Aqua Data Studio vs IDERA SQL Diagnostic Manager for SQL Server comparison

Aqua Data Studio and IDERA SQL Diagnostic Manager for SQL Server are both solutions in the Database Development and Management category. Aqua Data Studio is ranked #14 with an average rating of 9.0, while IDERA SQL Diagnostic Manager for SQL Server is ranked #12 with an average rating of 7.0. Aqua Data Studio holds a 2.6% mindshare in DDM, compared to IDERA SQL Diagnostic Manager for SQL Server’s 4.3% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Aqua Data Studio users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 92% of IDERA SQL Diagnostic Manager for SQL Server users who would recommend it.

Aqua Data Studio

Read 1 Aqua Data Studio review

403 Views
399 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

IDERA SQL Diagnostic Manage...

Read 9 IDERA SQL Diagnostic Manager for SQL Server reviews

840 Views
622 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

Aqua Data Studio

IDERA SQL Diagnostic Manage...

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Aqua Data Studio and IDERA SQL Diagnostic Manager for SQL Server based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

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Buyer's Guide

Database Development and Management

June 2025

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Helped 862,624 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Aqua Data Studio

Ranking in Database Development and Management

14th

Average Rating

9.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

IDERA SQL Diagnostic Manage...

Ranking in Database Development and Management

12th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Event Monitoring (11th)

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Database Development and Management category, the mindshare of Aqua Data Studio is 2.6%, down from 2.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IDERA SQL Diagnostic Manager for SQL Server is 4.3%, up from 3.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Database Development and Management

Featured Reviews

Jaime Caballero

Tech Support Analyst at Cibernética, S.A.

A great tool for managing multiple databases and centralizing them in one place

It's a very generic tool and could be more specific for certain types of DBMS. While it does have some specific tooling, like for Oracle, there are features for certain databases that can't be found because of its general nature. For example, tools tailored to specific databases, like Firebase, might offer features such as cache configuration directly within the tool. Other vendors, like Artisan, provide functionality that's specific to certain configurations. Improving its cloud capabilities could also be beneficial.

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reviewer2317098

Assistant at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees

Offers effective monitoring of resources but lacks the ability to connect to an AWS instance and write custom queries.

We use it mainly for monitoring, including CPU, memory, and disk space, and for troubleshooting purposes We've set up alerts to notify us when performance deviates from the baseline we've configured for each resource. So, whenever that happens, we get an alert and can investigate immediately. So,…

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"It can be used with many DBMSs and is very practical and user-friendly."

"The ability to go back and look at historical data is the most valuable feature."

"The most valuable features are disk space projections for planning, and also the Snapshotting ability, to look back in time, to see what was going on the server at a particular time. It's basically the output of an sp_who2."

"Monitors and alerts on our mission critical instances in real-time on a 24/7 basis."

"We're able to diagnose issues prior to their actually becoming issues. Without the alerting, we wouldn't have a clue as to what was going to happen. With the alerting, it gives us a heads-up that a specific threshold has been met, and we need to take specific action."

"Memory and CPU utilization features are good."

"The best part of SQL DM is the ability to customize alerts and counters. This allows our team to find an issue then alert on the issue at a granular level."

"SQL DM made troubleshooting much easier and allowed multiple people to look into an issue with confidence."

Cons

"Improving its cloud capabilities could also be beneficial."

"The initial setup gives too many user rights to the server, so you have to put a user that is part administrator's group - that's the preferred way - on each server, which is kind of a risk. You want to do least privilege and you're not doing that."

"I would absolutely love to create customized dashboards but, unfortunately, they don't provide me the information that I need to create the report. The report I need is the detail or the transaction detail that's happening on those Snapshots. I'd like to be able to go back through time and search for things. I don't have that functionality, which is very disappointing. That's pretty bad and frustrating because I could query it and find out so much information about what's hitting my environment and when, but instead, they want control over it and to not give me that information. So it's encrypted. I can't pull it out and that is really bothersome."

"One thing I'd like to see is the ability to view the execution plan and have the system automatically recommend potential query optimizations, especially at the query level."

"We don't find that it helps us with performance monitoring and diagnostics. We find that SentryOne does that better. Also, in terms of alerts, we had to customize them dramatically so that we didn't get alerted on every little thing."

"It would helpful if SQL DM could mark when changes are made within the program."

"I'm going to do an upgrade which may resolve my issues, but one area for improvement is its ability to handle the amount of data that we collect with it. We're likely one of the largest installations, with over 300 servers being collected with this product, and sometimes there are gaps. That would really be my only concern, in terms of how the data is collected and stored, for consistency."

"They can improve checking the status of the CPU, memory, and IO utilization from each task."

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available

"We were upgraded to Premium Support without their actually asking us, when we were quoted. Then I asked for Standard Support and that they had to re-quote us that. But they don't do that by default. They upcharge you by default, which I didn't think was very nice, without even asking."

"The pricing is reasonable, it's comparable with the competitors."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

24%

Comms Service Provider

10%

Manufacturing Company

Insurance Company

Comms Service Provider

11%

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

Insurance Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Aqua Data Studio?

The price is okay. The license we require is for a couple of users who connect directly. There are ten customers. I rate the product’s pricing a nine out of ten, where one is cheap and ten is expen...

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What needs improvement with Aqua Data Studio?

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Aqua Data Studio?

Some use the solution as a day-to-day tool for querying databases to have information.

See all answers

What do you like most about IDERA SQL Diagnostic Manager for SQL Server?

The ability to go back and look at historical data is the most valuable feature.

See all answers

What needs improvement with IDERA SQL Diagnostic Manager for SQL Server?

One thing I'd like to see is the ability to view the execution plan and have the system automatically recommend potential query optimizations, especially at the query level. In future releases, I w...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for IDERA SQL Diagnostic Manager for SQL Server?

We use it mainly for monitoring, including CPU, memory, and disk space, and for troubleshooting purposes.

See all answers

Comparisons

DbVisualizer vs Aqua Data Studio

Compared 30% of the time

IDERA ER/Studio vs Aqua Data Studio

Compared 25% of the time

IDERA DBArtisan vs Aqua Data Studio

Compared 23% of the time

Toad for Oracle vs Aqua Data Studio

Compared 23% of the time

More Aqua Data Studio Competitors

SolarWinds Database Performance Analyzer vs IDERA SQL Diagnostic Manager for SQL Server

Compared 33% of the time

Redgate SQL Toolbelt Essentials vs IDERA SQL Diagnostic Manager for SQL Server

Compared 26% of the time

SCOM vs IDERA SQL Diagnostic Manager for SQL Server

Compared 15% of the time

SQL Sentry vs IDERA SQL Diagnostic Manager for SQL Server

Compared 13% of the time

Quest Spotlight vs IDERA SQL Diagnostic Manager for SQL Server

Compared 13% of the time

More IDERA SQL Diagnostic Manager for SQL Server Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Database Development and Management

June 2025

Download Aqua Data Studio product report

Buyer's Guide

IDERA SQL Diagnostic Manager for SQL Server

July 2025

IDERA SQL Diagnostic Manager for SQL Server report

Download IDERA SQL Diagnostic Manager for SQL Server product report

Also Known As

IDERA Aqua Data Studio, IDERA ADS, AquaFold

IDERA SQL DM, IDERA SQL Diagnostic Manager

Overview

Aqua Data Studio helps database developers and administrators, and data and business analysts to manage data platforms and data, and visually analyze data. Unlike its competition, it provides a unique combination of a full-featured database IDE and visual analytics, the broadest range of native data sources, versatile import and export, advanced SQL query development and optimization, extensive comparison of databases and data, and powerful team collaboration.

IDERA

SQL Diagnostic Manager for SQL Server helps database administrators to find and fix SQL Server performance problems in physical, virtual, and cloud environments. Unlike its competition, it provides effective scalability, advanced SQL query analysis and optimization, prescriptive analysis with corrective SQL scripts, powerful automated alert responses, broad PowerShell integration, complete customization, and extensive support for current and legacy SQL Server and Windows.

IDERA

Sample Customers

RBS; HSBC; ADP; American Medical Association; Indoff Incorporated; Origami-Analytics LLC; MP2 Energy; ALI' SuperMercati S.P.A.; HRS Hotel Reservation; Continuum Media Group LLC; Tegsoft; City Chain; Unifar, S.A. de C.V. Farmacias San Pablo; Chunghwa Picture Tubes, Ltd.; Moran,Freddy; GHM-ECLATEC; SEGECO; CenturyLink; WebChronic LLC; Duke University; Mississippi College; Haney Truck Lines, Inc.; Blackleaf Solutions, LLC; LivePerson, Inc.; Croatian Post; Exceptional Innovation; XLSure Software; Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.; IIUG; Agero, Inc.; CrossTrackr, Inc.; Fox Chase Cancer Center; Cervello; Dataimagenes SAC; Indoff Incorporated; ARS Altmann AG; Queiroz Galvao Exploracao E Producao; Naver; Troy University; Ara Altstoff Recycling Austria Ag; MODUS; Natixis Global Asset Management; Topdragon; 2opus GmbH; Flanker Consulting, LLC; ANAQUA; Technical Synergy; MDO - Mercury Database Object; Data Futures; Kaiser Permanente; Mophilly; Thomas Cook Airlines Belgium; Duke University; LeanDev SE; Lisa Spa; Hoteli Bernardin d.d.; UNI; Seasons Healthcare Management; Comcast Corporation; Deutsche Bank AG

Padnos, University of Notre Dame, D4, Infeon Technologies, Chevron, LC Waikiki, Sisters of Saint Francis Health Services, Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, CVE, Colorado State University, St. Charles, Chaucer PLC, 1-800-Flowers, Ancoris, Money Management, National Opinion Research Center, California Department of Health, Plexus; Aviva, Burlington Northern Santa Fe, CBS, Comcast, Google, Merck, Regions Financial, Schneider Electric, Tata Consultancy Services, Verizon Communications, Zurich Financial Services

Buyer's Guide

Database Development and Management

June 2025

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