Yes Yes
Secure Enclaves
Transparent Database
Yes Yes No No
Encryption
Contained Databases Yes Yes Yes Yes
Change Tracking Yes Yes Yes Yes
Merge Replication Yes Yes As Subscriber As Subscriber
Transactional
Yes Yes As Subscriber As Subscriber
Replication
Transactional
Yes Yes No No
Replication to Azure
 Express w/
Feature Enterprise Standard Express Advanced
Services
Snapshot Replication Yes Yes As Subscriber As Subscriber
P2P Transactional
Yes No No No
Replication
SQL Server Agent Yes Yes No No
Dedicated Admin
Yes Yes Yes Yes
Connection
PowerShell SMO
Yes Yes Yes Yes
Support
Full Text Search Yes Yes No Yes
CLR Integration Yes Yes Yes Yes
Import/Export Wizard Yes Yes Yes Yes
Database Mail Yes Yes No No
UTF-8 Yes Yes Yes Yes
Java Runtime
Yes Yes Yes Yes
Integration
Polybase Compute
Yes Yes Yes Yes
Node
Master Instance for Big
Yes Yes Yes Yes
Data Cluster
Acceleterated Database
Yes Yes No No
Recovery
Intelligent Database:
Yes No No No
automatic tuning
Intelligent Database:
batch mode for row Yes No No No
store
Intelligent Database:
row mode memory Yes No No No
grant feedback
Intelligent Database:
approximate count Yes Yes Yes Yes
distinct
Intelligent Database: Yes Yes Yes Yes
table variable deferred
 Express w/
Feature Enterprise Standard Express Advanced
Services
compilation
Intelligent Database:
Yes Yes Yes Yes
scalar UDF inlining
Parallel Query
Yes Yes No No
Processing

SQL Server Windows 2017

The complete listing for SQL Server 2017 Express features is available from on
Microsoft Docs' Editions and supported features of SQL Server 2017 .
Express w/
Feature Enterprise Standard Express Advanced
Services
Lesser of 4 Lesser of 1
Max. Compute Lesser of 1
OS Max. sockets / 24 socket / 4
Capacity (per instance) socket / 4 cores
cores cores
Max. Buffer Pool
OS Max. 128GB 1410MB 1410MB
Memory (per instance)
Max. Columnstore
Cache Memory (per Unlimited 32GB 352MB 352MB
instance)
Max. Memory-
Optimized Data Size Unlimited 32GB 352MB 352MB
(per instance)
Max. database size 524PB 524PB 10GB 10GB
Log Shipping Yes Yes No No
Mirroring Yes Yes As Witness As Witness
Backup Compression Yes Yes No No
Database Snapshots Yes Yes Yes Yes
AlwaysOn AG Yes No No No
Basic Availability
Yes Yes (2 nodes) No No
Groups
Encrypted Backups Yes Yes No No
Table/index
Yes Yes Yes Yes
Partitioning
 Express w/
Feature Enterprise Standard Express Advanced
Services
Buffer Pool Extension Yes Yes No No
Compression Yes Yes Yes Yes
Resource Governor Yes No No No
In-Memory OLTP Yes Yes Yes Yes
Auditing Yes Yes Yes Yes
Fine Grained Auditing Yes Yes Yes Yes
Dynamic Data Masking Yes Yes Yes Yes
Always Encrypted Yes Yes Yes Yes
Contained Databases Yes Yes Yes Yes
Change Tracking Yes Yes Yes Yes
Merge Replication Yes Yes As Subscriber As Subscriber
Transactional
Yes Yes As Subscriber As Subscriber
Replication
Transactional
Yes Yes No No
Replication to Azure
Snapshot Replication Yes Yes As Subscriber As Subscriber
P2P Transactional
Yes No No No
Replication
SQL Server Agent Yes Yes No No
Dedicated Admin
Yes Yes Yes Yes
Connection
PowerShell SMO
Yes Yes Yes Yes
Support
Full Text Search Yes Yes No Yes
CLR Integration Yes Yes Yes Yes
Import/Export Wizard Yes Yes Yes Yes
Database Mail Yes Yes No No
Parallel Query
Yes Yes No No
Processing
SQL Server Windows 2016
The complete listing for SQL Server 2016 Express features is available from on
Microsoft Docs' Editions and supported features of SQL Server 2016 .
 Express w/
Feature Enterprise Standard Express Advanced
Services
Lesser of 4 Lesser of 1
Max. Compute Lesser of 1
OS Max. sockets / 24 socket / 4
Capacity (per instance) socket / 4 cores
cores cores
Max. Buffer Pool
OS Max. 128GB 1410MB 1410MB
Memory (per instance)
Max. Columnstore
Cache Memory (per Unlimited 32GB 352MB 352MB
instance)
Max. Memory-
Optimized Data Size Unlimited 32GB 352MB 352MB
(per instance)
Max. database size 524PB 524PB 10GB 10GB
Log Shipping Yes Yes No No
Mirroring Yes Yes As Witness As Witness
Backup Compression Yes Yes No No
Database Snapshots Yes No No No
AlwaysOn AG Yes No No No
Basic Availability
Yes Yes (2 nodes) No No
Groups
Encrypted Backups Yes Yes No No
Table/index
Yes Yes (SP1+) Yes (SP1+) Yes (SP1+)
Partitioning
Compression Yes Yes (SP1+) Yes (SP1+) Yes (SP1+)
Resource Governor Yes No No No
In-Memory OLTP Yes Yes (SP1+) Yes (SP1+) Yes (SP1+)
Auditing Yes Yes Yes Yes
Fine Grained Auditing Yes Yes (SP1+) Yes (SP1+) Yes (SP1+)
Contained Databases Yes Yes Yes Yes
Change Tracking Yes Yes Yes Yes
Merge Replication Yes Yes As Subscriber As Subscriber
Transactional
Yes Yes As Subscriber As Subscriber
Replication
Snapshot Replication Yes Yes As Subscriber As Subscriber
P2P Transactional Yes No No No
 Express w/
Feature Enterprise Standard Express Advanced
Services
Replication
SQL Server Agent Yes Yes No No
Dedicated Admin
Yes Yes Yes Yes
Connection
PowerShell SMO
Yes Yes Yes Yes
Support
Full Text Search Yes Yes No Yes
CLR Integration Yes Yes Yes Yes
Import/Export Wizard Yes Yes Yes Yes
Database Mail Yes Yes No No
Parallel Query
Yes Yes No No
Processing
SQL Server Windows 2014
The complete listing for SQL Server 2014 Express is available from on MSDN 's
Features Supported by the Editions of SQL Server 2014 .
Express w/
Feature Enterprise Standard Express Advanced
Services
Max. Compute Lesser of 4
Lesser of 1 Lesser of 1
Capacity (per OS Max. sockets / 16
socket / 4 cores socket / 4 cores
instance) cores
Max. Memory (per
OS Max. 128GB 1GB 1GB
instance)
Max. database size 524PB 524PB 10GB 10GB
Log Shipping Yes Yes No No
Mirroring Yes Yes As Witness As Witness
Backup Compression Yes Yes No No
Database Snapshots Yes No No No
Basic AlwaysOn Yes Yes No No
Encrypted Backups Yes Yes No No
No. of Instances per
50 50 50 50
Server
Table/index
Yes No No No
Partitioning
 Express w/
Feature Enterprise Standard Express Advanced
Services
Compression Yes No No No
Resource Governor Yes No No No
In-Memory OLTP Yes No No No
Auditing Yes Yes Yes Yes
Contained Databases Yes Yes Yes Yes
Change Tracking Yes Yes Yes Yes
Merge Replication Yes Yes As Subscriber As Subscriber
Transactional
Yes Yes As Subscriber As Subscriber
Replication
Snapshot Replication Yes Yes As Subscriber As Subscriber
P2P Transactional
Yes No No No
Replication
SQL Server Agent Yes Yes No No
Dedicated Admin
Yes Yes Yes Yes
Connection
PowerShell SMO
Yes Yes Yes Yes
Support
Full Text Search Yes Yes No Yes
CLR Integration Yes Yes Yes Yes
Import/Export
Yes Yes Yes Yes
Wizard
Database Mail Yes Yes No No
Parallel Query
Yes Yes No No
Processing
SQL Server Windows 2012
The complete listing for SQL Server 2012 Express is available from on MSDN 's
Features Supported by the Editions of SQL Server 2012 .
Express w/
Feature Enterprise Standard Express Advanced
Services
Max. Compute Lesser of 4
Lesser of 1 Lesser of 1
Capacity (per OS Max. sockets / 16
socket / 4 cores socket / 4 cores
instance) cores
Max. Memory (per OS Max. 64GB 1GB 1GB
 Express w/
Feature Enterprise Standard Express Advanced
Services
instance)
Max. database size 524PB 524PB 10GB 10GB
Log Shipping Yes Yes No No
Mirroring Yes Yes As Witness As Witness
Backup Compression Yes Yes No No
Database Snapshots Yes No No No
AlwaysOn Yes No No No
Encrypted Backups No No No No
No. of Instances per
50 50 50 50
Server
Table/index
Yes No No No
Partitioning
Compression Yes No No No
Resource Governor Yes No No No
In-Memory OLTP No No No No
Basic Auditing Yes Yes Yes Yes
Fine Grained
Yes No No No
Auditing
Contained Databases Yes Yes Yes Yes
Backup Encryption No No No No
Change Tracking Yes Yes Yes Yes
Merge Replication Yes Yes As Subscriber As Subscriber
Transactional
Yes Yes As Subscriber As Subscriber
Replication
Snapshot Replication Yes Yes As Subscriber As Subscriber
P2P Transactional
Yes No No No
Replication
SQL Server Agent Yes Yes No No
Dedicated Admin
Yes Yes Yes Yes
Connection
PowerShell SMO
Yes Yes Yes Yes
Support
CLR Integration Yes Yes Yes Yes
 Express w/
Feature Enterprise Standard Express Advanced
Services
Import/Export
Yes Yes Yes Yes
Wizard
Database Mail Yes Yes No No
Parallel Query
Yes Yes No No
Processing
SQL Server Windows 2008 R2
The complete listing for SQL Server 2008 R2 Express is available from on MSDN 's
Features Supported by the Editions of SQL Server 2008 R2 .
Express w/
Feature Enterprise Standard Express
Advanced Services
Max. Compute Capacity
8 4 1 1
(per instance)
Max. Memory (per
2TB 64GB 1GB 1GB
instance)
Max. database size 524PB 524PB 10GB 10GB
Log Shipping Yes Yes No No
Mirroring Yes Yes As Witness As Witness
Backup Compression Yes Yes No No
Database Snapshots Yes No No No
AlwaysOn No No No No
Encrypted Backups No No No No
Table/index Partitioning Yes No No No
Compression Yes No No No
Resource Governor Yes No No No
In-Memory OLTP No No No No
Basic Auditing Yes Yes Yes Yes
Fine Grained Auditing Yes No No No
Contained Databases No No No No
Backup Encryption No No No No
Change Tracking Yes Yes Yes Yes
As
Merge Replication Yes Yes As Subscriber
Subscriber
Transactional Replication Yes Yes As As Subscriber
 Express w/
Feature Enterprise Standard Express
Advanced Services
Subscriber
As
Snapshot Replication Yes Yes As Subscriber
Subscriber
P2P Transactional
Yes No No No
Replication
SQL Server Agent Yes Yes No No
Dedicated Admin
Yes Yes Yes Yes
Connection
PowerShell SMO Support Yes Yes Yes Yes
CLR Integration Yes Yes Yes Yes
Import/Export Wizard No No No No
Database Mail Yes Yes No No
Parallel Query Processing
Yes Yes No No

SQL Server Linux 2019

Category Feature Supported
Database engine Merge replication No
Database engine Stretch DB No
Database engine Polybase Yes
Database engine Distributed query with 3rd-party connections No
Database engine Linked Servers No
Database engine System extended stored procedures No
Database engine Filetable, FILESTREAM No
CLR assemblies with the EXTERNAL_ACCESS or
Database engine No
UNSAFE permission set
Database engine Buffer Pool Extension No
Subsystems: CmdExec, PowerShell, Queue
SQL Server Agent No
Reader, SSIS, SSAS, SSRS
SQL Server Agent Alerts No
SQL Server Agent Log Reader Agent Yes
SQL Server Agent Managed Backup No
High Availability Database Mirroring No
Security Extensible Key Management No
Security AD Authentication for Linked Servers No
 Category Feature Supported
Security AD Authentication for Availability Groups No
Services SQL Server Browser No
Services SQL Server R services No
Services StreamInsight No
Services Analysis Services No
Services Reporting Services No
Services Data Quality Services No
Services Master Data Services No
Parallel Query
Yes Yes
Processing
SQL Server Linux 2017
Category Feature Supported
Database engine Merge replication No
Database engine Stretch DB No
Database engine Polybase No
Database engine Distributed query with 3rd-party connections No
Database engine Linked Servers No
Database engine System extended stored procedures No
Database engine Filetable, FILESTREAM No
CLR assemblies with the EXTERNAL_ACCESS or
Database engine No
UNSAFE permission set
Database engine Buffer Pool Extension No
Subsystems: CmdExec, PowerShell, Queue
SQL Server Agent No
Reader, SSIS, SSAS, SSRS
SQL Server Agent Alerts No
SQL Server Agent Log Reader Agent No
SQL Server Agent Managed Backup No
High Availability Database Mirroring No
Security Extensible Key Management No
Security AD Authentication for Linked Servers No
Security AD Authentication for Availability Groups No
Services SQL Server Browser No
Services SQL Server R services No
Services StreamInsight No
 Category Feature Supported
Services Analysis Services No
Services Reporting Services No
Services Data Quality Services No
Services Master Data Services No
Parallel Query
Processing