Licensing

This FAQ explains our licensing and support policies and how we try to put our customers at the center of everything we do. Is there a cost to deploy VistaDB to my users? Tell me more about your money-back guarantee on licenses. What are my support options? What is included in Upgrade Assurance? What is included in a Support Subscription? What is included in a Premier Support Subscription? Can I contact you for support? Does the software perform activation? May I use VistaDB on my personal computer? I am an independent consultant. May I use VistaDB on my client's computers? Have more questions?  Please contact us or have a live chat with one of our developers so we can make sure all your questions are answered.

Is there a cost to deploy VistaDB to my users?

No, all of the redistributable components of VistaDB are redistributable royalty-free.

Regardless of how many users, servers, and applications you deploy, you only need to purchase VistaDB to cover the sites where you do product development.

Tell me more about your money-back guarantee on licenses.

Refunds for any purchase are covered in our Refund Policy.

What are my support options?

Standard licenses come with public forum support. This means that you can post any question to the community in the forums which are monitored by a number of your peers. We monitor them as well, but may not answer all questions.

On a case by case basis if you want direct support from us on a problem you can:

• Report it as a defect: We value all submissions of suspected product defects. Defects are typically only resolved in the latest release and are prioritized based on a number of factors so it isn't guaranteed that any paticular issue will be addressed in a timely manner.
• Purchase a Support or Premier Support Subscription: These annual contracts include additional options as indicated below.
• Engage our consulting services: We provide per-hour consulting support with a minimum contract length where we can help optimize your queries & code as well as provide recommendations to improve your application and its use of VistaDB.

What is included in Upgrade Assurance?

When you purchase Upgrade Assurance for your VistaDB license you get all major and minor releases as well as bug fixes for the duration of the agreement.  If you then discontinue Upgrade Assurance you can use the final version that was shipped during your agreement.

Upgrade Assurance does not provide any additional access to direct product support.

What is included in a Support Subscription?

Support Subscriptions are targeted at corporate customers who need priority, email-based support. At this level, we also will sign a non-disclosure agreement assuring you that we will protect any sensitive information included in databases you share with us as part of resolving a support incident. Support Subscriptions include upgrade assurance, so all major and minor releases are included at this this level.

What is included in a Premier Support Subscription?

Premier Support provides the best investment protection for large customers who rely on VistaDB for important products and systems. It includes everything in a standard Support Subscription as well as additional services that may be valuable to your organization:

• Full source code is available for each release. This can be useful for debugging as well as providing assurance that you have the means to continue to support VistaDB even if at a future time you elected not to renew a support agreement.
• We are forming a customer advisory board with whom we solicit input, discuss plans and share pre-announcement information about upcoming releases under NDA. Participation in this board gives you a strong voice into our planning as we make difficult choices about new technologies to embrace and older technologies to deprecate.
• Premiere Support customers receive guaranteed initial response to support requests within one business day.
• In general, enhancements and bug fixes to VistaDB are made only to the latest version. However, in some cases upgrading to the latest VistaDB release might conflict with other aspects of your deployment planning. At the Premiere Support level, we will, at your request, quote options to create and support a variant build specific to your needs.

Can I contact you for support?

If you have a support subscription you can contact us for support via email to and we will get back to you within the terms of those agreements - typically next business day.

If you think you've found a defect in VistaDB, whether you have a support agreement or not, please report it by email to We may reach out and ask for more information or provide workarounds, but if you require a resolution or direct assistance we'd recommend you consider one of our support contracts.

Does the software perform activation?

Yes. VistaDB will record an activation for your license on each computer it's installed. This doesn't apply to the redistributable (runtime) components. Activation is designed to assist you in tracking your compliance with the terms of the license you purchase. You can deactivate computers online at this web site, and see up to the minute information on what activations are recorded.

Although there are limits on the number of activations based on the type of license and quantity that you purchase, our intention is to allow licensed users to activate VistaDB on each computer for which they (or another member of their team) are the primary user. If you believe you have a legitimate reason to need more simultaneous activations than your license allows, please contact our support to discuss your situation.

May I use VistaDB on my personal computer?

Yes, if your employer provides you VistaDB at work, you may also use it at home as long as you remain an employee.

I am an independent consultant. May I use VistaDB on my client's computers?

Yes, you may use VistaDB on a client’s computer provided you are the primary user of the computer. If other team members would like to use VistaDB, have them start a free 30-day trial.

Do you offer academic discounts?

We do not offer academic discounts or special pricing for governmental agencies or non-profit organizations.