Tabular Editor 3 Editions
This document provides an overview and comparison of the different editions of Tabular Editor 3.
Note
Tabular Editor 3 licenses are per developer. In other words, only the persons who use the Tabular Editor 3 product will need a license.
Supported Data Modeling Scenarios
The main difference between the various editions of Tabular Editor 3, is which types of tabular data modeling scenarios they support. To understand this difference, consider that Analysis Services (Tabular) exists in a number of different "flavors":
- Power BI Desktop (make sure you you understand the limitations)
- Power BI Premium through the XMLA Endpoint (Premium Per User, Premium Capacity [A, EM or P SKUs], Fabric Capacity [F SKUs])
- SQL Server (2016+) Analysis Services (Editions: Developer, Standard, Enterprise)
- Azure Analysis Services (Tiers: Developer, Basic, Standard)
We consider the highlighted flavors of Analysis Services to be Enterprise-Tier, and as such, these may only be used with Tabular Editor 3 Enterprise Edition.
Important
Tabular Editor only allows editing data models using Compatibility Level 1200 or higher. This is the default on any instance of Analysis Services starting from SQL Server 2016. For the same reason, Tabular Editor does not support Excel PowerPivot, as this uses an earlier Compatibility Level.
Please refer to the matrix below for the full overview of supported scenarios:
| Scenario / Edition | Desktop | Business | Enterprise |
|---|---|---|---|
| External Tool for Power BI Desktop | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Load/save model metadata to disk** | ❌ | ✔* | ✔ |
| Workspace Mode*** | ❌ | ✔* | ✔ |
| Power BI Premium Per User | ❌ | ✔ | ✔ |
| SQL Server Developer Edition | ❌ | ✔* | ✔ |
| SQL Server Standard Edition | ❌ | ✔ | ✔ |
| SQL Server Enterprise Edition | ❌ | ❌ | ✔ |
| Azure AS Developer Tier | ❌ | ✔* | ✔ |
| Azure AS Basic Tier | ❌ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Azure AS Standard Tier | ❌ | ❌ | ✔ |
| Power BI Premium Capacity (P SKUs) | ❌ | ❌ | ✔ |
| Power BI Embedded Capacity (A/EM SKUs) | ❌ | ❌ | ✔ |
| Fabric Capacity (F SKUs) | ❌ | ❌ | ✔ |
*Note: Enterprise Edition is required if the Analysis Services data model contains perspectives or tables with multiple partitions (does not apply to Power BI Desktop or Power BI Premium Per User models).
**Note: Supported file formats are: .pbip (Power BI Project) .pbit (Power BI Template), .bim (Analysis Services model metadata), .vpax (VertiPaq Analyzer) and database.json (Tabular Editor folder structure).
***Note: Workspace Mode allows Tabular Editor 3 to simultaneously save model metadata to disk and synchronize a database on any of the editions of Analysis Services or Power BI supported by the Tabular Editor 3 edition purchased.
Modeling Restrictions
We restrict a few data modeling operations inside Tabular Editor 3 as well, corresponding to the restrictions on certain Microsoft service tiers (Azure Analysis Services Basic Tier, SQL Server Analysis Services Standard Edition, and Power BI Premium-Per-User).
Specifically, Azure AS Basic Tier and SQL Server Standard Edition does not support perspectives, multiple partitions or DirectQuery, and as such, SSAS/Azure AS models using these features require TE3 Enterprise Edition.
Similarly, Power BI Premium-Per-User workspaces do not support Direct Lake datasets, which is why Power BI models using this feature also requires TE3 Enterprise Edition.
| Model type | Feature | Business | Enterprise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Azure AS / SSAS | Perspectives | ❌ | ✔ |
| Azure AS / SSAS | Multiple partitions | ❌ | ✔ |
| Azure AS / SSAS | DirectQuery* | ✔ | ✔ |
| Azure AS / SSAS | Direct Lake | N/A | N/A |
| Power BI | Perspectives | ✔ | ✔ |
| Power BI | Multiple partitions | ✔ | ✔ |
| Power BI | DirectQuery | ✔ | ✔ |
| Power BI | Direct Lake | ❌ | ✔ |
*Note: Analysis Services on SQL Server Standard Edition pre-2019 does not support DirectQuery. Nor does Azure AS Basic Tier. Learn more.
If you attemp to open a model that uses one or more of the restricted features listed above, while on a TE3 Business Edition license, you will see the error message below:
There are no other feature differences between the Tabular Editor 3 editions, than the ones listed above.
Note
Please keep in mind that Power BI Desktop currently does not support all Data modeling operations. For this reason, Tabular Editor 3 by default blocks operations that are not supported by Power BI Desktop. However, this restriction can be removed under Tools > Preferences > Power BI.
Important
Tabular Editor can only be used as an external tool for Power BI Desktop when the Power BI report (.pbix, .pbip or .pbit) file contains a data model (Import, DirectQuery or Composite). Reports using Live connection are not supported since these reports do not contain a data model. More information.
Personal vs. Transferable licenses
Our Desktop Edition and Business Edition uses a personal licensing model. This means, that a user receives their own personal License Key, which can not be shared or transferred to other users. When a user no longer requires the product, their subscription should be cancelled to avoid recurring payments.
Our Enterprise Edition uses a transferable licensing model. The license administrator receives a single License Key, which is then valid for a number of named users up to the quantity purchased. Users are identified by their e-mail address, which is entered the first time a user activates an installation of Tabular Editor 3. The first time a user activates a Tabular Editor 3 installation using the license key, they are "locked-in" to that license for 30 days. After the 30 day lock-in period, a user can be removed from the license at any time, freeing up the license slot for another user. License administrators can view and manage users through our self-service portal. You may also contact support for assistance.
Multiple installations
Each Tabular Editor 3 user is allowed to install the tool on multiple machines depending on the type of license held:
| Desktop | Business | Enterprise | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simultaneous installations | 1 | 2 | 3 |
Note
Sharing a single license among multiple users is against our licensing terms.
You can deactivate an existing installation at any time from within the tool itself, by choosing the "Change license key..." option under "Help > About Tabular Editor". You can also deactivate an installation through our self-service portal by navigating to the "Licenses" tab.
If you need more simultaneous installations of Tabular Editor 3 than listed above, please contact licensing@tabulareditor.com.
Enterprise Edition Volume Discounts
Our Enterprise Edition is priced in tiers, according to the following table (similar discount rates apply to monthly commitment):
| Tier | Yearly price per seat |
|---|---|
| First 5 seats | $950.00 USD |
| Next 6-10 seats | $900.00 USD |
| Next 11-20 seats | $850.00 USD |
| Next 21-50 seats | $800.00 USD |
| Seats 51 and above | $750.00 USD |
As an example, if you need 12 seats, the price breaks down as follow:
Seats 1-5: 5 x 950.00 = $ 4,750.00
Seats 6-10: 5 x 900.00 = $ 4,500.00
Seats 11-12: 2 x 850.00 = $ 1,700.00
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Total $ 10,950.00
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If you require more than 100 seats, please contact sales for a quote.