


You can compare the various editions here:

SQL Server Developer contains all the features of SQL Server Enterprise Edition, just on different licensing terms. What is the difference between SQL Server Developer SQL Server Web Edition and SQL Server Business Intelligence? I assume that SQL Developer can do everything that SQL Server Business Intelligence and SQL Server Web Edition can do?.This is just the same as if you had download Trial Edition from anywhere. If you choose Evaluation, you are installing a time-limited trial of Enterprise Edition, with different licensing terms. No product key is required for this option, because one is provided for you. If you choose the pre-populated product key, you are installing Developer Edition (not a trial) under the MSDN Subscriber licence terms. During installation, you are presented with a screen like: I assume this means that a 28 day trial is initiated after download? Next to each download it says: "No product key is required".With that said, I can respond to other points in your question: We can't advise on detailed licensing issues, that is something you should read about on the MSDN Subscriptions site, and contact support if necessary. SQL Server 2017 Developer is a full-featured free edition, licensed for use as a development and test database in a non-production environment. You can download SQL Server 2017 Developer Edition for Windows, Linux, and Docker from the Microsoft SQL Server downloads page. SQL Server Developer Edition is a free download starting with SQL Server 2014.
