Microsoft Sql Server 2017 Enterprise !free! — Download

That link usually defaults to the Developer or Express edition.

Use Mixed Mode (SQL Server and Windows Authentication) if you need to set a sa password. Critical Requirements

EXEC sp_configure 'max degree of parallelism', 8; -- Adjust for NUMA EXEC sp_configure 'cost threshold for parallelism', 50; RECONFIGURE;

Because Enterprise is a paid, high-scale version, official downloads are restricted to licensed customers: Volume Licensing Service Center (VLSC):

Enterprise benefits from parallel execution:

For further reading, review Microsoft’s official SQL Server 2017 Documentation and the Enterprise Edition Feature Comparison .

If your organization has purchased a Volume License agreement, this is the only legal way to access the full, production-ready .