If you have come here by the search engines to get free product key for the SQL Server then you may want to stop right here and search to some other site. The idea of this post is to help those who are downloading (or downloaded) it from MSDN or volume licensing site or already have a installation media.

Below are some frequent questions which I have seen on forums.

• Where can I get a product key from MSDN subscription for SQL Server 2012 edition upgrade?
• How to Find SQL Server product key from an installed instance?
• How to change SQL Server 2008 R2 product key change on production server?

Most of the question would be answered automatically once you understand how setup works.

When you go to “Subscriber Downloads” page search for SQL Server, and we can easily get the software. I have seen various post in the forum stating they they are seeing “No product key is required” as below.

This is very normal. From SQL 2008 onwards (2008 R2, 2012, 2014), the setup media comes with pre-pidded (except Evaluation and Express editions) Whenever we invoke setup.exe from that location, the PID would be picked automatically and filled in the screen. I have mentioned in one of my previous blog that PID would change the edition of SQL getting installed.

I have the media, how to get the PID?

When we run setup.exe from the media, the PID is picked from DefaultSetup.ini file located under Root\X86 or Root\x64 folder. This file is also used to make slipstream media (refer KB http://support.microsoft.com/kb/955392)

The file would look like below

;Configuration File
[Options]
PID="your pid value"

I don’t have that file. What’s wrong?

This would mean that your media is a evaluation media. You need to get full media.

Can I change the product key?

There are various product keys for same edition of SQL. You can use “edition upgrade” and change product key (assuming no edition change)

I have installed Evaluation Edition and want to upgrade to Enterprise Edition / Standard Edition

I have already written a blog on that. Can I Upgrade SQL Edition without reinstall?

Can I get PID for installed version?

The value is stored in registry in obfuscated format and there could be software to convert that. In good world, you may not need to use such software because if you have media, you know how to get product key.