Once you have your product key, installing SQL Server 2012 Enterprise Edition is a straightforward process:

: This edition has no artificial limits on compute capacity, allowing it to use the operating system's maximum RAM and CPU cores (up to 640 logical processors).

Download the official 180-day trial from Microsoft (Archive.org or MS Partners). Install it. You have 6 months to find a budget. When the trial ends, you can use the setup.exe /q /action=editionupgrade command to enter a real key without reinstalling.

If you use an "i---" key from a forum:

Once you have obtained a product key, follow these steps to activate SQL Server 2012 Enterprise Edition:

If you are looking for your existing product key, it is typically embedded in the installation media or the DefaultSetup.ini file within the x64 folder of your installation source. If you have a Volume Licensing account, you can also find it in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center under .