Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services vs Zendesk comparison

Microsoft SQL Server Report...

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93% willing to recommend

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 4, 2025

Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services and Zendesk each cater to distinct business needs, with the former specializing in data management and reporting and the latter in customer support solutions. While Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services has an advantage in handling complex data tasks, Zendesk is favored for its superior customer-oriented features.

Features: Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services offers powerful reporting capabilities, integration with Microsoft products, and custom report creation. Zendesk delivers valuable features like robust ticketing systems, integration with diverse third-party applications, and customer interaction tracking.

Room for Improvement: Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services could improve on simplifying its deployment process, enhancing user-friendliness, and expanding non-Microsoft integrations. Zendesk might benefit from advanced reporting capabilities, better multi-brand management, and refining its macro features.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services demands significant technical expertise for deployment, possibly hindering customer service. In contrast, Zendesk offers a simpler setup process and emphasizes user-friendly support, ensuring continuous assistance.

Pricing and ROI: Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services involves higher initial costs, with ROI driven by long-term integration efficiencies. On the other hand, Zendesk matches its customer-centric features with setup costs that often yield faster ROI by enhancing client engagement dynamics.

To learn more, read our detailed Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services vs. Zendesk Report (Updated: April 2025).

Microsoft SQL Servering Services vs. Zendesk

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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

Microsoft SQL Server Report...

Ranking in Reporting

6th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Zendesk

Ranking in Reporting

13th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

CRM Customer Engagement Centers (7th), CRM (20th), Help Desk Software (9th), IT Service Management (ITSM) (7th), Sales Force Automation (7th), Knowledge Management Software (3rd), Community Platforms (3rd)

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Reporting category, the mindshare of Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services is 3.4%, down from 4.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Zendesk is 0.2%, up from 0.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Reporting

Featured Reviews

Gnanavel-Chakkarapani

Junior Consultant at CMA CGM

Offers useful templates but needs to improve the connectivity offered

In Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services, not much of the interface part is used. With Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services, its users face issues with the interface after they use Excel or create Microsoft SSIS Packages. The tool's interface is an area of concern requiring improvement. There needs to be an improvement in the product's connectivity so that the tool can connect easily with other third-party databases. In the dashboard, drag and drop functionality needs to improve, especially when compared to other tools like IBM Cognos Analytics and Qlik Sense. Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services is useful only for standard reports. In IBM Cognos Analytics, query studio can be used by users to drag the data and simply download the reports, so the user doesn't need to have any technical knowledge like developers. Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services is to be improved to offer features like query Studio, which is provided in IBM Cognos Analytics.

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JohanSkibdahl

CEO at Etcetera Networks

Automating customer support with advanced AI capabilities and seamless communication

Zendesk has been invaluable in automating communications such as email and phone calls. It allows us to handle more support cases with fewer people due to its advanced artificial intelligence capabilities. This intelligent tool can manage complex queries before users even realize they are interacting with a non-human. Additionally, we have integrated Zendesk with Datto and Klaviyo ( /products/klaviyo-reviews ), enhancing our workflows.

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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

"The solution is known for its robust security features."

"It is a stable solution."

"The initial setup is easy."

"Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) is reliable for management dashboard and reporting purposes. It is helpful for user reporting and administrative tasks, such as monitoring progress. It is easy to use since it is lightweight and integrates well with the SQL Server database, making reporting straightforward. The visualization capabilities enhance our reporting needs with good pagination and KPI features. It integrates well with data servers and workbooks, allowing us to publish reports on mobile applications and tablets easily. Integrating other tools and platforms in our tech ecosystem is generally straightforward. However, if we need to perform something very specialized, we might have to use third-party tools rather than inbuilt options."

"It is scalable."

"With SQL Server Reporting Services, I can create reports and printable reports, known as paginated reports."

"We were able to embed the report builder within our internal proprietary systems, improving our reporting capabilities."

"I like Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services' automated reporting feature."

More Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services pros

"It is very easy to connect back and forth between the requester and the person fulfilling the ticket."

"It's very convenient to use."

"One of the most valuable features is the ease of use. If you take the standalone product, it is so easy to use, but if you want a tailor-made Zendesk Guide, you can't do it yourself. However, you can use a template that already exists—they have a lot, and they're very cheap, around 300-400 euros—and use it on all your brands. It's a very easy product to use."

"Zendesk Support has a lot of good APIs."

"The product offers very good management. It has a great ability to assign tickets based on content."

"Its agility and simplicity are the most valuable features. This tool is very user-friendly."

"I love how the tickets would auto-populate very quickly in Zendesk, especially when a call comes in."

"We rarely had issues with Zendesk."

More Zendesk pros

Cons

"We have had issues with the refresh interval since we have too many reports scheduled. Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services is also expensive."

"It would be really nice to have better integration between the solution and Power BI."

"There is room for improvement in the pricing model."

"The product should improve its performance."

"Tableau is more user-friendly because it doesn't need to do any extra programming. It has drag-and-drop functionality."

"The setup is difficult because you have to install different servers."

"The complex tuning for report performance is complicated. There is a lack of native support for source code control. We often need to use separate tools like VS Code or other software to manage version control and changes in the database. It would be beneficial if source code management were integrated directly into SSRS, thus eliminating the need to rely on external tools. While CLI-based operations are exemplary, the trend is towards GUI for a better user experience. Integrating both visualization and source code management within SSRS would simplify the process for users."

"The product could be improved by reducing the time it takes to build and deploy reports."

More Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services cons

"The dashboard could be better."

"Sometimes if there was a way to just flag the actual issue out of those email chains - that would be really helpful."

"Zendesk Guide's customization could be improved. I would like it to be easier and maybe open-sourced, so that if you have a developer in your company, you can do it yourself. Right now, that isn't allowed, so you need to have it done via the integrator. Another improvement—this is nit-picking—is that it could be less easy to make changes. Some things are so easy that they sometimes look a little amateur-ish. Most of the templates are built-in so they can be used directly, so they are very simple."

"The solution itself wasn't easy to set up."

"The data you get when logged in to Zendesk Support differs from the data you get when you programmatically query Zendesk Support through its API because of a sync time delay."

"Zendesk's stability on inbound calls could be improved as compared to Talkdesk."

"It needs to improve in terms of its flexibility, price, and installation."

"There could be improvements in integration, which can be achieved with APIs or tools like Zapier."

More Zendesk cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price is pretty good."

"Value-wise, the solution's pricing is good for the price that we pay."

"The solution is free to use for developers."

"The product pricing is reasonable in terms of suitable features for business."

"The tool's licensing costs are expensive."

"The solution is cheaper than its alternatives."

"The solution is expensive."

"The pricing is high."

"We pay for the solution on a yearly basis and my understanding is that the cost is about $30,000. That's the cost for 24 to 25 agents."

"From what I hear, Zendesk's pricing is a little expensive."

"Zendesk's licensing is not cheap. For Enterprise, we are paying $200 per agent. It's a per-month cost, so it's pretty steep. There are some services you need to pay extra for. For example, with Zendesk Guide, we had to buy the most expensive offering in order to get Multibrand and everything. We also had to pay a lot of money for themes."

"The price is very competitive."

"You have to pay extra for better support. So it's not only the license that you pay for, but you have to pay extra for the support as well."

"There are different plans that are offered. We are using the entry-level plan. The overall price of the solution should be reduced. The price is too high."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

14%

Government

12%

Computer Software Company

10%

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

24%

Educational Organization

11%

Financial Services Firm

University

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services?

I mainly use the solution for the ease of reporting and for executive dashboards.

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services?

I don't recall the current pricing as it changes frequently.

What needs improvement with Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services?

They could improve the scalability and stability of SQL Server Reporting Services. I haven't used it recently, so I can't provide detailed suggestions on improvements.

What do you like most about Zendesk Support?

I found the user experience with vendors on Zendesk to be straightforward, especially when it comes to understanding and searching for specific tickets. The search and navigation tools are easy to ...

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Zendesk Support?

Zendesk's pricing is reasonable. It is not the cheapest solution nor the most expensive, but it provides value for money.

What needs improvement with Zendesk Support?

There could be improvements in integration, which can be achieved with APIs or tools like Zapier ( /products/zapier-reviews ). However, easier integration could enhance the usability. Multilingual ...

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Comparisons

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Compared 16% of the time

IBM Cognos vs Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services

Compared 14% of the time

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Compared 12% of the time

SAP Crystal Reports vs Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services

Compared 9% of the time

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Product Reports

Microsoft SQL Servering Services

Download Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services product report

Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services report

Download Zendesk product report

Also Known As

SQL Server Reporting Services, Microsoft SSRS, SSRS, MS SQL Server Reporting Services

Zendesk Support, Zendesk Guide, Zendesk Sell

Overview

At Microsoft, our mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. Our mission is grounded in both the world in which we live and the future we strive to create. Today, we live in a mobile-first, cloud-first world, and the transformation we are driving across our businesses is designed to enable Microsoft and our customers to thrive in this world.

We do business in 170 countries and are made up of 114,000 passionate employees dedicated to fulfilling our mission of helping you and your organization achieve more.

Microsoft

Zendesk Support is intuitive, and it's built with support agents in mind. Everything they need lives in a single, dynamic help desk interface so it's easy to be productive and manage customer interactions.

Sample Customers

CMS Wire, The New York Times

Mailchimp, Tesco, Vimeo, Instacart, Mediaocean, Slack, Uber

Microsoft SQL Servering Services vs. Zendesk