Connector License Count

This article outlines how connector licenses are counted in OvalEdge. The license count is based on the type of the connector (SQL Server, PowerBI, Informatica, S3, etc.) and the unique identifier associated with the connector. The identifier varies by connector and determines whether multiple connections are counted as a single license or as separate licenses.

The document covers:

• License counting: How the unique identifier determines the number of connector licenses.

• Multiple connections: How connections with the same or different identifiers affect the license count.

• Connector-specific identifiers: How licensing applies to connectors with or without an IP address.

• Connection scenarios: How specific configurations, such as multiple databases, S3 buckets, and Snowflake accounts or instances, affect the license count.

The number of connections does not always equal the number of licenses. The license count depends on the unique identifier defined for the respective connector.

License Calculation

The connector license count is calculated based on a unique license identifier defined for each connector, such as SQL Server, Oracle, or Snowflake. The identifier is evaluated separately for each connector to determine whether multiple connections represent the same source instance for licensing purposes.

A unique identifier is not shared across different connectors. Therefore, connections for different connectors are counted separately, even when the connections use the same identifier value, such as the same AccountId, ClientId, ProjectId, TenantId, etc.

Basic Rule

Connection Scenario	License Count
Multiple connections for the same connector have the same unique license identifier	1 license
Multiple connections for the same connector have different unique license identifiers	One license for each unique identifier
Connections belong to different connectors, even if they use the same identifier value	One license for each connector
A single connection scans multiple data assets	1 license

Example: Same Identifier Across Different Connectors

The unique license identifier is evaluated separately for each connector. The same identifier value does not combine licenses across different connectors.

For example:

• 2 MySQL connections use the same IP address/DNS → 1 MySQL license

• 1 SQL Server connection uses the same IP address/DNS → 1 SQL Server license

• The same IP address/DNS is used for both connectors, but the connections are counted separately.

Connector	Connections	Unique License Identifier	License Count
MySQL	2	db.example.com	1
SQL Server	1	db.example.com	1
Total	3		2 licenses

The unique license identifier groups connections only within the same connector. The same identifier value used by different connectors results in separate licenses.

Connector-Specific License Identifiers

Different connectors use different identifiers for license calculation. The identifier is selected based on the connection characteristics of the respective connector.

Connector License Identifier Mapping table

Unique License Identifier	Connector	License Calculation
URL	Apache Kafka, Apache Pulsar, Azure Event Hub, SAP BO Universe, SAP BusinessObjects, Elasticsearch On Premise, DSEFS (Datastax Enterprise File System), CIFS (Common Internet File System), GitLab, Pentaho	Connections using the same URL count as one license.
Client ID	Salesforce, Box, Salesforce Reports, ADP Workforce Now, Azure Key Vault, Azure Active Directory	Connections using the same Client ID count as one license.
Domain	Hopsworks	Connections using the same Domain count as one license.
File Path	Structured File Connector, Erwin Data Modeler, NFS (Network File System), IBM InfoSphere DataStage, API, Microsoft Access, DBT Core, QlikView, Informatica Big Data Management	Connections using the same File Path count as one license.
Project ID	Google Cloud Storage, Google Cloud Data Fusion	Connections using the same Project ID count as one license.
Google Service Account	Google Drive	Connections using the same Google Service Account count as one license.
Tenant ID	OneDrive, Power BI, Azure Data Factory, Azure Machine Learning, CARTOVISTA, Azure Synapse Analytics	Connections using the same Tenant ID count as one license.
Organization	Azure DevOps Server	Connections using the same Organization count as one license.
Workspace Connection ID	Talend	Connections using the same Workspace Connection ID count as one license.
GitHub Account ID	GitHub, GitHub Files	Connections using the same GitHub Account ID count as one license.
IP address/DNS	SQL Server, MySQL, Tableau, Qlik Sense, Amazon Redshift, Azure SQL Database, Oracle, PostgreSQL, SharePoint, Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services, Informatica PowerCenter, Microsoft SQL Server Integration Services	Connections using the same IP address/DNS count as one license.
Account ID	S3	Connections using the same Account ID count as one license.
WebHDFS URL	HDFS	Connections using the same WebHDFS URL count as one license.
Snowflake account/instance	Snowflake	Each separate Snowflake account or instance is counted separately.

The connectors listed in the table are examples. The same licensing approach applies to other applicable connectors using the corresponding unique license identifier.

How Licenses Are Counted

Multiple Connections Using the Same Unique License Identifier

When multiple connections for the same connector use the same unique license identifier, the connections are counted as one license.

The unique license identifier varies by connector. Example:

• SQL Server and MySQL use IP address/DNS.

• S3 uses Account ID.

• HDFS uses WebHDFS URL.

• Snowflake uses the Snowflake account/instance.

Refer to the Connector License Identifier Mapping table for the unique license identifier applicable to each connector.

Connections Using Different Unique License Identifiers

When connections for the same connector use different unique license identifiers, each unique identifier is counted as a separate license.

Example: S3

• Two S3 connections use different Account IDs.

Connection	Account ID	License
S3 Connection 1	Account A	1
S3 Connection 2	Account B	1
Total	2 unique Account IDs	2 licenses

Connectors Without an IP Address

Not all connectors provide an IP address that can be used for license calculation. For such connectors, another connector-specific identifier is used.

For example, the S3 connector uses the Account ID as the unique license identifier.

Therefore:

• Same Account ID across multiple S3 connections → 1 license

• Different Account IDs across S3 connections → One license per Account ID

This ensures that connectors without an IP address can still be consistently included in license calculation.

The unique license identifier varies by connector. Refer to the Connector License Identifier Mapping table for the identifier applicable to each connector.

SQL Server License Calculation

SQL Server uses the IP address/DNS as the unique license identifier. Multiple SQL Server connections can therefore count as a single license when they use the same IP address/DNS.

Example

• Fifteen SQL Server database connections are created using the same IP address.

• The number of databases or connections does not increase the license count when all connections use the same IP address.

• If the connections use different IP addresses, each unique IP address is counted separately.

SQL Server Configuration	License Count
15 database connections using 1 IP address	1
15 database connections using 2 IP addresses	2
15 database connections using 15 different IP addresses	15

A single connection cannot currently be configured for multiple databases. Each connection must be configured for one specific database. However, multiple database connections can still count as one license when they use the same IP address/DNS.

Snowflake License Calculation

Snowflake licensing is based on the individual Snowflake account or instance.

A single Snowflake account can have multiple connections. When those connections represent the same Snowflake account or instance, they are counted according to the applicable unique license identifier. Separate Snowflake accounts or instances are counted separately.

Example

A Snowflake environment can contain multiple separate accounts or instances, each with its own URL and databases. Each separate account or instance is considered independently for licensing.

Snowflake Configuration	License Count
Multiple connections to the same Snowflake account/instance	1 license
2 separate Snowflake accounts/instances	2 licenses
4 separate Snowflake accounts/instances	4 licenses

A single organizational account does not automatically mean that all Snowflake accounts or instances are counted as one license. Each separate Snowflake account or instance is considered independently.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How is the S3 license count calculated?

S3 licensing is based on the Account ID, not on the number of buckets scanned.

• Multiple S3 connections using the same Account ID are counted as 1 license.

• S3 connections using different Account IDs are counted as separate licenses.

• A single S3 connection can scan one or multiple buckets without increasing the license count.

• Multiple buckets accessed through the same S3 connection and Account ID are covered under the same connector license.

• Each S3 bucket is not counted as a separate license.

Example:

• 1 S3 connection scans 1 bucket → 1 license

• 1 S3 connection scans multiple buckets → 1 license

• 2 S3 connections use the same Account ID → 1 license

• 2 S3 connections use different Account IDs → 2 licenses

• 5 S3 connections use 3 unique Account IDs → 3 licenses

The S3 license count is determined by the unique Account ID associated with the S3 connections, regardless of the number of buckets scanned.

Is the license count always the same as the number of connections?

No. The license count is based on the unique license identifier defined for the connector. Multiple connections with the same identifier can count as one license.

What happens when multiple connections have the same IP address?

If the IP address is the connector's unique license identifier, multiple connections with the same IP address are counted as one license.

For example, 15 SQL Server connections using the same IP address count as one license.

What happens when a connector does not have an IP address?

A connector-specific unique identifier is used instead.

For example, S3 uses the Account ID for license calculation.

Does each S3 bucket count as a separate connector license?

No. S3 licensing is based on the connection and its unique Account ID, not on the number of buckets scanned. A single S3 connection can scan multiple buckets and still count as one license.

Can an IAM user or IAM role scan multiple S3 buckets under one license?

Yes. Multiple S3 buckets accessible through the configured IAM user or role can be scanned through a connection. The license count is based on the S3 connection's Account ID.

Do multiple SQL Server databases require multiple licenses?

Not necessarily. Each database requires a separate connection because a single connection cannot currently be configured for multiple databases. However, if the SQL Server connections use the same IP address, they are counted as one license.

Does having four Snowflake accounts under one Snowflake organizational account require four licenses?

Yes. If the four accounts are separate Snowflake accounts or instances, each is counted as a separate license.

What determines whether a connector requires a Lineage Add-On license?

A Lineage Add-On is required for a system (connector) when it contains the lineage-producing logic that is executed and discovered to derive lineage. The requirement is based on where the data movement or transformation logic is defined, rather than solely on the source or target system.

For example, if Azure Data Factory (ADF) contains the ingestion pipelines and Azure Databricks contains the transformation notebooks, Lineage Add-Ons are required for Azure Data Factory and Azure Databricks. Oracle Fusion Cloud (HCM), ADLS, and Azure Synapse Analytics do not require Lineage Add-Ons in this flow because they do not contain the lineage-producing logic.

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