Microsoft is working to help its enterprise clients move their data, apps and operations to the cloud – specifically the hybrid cloud.

Specific details regarding the different SQL Server 2016 edition will be released closer to the launch date but we do know that the Developer and the Express Edition will be free. According to Tech Crunch, the Developer edition will “offer all the features of the full enterprise edition – though its license forbids using it for production use cases.” The Express edition “can be used in production, but it can only use up to 1 GB of RAM and the maximum database size is 10 GB.” The Express edition will also be missing some of the advanced features of the Standard and Enterprise editions like the high-end security, data warehousing and business intelligence features.

High-end security, data warehousing, and business intelligence features are relevant for large enterprises, but the fact these are not included in the Developer and Express edition does not make those free versions useless. Far from it, free editions of SQL Server 2016 are perfect for organizations that wish to dip their feet into Microsoft’s SQL Server platform without the cost commitment or the more complicated features, which may be unnecessary for their business right off the bat.

Tech Crunch’s Frederic Lardinois spoke with Microsoft’s senior director of Data Platform marketing, Tiffany Wissner, who said, “pricing for the Enterprise and Standard editions won’t change from what Microsoft currently charges for the 2014 – with the exception of the Developer version now being free.” Wissner also noted that Microsoft plans to continue their pattern of “releasing new features first on Azure and then bringing it to the boxed versions of SQL Server after this release.” This is consistent with the “cloud first” strategy we’ve seen from the company lately – which refers to the strategy in which a company designs new software products and services to be delivered a cloud model ahead of delivery methods.