Microsoft SQL Server 2012: A dozen features you might have missed
No longer are enterprise customers confined to one flavor of Enterprise Edition. Microsoft SQL Server Enterprise Edition now gives you two choices. Choose between an Enterprise Edition that has a core-based license or one that has a server/client access license (CAL). CAL licensing requires you to license each client or device, and is a good choice for administrators who know the exact number of devices that will connect to the server. Core-based licensing requires you to license all cores in a physical environment, and is a better option for administrators who don't know the exact number of devices that will be connecting to the server, that have Internet-facing workloads or that have systems that integrate with external-facing workloads