Power BI Report Server licensing with SQL Server 2025 Standard when separating servers

[yejunkim]

Hi,

I have a question regarding Power BI Report Server (PBIRS) licensing with SQL Server 2025 Standard Edition.

In my architecture, I am planning to separate the Report Server and the SQL Server database into two different servers:

- Server A: Power BI Report Server (PBIRS)
- Server B: SQL Server hosting the ReportServer database

My understanding is that SQL Server 2025 Standard Edition includes the rights to use Power BI Report Server.

However, I am not clear about the licensing requirements in a separated server setup.

My questions are:

1. If PBIRS and SQL Server are installed on separate servers, do both servers need to be licensed with SQL Server 2025 Standard (core-based licensing)?
2. Or is it sufficient to license only one server and use PBIRS across both?

I understand that SQL Server uses a core-based licensing model per server, but I could not find clear documentation specifically addressing this scenario.

Any clarification would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

[grazitti_sapna]

Hi @yejunkim ,

Here’s the brief and correct answer:

1. SQL Server Standard does NOT include Power BI Report Server (PBIRS) rights.
2. To use PBIRS, you need either:
   • SQL Server Enterprise + Software Assurance, or
   • Power BI Premium / Fabric capacity

For your setup (2 servers):

• Server B (SQL Server) → must be licensed (Standard or Enterprise)
• Server A (PBIRS) → doesn’t need SQL license, but you must have PBIRS rights (via Enterprise + SA or Premium)

Kindly go through this documentation, Let me know if you need some more information around this.

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[yejunkim]

Thanks for your answer.

However, based on SQL Server 2025 licensing updates, my understanding is that Power BI Report Server is now included with SQL Server Standard Edition as well, without requiring Software Assurance.

Also, according to the documentation, PBIRS can be run on a "licensed server", which suggests that the server running PBIRS itself must be licensed.

Could you clarify:
1. Whether SQL Server 2025 Standard includes PBIRS rights?
2. If PBIRS is installed on a separate server, does that server also need to be licensed?

I want to confirm the correct interpretation based on the latest licensing model.

Thank you.

[grazitti_sapna · Accepted solution]

Hi @yejunkim, 

1. Yes, SQL Server 2025 Standard includes rights to PBIRS, allowing users to run PBIRS without needing Software Assurance.

2. If PBIRS is installed on a separate server, that machine must also be licensed with SQL Server 2025 (Core or Server+CAL) because the PBIRS license is tied to a valid SQL Server 2025 license, Or with Power BI premium license