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Key points#
- Benchmark data on what enterprises actually pay, the virtualization compliance gap, and the metric selection decisions that move costs by 60%.
- The breakeven calculation: at Oracle's minimum of 25 NUP per Processor, each processor core at $47,500 breaks even with NUP licensing at 50 NUP per processor (since NUP pricing is $950/user, 50 users = $47,500).
Processor vs Named User Plus: The Fundamental Decision#
Oracle Database licensing metric selection is driven by a simple calculation, but the inputs to that calculation are complex and change over time. The fundamental rule: use Processor licensing if the number of users accessing the database makes NUP licensing more expensive; use NUP if user counts are low relative to processor cores.
The breakeven calculation: at Oracle's minimum of 25 NUP per Processor, each processor core at $47,500 breaks even with NUP licensing at 50 NUP per processor (since NUP pricing is $950/user, 50 users = $47,500). If you have fewer than 50 users per physical or virtual CPU core running Oracle Database, NUP licensing is cheaper. If you have more than 50 users per core, Processor licensing is cheaper.
In practice, most enterprise Oracle Database deployments use Processor licensing, the user counts for applications running on Oracle are typically high relative to the server infrastructure. The exception: small, specialized applications with limited user populations running on hardware that would require many processors to license.
| Licensing Metric | List Price | Benchmark Negotiated | When It's Cheaper | Primary Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Processor (EE) | $47,500/proc | $28K to $36K/proc | High user counts (>50/core) | Virtualization compliance |
| Named User Plus (EE) | $950/NUP | $570 to $760/NUP | Low user counts (Oracle Pricing Benchmarks Series |
Pillar: Oracle Pricing GuideELA DiscountsOCI PricingJava LicensingSupport PricingAudit SettlementsDatabase Licensing
In This Article Processor vs NUP Decision Virtualization Compliance Gap Database Options Costs Negotiation Benchmarks
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Is Your Oracle Database Licensing Optimized?#
Benchmark data from Oracle Database agreements. Processor vs NUP optimization, virtualization compliance analysis, and negotiated pricing comparisons.