Is Software Assurance required for PBIRS?

[cyclist007]

From what I understand Power BI Report Report Server comes free with SQL Server Enterprise edition. Is Software Assurance also required along with the Enterprise edition ... or is it just a good to have so you can get updates to the Power BI Report Server (that is expected to get multiple updates a year)?

Can one have Power BI Report server at no additional cost if they have a license of SQL Server Enterprise WITHOUT Software Assurance?

Thanks. Any additional details/links shared on this topic would be useful.

[Anonymous · Accepted solution]

Here's an extract from the licensing terms:

4.6 Use of Power BI Report Server – SQL Server Enterprise Edition

Customer may run Power BI Report Server software on the Licensed Server. Customer may run the software on a maximum numbers of cores equal to the number of SQL Server Enterprise Edition Core Licenses with active SA assigned to that Server, subject to a minimum of four cores per OSE. Use is additionally subject to the applicable terms of Customer’s volume license agreement. A Power BI Pro User SL is required to publish shared Power BI reports using the Power BI Report Server. This right expires upon expiration of Customer’s SA coverage. 

The term was taken from the Volume Licensing Product Terms (official Microsoft document). You can download a copy here:

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/licensing/product-licensing/products.aspx

Download the doc and search for section 4.6.

Hope this helps.

[SQlHA]

Hi there,  I undestand SA is required.   We have SQL Ent with SA for 16 core so we installed SQL on 2 servers each 8 core.  So we are good on SQL.   I understand we have the right to download Power BI and install but question is if we can install this on a separate server where I have not installed SQL server and that has 8 cores.  Are we forced to to install the PowerBI report server on  the above 2 servers only (where we installed SQL servers)?   

[Yakov]

My English isnt that good,

does this mean that you do need SA to use Report Server with SQL Server 2016 Enterprise?

[cyclist007]

Yes SA (Software assurance) is required for Power BI Report server

[cyclist007]

Thanks @Anonymous

[Greg_Deckler]

I believe that SA is required. See this post:

https://community.powerbi.com/t5/Report-Server/Power-BI-Report-Server-Licensing/td-p/204582

[cyclist007]

Yeah but its unclear why would software assurance be required to just buy a software (at least to do a one-time install)?