SQL Server 2012 Standard

• Greater Uptime and Recovery
• Reduce OS patching by as much as 50-60%¹ with new support for Windows Server Core. Meanwhile, Database Recovery Advisor introduces significant user experience enhancements to the ways DBAs can restore databases using SQL Server Management Studio. Within Management Studio, customers can now move a logical copy of their SQL Server databases directly to SQL Azure for more cost-effective and fully redundant data protection options.

  ¹The percentage reduction in patching varies and can be less based on the server roles that are enabled and the type of patches that are applied.

• Support for Better Compliance
• More easily manage permissions around data access with User-Defined Server Roles to support separation of duties. Help increase manageability and decrease complexity of database schema through new Default Schema for Groups that allows a default database schema for Windows group user accounts. Better control database access to deployed applications while improving manageability through Contained Database Authentication that uses self-contained access information without the need for server logins.
• Improved Manageability
• Simplify application testing and minimize errors on a single database with application changes, configuration changes, and upgrades using new Distributed Replay. Added support for Windows PowerShell 2.0 automates management tasks across the Microsoft platform and enhancements to Sys Prep help IT more efficiently create VMs for private cloud solutions. Meanwhile, updated management packs for System Center Operations Manager help IT centrally manage their infrastructure.

Please note: A minimium of 4 cores is required, which is a purchase of 2 2-core licenses.  SQL licensing overview can be found here.

For more information:
http://www.microsoft.com/sqlserver/en/us/editions/2012-editions/standard.aspx

For trial download:
http://www.microsoft.com/sqlserver/en/us/get-sql-server/try-it.aspx

For both 32-bit and 64-bit editions of SQL Server 2012, the following apply:

We recommend that you run SQL Server 2012 on computers with the NTFS file format. Installing SQL Server 2012 on a computer with FAT32 file system is supported but not recommended as it is less secure than the NTFS file system.

SQL Server Setup will block installations on read-only, mapped, or compressed drives.

For information about using SQL Server 2012 tools to prepare for an upgrade to SQL Server 2012, see Use Upgrade Advisor to Prepare for Upgrades.

To make sure that the Visual Studio component can be installed correctly, SQL Server requires you to install an update. SQL Server Setup checks for the presence of this update and then requires you to download and install the update before you can continue with the SQL Server installation. To avoid the interruption during SQL Server Setup, you can download and install the update before running SQL Server Setup as described below (or install all the updates for .NET 3.5 SP1 available on Windows Update):

If you install SQL Server 2012 on a computer with the Windows Vista SP2 or Windows Server 2008 SP2 operating system, you can get the required update.

If you install SQL Server 2012 on a computer with the Windows 7 SP1 or Windows server 2008 R2 SP1 operating system, this update is included.

The installation of SQL Server 2012 fails if you launch the setup through Terminal Services Client. Launching SQL Server Setup through Terminal Services Client is not supported.

For more information:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/ms143506(v=SQL.110).aspx