visual studio subscriptions does not sell sql enterprise keys. you will need to buy a key from the Microsoft Store or other vendor. see this page for retail pricing:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/sql-server/sql-server-2017#pricing
Upgrade SQL Server 2017 from Evaluation to Enterprise
![](data:image/svg+xml, %3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' height='64' class='font-weight-bold' style='font: 600 30.11764705882353px "SegoeUI", Arial' width='64'%3E%3Ccircle fill='hsl(115.19999999999999, 18%, 21%)' cx='32' cy='32' r='32' /%3E%3Ctext x='50%25' y='55%25' dominant-baseline='middle' text-anchor='middle' fill='%23FFF' %3EHM%3C/text%3E%3C/svg%3E)
HUANG, MIKE (CTR)
0
Reputation points
We installed a SQL Server 2017 Evaluation version, and all are running well. Now we need to upgrade it to Enterprise version. However, the agency enterprise download does not have a product key.
So, the question is: Where can I obtain the product key or how can I upgrade the evaluation version if there is no product key?
Thanks
Michael
SQL Server Database Engine
2 answers
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![](data:image/svg+xml, %3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' height='64' class='font-weight-bold' style='font: 600 30.11764705882353px "SegoeUI", Arial' width='64'%3E%3Ccircle fill='hsl(211.20000000000002, 61%, 30%)' cx='32' cy='32' r='32' /%3E%3Ctext x='50%25' y='55%25' dominant-baseline='middle' text-anchor='middle' fill='%23FFF' %3EBS%3C/text%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Bruce (SqlWork.com) 81,616 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator2025-11-04T16:40:24.5966667+00:00 -
Erland Sommarskog 128K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator2025-11-04T22:22:10.5033333+00:00 As I recall, the media from Visual Studio subscription are pre-pidded, so you don't need a key for the installation.
However, my recollection tells me that most software you get from Visual Studio subscriptions is not licensed for production, so you still need to buy a license, or else you will be in trouble if you are license-audited. (And this is where you will start to think twice if you really want Enterprise. The price tag is very stiff.)