Many of us that work with SQL Server do so exclusively through SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS). I find so many people really do the majority of their jobs with SSMS, Outlook, and a web browser. Even back in 2003 when I was a full time DBA, I probably spent the majority of my time in those three applications.

However I also see more and more people using Visual Studio and other tools to accomplish their jobs. The growth of new tools, like Powershell, the expansion of our work into BI areas, and more mean that more and more people are using tools besides SSMS to work with SQL Server data.

This past week there was an announcement that MSDN subscriptions were changing. At most of my jobs, I've had an MSDN subscription available to me. In fact, some of you might remember the large binders of CDs (and later DVDs) that arrived on a regular basis and contained copies of all Microsoft software. However many of you out there haven't had MSDN available to you, or you've struggled to justify the yearly $1000+ cost, but you do want to work on your careers and practice with Microsoft software.

At first I saw the yearly cost of MSDN at $1200, which is a pretty large investment. However as I looked to the side, I saw a monthly subscription, no large commitment, available for $45. That's not an extremely low cost, but it's very reasonable in the US. It's also a great way to build a setup that allows you to work with a variety of Microsoft technologies at an affordable cost. What's more, you can stop paying at any time. Or start again at any time.

Or I think it would be a good way to go, but there appear to be limited benefits with software. I can't quite tell from the comparions, but it looks like you don't get much at all if you don't make the $539 investment for the year. 

I know that it can be a struggle to invest in your own career, probably more difficult to find time than money. However this is one way to get access to the various development and server tools for a period of time if you want to tackle a project or force yourself to learn a new skill.

I'm glad that Microsoft has moved to a subscription model for MSDN. I expect to see this subscription growing as small companies use a small investment that scales linearly with new hires to provide their employees with tools. I can only hope that many other vendors adopt this same model and allow us to rent our tools, and upgrade, for a very reasonable cost. I just hope they all let us backup and save our settings in case we interrupt our subscription for a period of time. I'd also like to see them make the monthly benefits the same as the yearly ones. That would real make this a great deal.