Cloud SQL for SQL Server is now the only managed PaaS without BYOL. Anyone running SQL Server on Cloud SQL today?
I keep waiting for the Cloud SQL for SQL Server BYOL announcement and it does not come. On June 2 AWS shipped Bring Your Own Media for RDS for SQL Server, which finally lets customers bring their own license to the managed RDS service instead of paying the License Included tax on top of the Software Assurance they were already paying Microsoft. That closes the structural gap with Azure SQL Managed Instance, which has supported the equivalent path through Azure Hybrid Benefit since 2019.
The practical effect is that Cloud SQL for SQL Server is now the only major managed PaaS in this category where you cannot bring your own SQL Server license. License Included is the only option on the managed surface. BYOL on Google Cloud is available on Compute Engine self-managed through Microsoft License Mobility, which means signing up for the operational lift that AWS RDS BYOM and Azure SQL MI customers no longer have to carry.
The licensing math at Cloud SQL list prices is real. Standard edition runs roughly 0.13 dollars per vCPU-hour on the license premium, Enterprise is closer to 0.47 per vCPU-hour, the 4-core minimum applies even on smaller shapes, and CUDs do not touch the license portion. On any non-trivial Enterprise workload that gap compounds fast. On a highly virtualized Enterprise workload Azure Hybrid Benefit still wins on top of all of this because of the 1-core to 4-vCore General Purpose multiplier that has no AWS or GCP equivalent.
What I want to know from teams actually running SQL Server on Cloud SQL today is what the trade calculation looks like in practice. Migrating off to Compute Engine self-managed BYOL and absorbing the operational lift. Eating the License Included markup because the managed surface is worth the premium. Moving the workload entirely to AWS RDS BYOM or Azure SQL MI for the license parity. Or holding the line because the SQL Server footprint on GCP is small enough that the math does not justify the migration cost. Interested in what is winning the meeting at your shop.