# Non-production RDS SQL Server using standard or Enterprise Edition instead of Developer Edition Canonical: https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/inefficiencies/non-production-rds-sql-server-using-standard-or-enterprise-edition-instead-of-developer-edition Amazon RDS for SQL Server uses a License Included pricing model where the hourly instance rate bundles Microsoft SQL Server licensing fees on a... By: Balazs Engedi Updated: 2026-09-28 [Cloud Efficiency Hub](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub) # Non-Production RDS SQL Server Using Standard or Enterprise Edition Instead of Developer Edition The short version Amazon RDS for SQL Server uses a License Included pricing model where the hourly instance rate bundles Microsoft SQL Server licensing fees on a per-vCPU basis. [Balazs Engedi](https://www.linkedin.com/in/engedib/) FinOps Specialist @ KPN AWS service [AWS RDS](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/cloud-services/aws-rds) Category [Databases](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/service-category/databases) Reference CER-0322 Type Inefficient Configuration ## Explanation Why the waste happens and who it affects. When non-production workloads - such as development, testing, staging, QA, or UAT environments - run on Standard or Enterprise editions, they incur these per-vCPU licensing charges even though the workloads do not require a production-grade license. SQL Server licensing is a major component of the total RDS instance cost, and this overhead scales directly with the number of virtual CPUs provisioned. Since December 2025, Amazon RDS for SQL Server supports Developer Edition, which includes all Enterprise Edition features but is licensed by Microsoft exclusively for non-production use. Developer Edition instances incur only AWS infrastructure costs with no SQL Server licensing fees. Prior to this capability, customers had no option to use Developer Edition on standard RDS and were forced to pay for Standard or Enterprise licenses even in non-production environments. Organizations with multiple non-production environments running Standard or Enterprise editions now have a significant opportunity to eliminate unnecessary licensing costs by migrating to Developer Edition. Developer Edition on RDS is provisioned through a Custom Engine Version (CEV) approach, which requires a one-time setup per SQL Server version. While this adds initial complexity compared to standard RDS instance creation, the ongoing licensing savings can be substantial - particularly for organizations running several non-production SQL Server instances across development, testing, and staging environments. ## Billing model The pricing dimensions that drive this cost. Amazon RDS for SQL Server billing is based on a License Included model with the following cost dimensions: Per-instance hourly charges Bundling AWS infrastructure costs and Microsoft SQL Server licensing fees into a single rate, billed per-second with a 10-minute minimum following billable status changes SQL Server licensing component Charged on a per-vCPU basis, meaning licensing costs scale directly with the number of virtual CPUs provisioned on the instance Storage, I/O, data transfer, and backup storage Billed separately from compute and licensing Developer Edition instances are charged only for AWS infrastructure - there are no SQL Server licensing fees. Standard and Enterprise editions include per-vCPU licensing charges in the hourly rate. Because the licensing component represents a significant portion of the total RDS SQL Server instance cost, eliminating it for non-production workloads can yield meaningful savings. For current rates by edition and instance class, see the [Amazon RDS for SQL Server Pricing](https://aws.amazon.com/rds/sqlserver/pricing/) page. ## How to detect 6 checks to find it in your estate. - Identify all RDS for SQL Server instances running Standard or Enterprise editions across the organization's accounts and regions - Assess which of these instances serve non-production purposes such as development, testing, staging, QA, or UAT by reviewing environment tags, naming conventions, or consulting application teams - Evaluate the vCPU count provisioned on each non-production instance to understand the scale of per-vCPU licensing charges being incurred - Review whether any non-production instances rely on features or configurations not supported by Developer Edition on RDS, such as read replicas (and Multi-AZ for the SQL Server 2025 Standard Developer edition) - Confirm the instance class families in use, as Developer Edition on RDS currently supports a limited set of instance class generations - Examine whether existing non-production instances are covered by Reserved Instance commitments that may affect the timing or approach of migration ## How to fix 6 ways to remove the waste. - Set up the Custom Engine Version (CEV) for SQL Server Developer Edition by obtaining the SQL Server installation media from Microsoft, uploading it to an S3 bucket, and creating the CEV - this is a one-time setup per SQL Server version and region - Migrate databases from existing Standard or Enterprise edition instances to new Developer Edition instances using native backup-and-restore, as edition downgrades are not supported via snapshot restore - create a new Developer Edition instance, perform native backups of databases on the source instance, and restore them to the target - Update application connection strings to point to the new Developer Edition instance endpoint, or rename the original instance and assign its identifier to the new instance to preserve the endpoint - Validate that all databases, logins, security configurations, and application functionality work correctly on the Developer Edition instance before decommissioning the original - Delete the original Standard or Enterprise edition instance after successful validation to stop incurring licensing charges - Establish a governance process to ensure new non-production RDS SQL Server instances are provisioned with Developer Edition by default, preventing recurrence of unnecessary licensing costs ## Documentation Vendor references for pricing and configuration. - [Working with SQL Server Developer Edition on RDS for SQL Server docs.aws.amazon.com](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonRDS/latest/UserGuide/sqlserver-dev-edition.html) - [Licensing Microsoft SQL Server on Amazon RDS docs.aws.amazon.com](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonRDS/latest/UserGuide/SQLServer.Concepts.General.Licensing.html) - [Amazon RDS for SQL Server Pricing aws.amazon.com](https://aws.amazon.com/rds/sqlserver/pricing/) - [Change the engine edition in RDS for SQL Server repost.aws](https://repost.aws/knowledge-center/rds-sql-server-change-engine-edition) - [New capabilities to optimize costs and improve scalability on Amazon RDS for SQL Server and Oracle aws.amazon.com](https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/aws/amazon-rds-for-oracle-and-rds-for-sql-server-add-new-capabilities-to-enhance-performance-and-optimize-costs/) - [Create a SQL Server Developer Edition instance on Amazon RDS for SQL Server aws.amazon.com](https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/database/create-a-sql-server-developer-edition-instance-on-amazon-rds-for-sql-server/) - [Optimize CPUs for RDS for SQL Server license-included instances docs.aws.amazon.com](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonRDS/latest/UserGuide/SQLServer.Concepts.General.OptimizeCPU.html) - [Compare SQL Server editions - AWS Prescriptive Guidance docs.aws.amazon.com](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/prescriptive-guidance/latest/optimize-costs-microsoft-workloads/sql-server-editions.html) ## Related inefficiencies [Browse the library](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub) - AWS RDS CER-0320 ### [Excess vCPU Licensing Costs on RDS for SQL Server Instances](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/inefficiencies/excess-vcpu-licensing-costs-on-rds-for-sql-server-instances) Amazon RDS for SQL Server uses a License Included pricing model where SQL Server and Windows OS licensing costs are bundled into the per-instance-hour rate - and those licensing costs scale directly with the number of vCPUs on the... Databases - AWS RDS CER-0210 ### [Unnecessary Multi-AZ Configuration for Non-Production RDS Instances](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/inefficiencies/unnecessary-multi-az-configuration-for-non-production-rds-instances) RDS Multi-AZ deployments are designed for production-grade fault tolerance. In non-production environments, a Multi-AZ DB instance deployment roughly doubles the cost of database instances and storage, and a Multi-AZ DB cluster runs three... Databases - AWS RDS CER-0086 ### [Suboptimal RDS Instance Storage Type](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/inefficiencies/suboptimal-rds-instance-storage-type) An RDS instance uses a high-cost storage type such as io1 or io2 but does not require the performance benefits it provides. In many cases, provisioned IOPS are set at or below the free baseline included with gp3 (3,000 IOPS and 125 MiB/s,... Databases --- Source: the public page above. Product screenshots and illustrative interfaces are examples, not live customer data.