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Exasol Data Warehouse vs SQL Server comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 4, 2025

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

Exasol Data Warehouse
Ranking in Relational Databases Tools
24th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
8
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
SQL Server
Ranking in Relational Databases Tools
1st
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
269
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Relational Databases Tools category, the mindshare of Exasol Data Warehouse is 0.9%, up from 0.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SQL Server is 16.9%, down from 22.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Relational Databases Tools
 

Featured Reviews

Shubham-Agarwal - PeerSpot reviewer
Fast query processing and easy-to-store all the data
There are very few companies that are using Exasol, but the majority of companies are using SQL Server, Cloud or IBM Db2 Database, or any other databases. Therefore, the resources are limited, which is my only concern. So if I face any issues, limited resources are available to help me resolve the issue with Exasol. From that perspective, it can be a bit of a struggle for me to find a solution. In the next release, I would like to see better compatibility issues. Currently, Exasol has limited compatibility with other software like Python and R. For example, If I talk about SQL Server, we can connect it to big data or Python, which is also compatible with different servers.
Kapil Dev Khatri - PeerSpot reviewer
Helps monitor queries and identify which indexes need to be created in the databases
SQL Server is very simple due to its GUI, which is available for users. It allows for modifications and has execution plans available, along with options such as activity monitoring. This helps monitor queries and identify which indexes need to be created in the databases, tables, or columns to improve performance.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The speed is very good compared to other databases, like SQL Server or Oracle."
"We can quickly scale the solution as it works on an MPP system."
"The most valuable feature of Exasol is its speed."
"Its speed is great."
"The solution is hands-off; you set it up insert your data and it self tunes queries."
"It is easy to scale."
"We mainly chose Exasol for its performance reasons."
"Performance is a top priority, and it excels in this aspect."
"The performance of SQL Server is perfect."
"The Always On tool improves the SQL server availability."
"The most valuable features of this solution are easy queries and straightforward programming for beginners."
"can extract data from the server and store it in a local data source for BI purposes."
"The solution's most valuable feature is that we can set up redundant databases and replication in the databases."
"The support from Microsoft has been good."
"It's more user-friendly than most databases."
"The initial setup isn't overly complex."
 

Cons

"The only area where we found it could improve was in custom role creation and security, and it was difficult to work with."
"It's not cloud-native so many maintenance operations require downtime."
"They don't talk very well to with other products when it comes to connectivity. Integration is lacking."
"There are limited resources available to help me resolve the issue with Exasol."
"They should improve the security features for MPP processing."
"Lacks a cloud-based platform."
"You have to install Exasol drivers, and it's not easy to find or implement a driver into different systems."
"It would be beneficial if the updates would occur more often."
"The security features of the solution could be better."
"Currently, I do not face any difficulties with SQL Server as all options and documentations are available."
"The agility of the non-SQL-based features is relevant on the market."
"Security is an issue."
"You do need to have technical knowledge in order to install the solution. It's not something a layperson can do."
"The pricing of the product could be better."
"I would like to see improvements made to the stability of SQL Server, as well as more analytics requirements."
"If you are a new user then this solution could be difficult, they could improve by making the overall usage easier."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution's cost is mid-ranged."
"The solution is on a pay-per-use pricing model."
"SQL Server is an expensive solution."
"Licensing fees increase depending on size and performance. If you want higher performance, you should go for a different course."
"I don't need a license for it as I will be migrating to Office 365."
"We have an enterprise license, which we consider to be fine."
"This is a very cheap product."
"On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive, I rate the solution's pricing a seven out of ten."
"Some of the licensing are very expensive, such as the Enterprise license."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Retailer
18%
Logistics Company
9%
Computer Software Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Educational Organization
19%
Financial Services Firm
13%
Computer Software Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Exasol?
The most valuable feature of Exasol is its speed.
What needs improvement with Exasol?
You have to use upper-column names in Exasol, which is strange. You have to install Exasol drivers, and it's not easy to find or implement a driver into different systems.
What is your primary use case for Exasol?
We implemented our data problem issues from Tableau. We inserted the data into the Exasol database in order to run 10 to 20 reports from Tableau. This was just a small but problematic report for us.
Would you say the price of SQL Server is high compared to that of similar products?
SQL Server is fairly priced because it has various editions, depending on the number of users, servers, or core packs you are using. If you compare the product to others in this category, the price...
Has using SQL Server helped your organization in any way?
SQL Server has helped my organization through partitioning to distribute the workload, as it splits them up into smaller pieces so the machines can easily deal with it. However, this comes with a h...
Which authentication mode is best for SQL Server?
My company connects through SQL Server authentication. We have company Windows accounts, but we do not want to connect the two, out of security concerns and to keep things separated for our own pur...
 

Comparisons

 

Also Known As

No data available
Microsoft SQL Server, MSSQL, MS SQL
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

1&1 Internet SE 11880 Internet Services AG AB Svenska Spel Accarda AG Aera Technology Inc. AGRAVIS Raiffeisen AG Apotheken-Rechen-Zentrum GmbH AQR Capital Management, LLC arvato distribution GmbH ARZ Allgemeines Rechenzentrum GmbH Badoo Limited Baur Versand (GmbH & Co. KG) BIScience Ltd Blocket Blue Yonder GmbH Codilink UK Ltd T/A Coniq crealytics GmbH dailyme TV GmbH Dailymotion S.A. Dataforce Verlagsgesellschaft für Business Information mbH Deutsche Postbank AG Digitales Rezept Zentrum GmbH DIKW Groep direct services Gütersloh GmbH DR Technologies Ltd. dress-for-less GmbH econda GmbH emetriq GmbH empiriecom GmbH & Co. KG Flaconi GmbH Fresenius Netcare GmbH Fyber GmbH GfK SE Grant Street Group, Inc. Gruner + Jahr GmbH Gymshark UK Hahn Air Lines GmbH Hermes Einrichtungs Service GmbH & Co. KG INNOVATIVE SCHEDULING, LLC internetstores GmbH INTERSPORT Deutschland eG IQVIA Commercial GmbH & Co. OHG IQVIA Commercial Sp. z o.o. IQVIA Incorporated iVantage Health Analytics K - Mail Order GmbH & Co. KG LIQ CORP SA Manor AG Basel Match2Lists Limited MEDION AG Midasplayer AB Monsoon Accessorize Limited m-pathy GmbH msales Ltd. MTG Modern Services AB MW Aviation GmbH & Co. KG Myntra Designs Pvt Ltd Netzeffekt GmbH New Company Services Ltd. NOVENTI HealthCare GmbH Olympus Europa SE & Co. KG Operation Fistula OpsDataStore OTTO (GmbH & Co KG) Panda Retail Co. PAPSTAR GmbH Piedmont Healthcare, Inc. Questback GmbH RatePAY GmbH Revolut Ltd. Saarland-Sporttoto GmbH Sagarmatha Ltd. SIA Damara Technologies Supermärkte Nord Vertriebs GmbH & Co. KG The National Research Center for College & University Admissions, Inc. United Utilities Water Ltd. Verlag C.H. Beck oHG Vocal Planet Ltd. Vodafone Group Services GmbH Webtrekk GmbH wer liefert was? GmbH Windeln.de SE Wooga GmbH XING SE Zalando SE
Microsoft SQL Server is used by businesses in every industry, including Great Western Bank, Aviva, the Volvo Car Corporation, BMW, Samsung, Principality Building Society, Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield, and the Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario.
Find out what your peers are saying about Exasol Data Warehouse vs. SQL Server and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.
861,803 professionals have used our research since 2012.