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reviewer1606569 - PeerSpot reviewer
Founder at a tech services company with self employed
Real User
Jun 25, 2021
Stable, easy to provision and administer, and natural progression to SQL Server
Pros and Cons
  • "The ease of provisioning and administration is most valuable."
  • "It should have better profiling capabilities."

What is our primary use case?

We are using it for business intelligence and analytics.

What is most valuable?

The ease of provisioning and administration is most valuable.

What needs improvement?

It should have better profiling capabilities. Its price could also be lower.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for about two years.

Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Azure SQL Database
December 2025
Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Azure SQL Database. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2025.
879,310 professionals have used our research since 2012.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We haven't had any outages yet, so it is pretty stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is scalable. We haven't hit any limits yet, but we're not running huge workloads.

How are customer service and support?

We haven't had a need for technical support.

How was the initial setup?

It is easy. I'm busy setting up another one now.

What about the implementation team?

I did it myself.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I would like it to be cheaper, but comparatively, it is reasonably priced.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We considered Postgres in AWS as well as AWS Redshift and AWS Athena.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend it. We're very happy with what we have. It is very familiar because of our experience with on-premise SQL Server. If you are used to working with SQL Server, it is a natural progression.

I would rate SQL Azure an eight out of 10.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. partner
PeerSpot user
Information Technology Manager at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Real User
May 29, 2021
Easy to use with good performance and very stable
Pros and Cons
  • "The product is quite stable. The performance is great and it's reliable."
  • "It would help if the solution was more secure."

What is our primary use case?

The solution is primarily used as a database.

What is most valuable?

The solution is very easy to use. It's quite user-friendly.

The product is quite stable. The performance is great and it's reliable.

It's very good as an on-premises deployment.

We've found the solution to be scalable and easy to expand.

What needs improvement?

It would help if the solution was more secure. It's an aspect they could work on for future releases.

For how long have I used the solution?

We've been dealing with the solution for many years now. It's been a while.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable. there are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's reliable. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution scales well. If a company needs to expand it, it can do so with relative ease.

How are customer service and technical support?

I've never directly dealt with technical support and therefore cannot speak to how helpful or responsive they are. Typically, if we have a problem, we just Google it and look for the answer online.

How was the initial setup?

We don't install it. We just use it. It is my understanding that in Azure we don't install anything. We go on Amazon or Microsoft and make a machine. There's no installation.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

You do need to pay a license fee in order to use the product. I can't speak to the exact price.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

As we are planning to move to the cloud, we are looking at other options, including PostgreSQL or Microsoft SQL Server. It's my understanding that there is not a big difference between Microsoft SQL on Cloud and the Microsoft SQL Server. We still have lots of experience on Microsoft's SQL Server, and likely our company is still prepared to use Microsoft SQL on Azure, not PostgreSQL. On the other hand, a lot of ERPs nowadays on the market using PostgreSQL. So our developers in the company have experience with this product, PostgreSQL.

What other advice do I have?

We use the product and we offer it to customers as well.

We are planning to move to the cloud in the future.

I'd rate the solution at an eight out of ten. Our company prefers SQL Azure. We enjoy its capabilities. I'd recommend the product.

Until now, we don't yet have full experience with it and just we just apply it in very small scenarios - just for feasibility and to take some feasibility tests. We have yet to start converging our ERP. We're checking if it's good or available and if it will fit in some scenarios.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Azure SQL Database
December 2025
Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Azure SQL Database. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2025.
879,310 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Team Lead, Enterprise Computing Platforms at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
Real User
May 3, 2021
No admin overhead, stable, and scalable, but needs better pricing and compatibility with other vendors
Pros and Cons
  • "We don't have to manage it much. It is managed by Microsoft, which makes it easy for us because there is no admin overhead for managing the servers. It is also easily scalable. During peak hours, it can scale higher."
  • "We have a very small database running on SQL Azure. We have not been able to load bigger systems on it. It is still not something that is feasible. All our heavy-duty systems are on SAP, and it should have more compatibility with other vendors such as SAP. Its price can definitely be lower. It is pretty pricey."

What is most valuable?

We don't have to manage it much. It is managed by Microsoft, which makes it easy for us because there is no admin overhead for managing the servers. 

It is also easily scalable. During peak hours, it can scale higher.

What needs improvement?

We have a very small database running on SQL Azure. We have not been able to load bigger systems on it. It is still not something that is feasible. All our heavy-duty systems are on SAP, and it should have more compatibility with other vendors such as SAP. 

Its price can definitely be lower. It is pretty pricey.

For how long have I used the solution?

We've been using SQL Azure for about three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is easily scalable. We have five people who are working with this solution.

How are customer service and technical support?

Their technical support is very good for SQL Azure. Basically, based on my experience, we usually don't have any problem with support for Microsoft products. If we are seeking support for something like Linux or something that is not exactly a Microsoft product, it is a little disappointing.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Its price can definitely be lower. It is pretty pricey.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate SQL Azure a seven out of ten. It works like any other SQL database, and it is pretty good.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1517148 - PeerSpot reviewer
Program Solution Architect at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Top 20
Apr 23, 2021
Stable and easy to use with good technical support
Pros and Cons
  • "It's easy to use in terms of their portal, which is very nicely organized."
  • "Their availability in the Middle East and Asia regions needs to improve."

What is our primary use case?

Azure has multiple use cases. Organizations can use it for hosting infrastructure, for example. There are cloud services that you can utilize. The main purpose of the cloud is that you don't need to set up your own data center, and then you can just use the cloud platforms provided by Azure or AWS, or any other cloud. They all serve the same purpose.

What is most valuable?

The solution is a stable product. It has a lot of out-of-the-box services. It provides a lot of services that we would typically have to provision on-premise. 

It's easy to use in terms of their portal, which is very nicely organized.

It's a good platform all in all.

The solution has proven to be quite scalable.

We've found the solution to be stable. 

Technical support from Microsoft is very good.

What needs improvement?

The solution should start covering more regions in Gulf countries and other regions. This is due to the fact that other cloud providers are not locally available. Yet this is what people require here. Their availability in the Middle East and Asia regions needs to improve.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for a couple of years at this point. It's been a while.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We've found the solution to be very stable. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is quite scalable. If a company needs to expand it, it can do so with relative ease.

I'm from a technology provider. We provision these services and provide them to other clients. One of the infrastructure environments which we are provisioning on Azure would be used by probably approximately 8,000 to 10,000 users.

In terms of if we plan to continue usage or not, we are just building it on Azure right now. So it will be live in a year or two, something like this.

How are customer service and technical support?

Technical support is really good. Microsoft support is pretty knowledgeable and responsive. We are happy with the level of service we receive from them.

How was the initial setup?

The solution is a cloud product. You don't need to install anything. There is no installation process to deal with.  

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

All products are licensed. The cost depends on someone's usage space. The more you use it, the more you pay. Some are billed in terms of fixed cost. For example, if I provision some work with a machine that I pay for it, even if I don't use it. There are multiple ways you could potentially pay.

What other advice do I have?

We are partners.

We are working on the latest version of the solution.

I'd rate the solution at an eight out of ten.

I would recommend the solution. There are not many cloud providers. Azure and AWS are some of the top providers. These are the two which compete with each other, and both of them have good services. That said, I would recommend Azure for sure.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
PeerSpot user
reviewer1087131 - PeerSpot reviewer
Consultor Senior at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Real User
Apr 9, 2021
A great cloud solution, technically very good and easy to use on any platform
Pros and Cons
  • "Very easy to use on any platform and works well."
  • "The solution lacks feedback tools."

What is our primary use case?

I'm in charge of the development of our IT solution and I am an implementer of Azure. 

What is most valuable?

I started with Azure SQL because it's a cheaper solution. It's a good cloud solution, very easy to use on any platform and works well. Technically it's very good. 

What needs improvement?

I would like to have more tools for feedback. I find that there are a lot of things offered in other solutions that don't exist in Azure SQL. There are also tricky commercial issues. When you use Google or Amazon, you know exactly how much you will pay. With Microsoft solutions, you don't know, it's very unclear and impossible to get anyone on the phone. 

How are customer service and technical support?

It's the commercial support that is lacking with Microsoft. 

What other advice do I have?

From a commercial perspective, I would rate this solution very low. From a technical perspective, I rate the product an eight out of 10. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Data Architect at a computer software company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Mar 23, 2021
Affordable, scalable, and stable with valuable Azure Portal
Pros and Cons
  • "Azure Portal is most valuable."
  • "Service Broker should be added in Azure Cloud. Service Broker is currently available only in the on-premises version."

What is our primary use case?

We are using it for processing financial transactions. We have its latest version.

What is most valuable?

Azure Portal is most valuable.

What needs improvement?

Service Broker should be added in Azure Cloud. Service Broker is currently available only in the on-premises version.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is scalable. We have six users and two people in our technical team for its deployment.

How are customer service and technical support?

I haven't used their support. I have only used the online material, and that's complete.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We used PostgreSQL, which was on-premises.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

It requires a license. As compared to its competitors, such as Oracle, it is affordable and reasonable.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend this solution to others. I would rate SQL Azure a nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Senior IT Manager at a pharma/biotech company with 1-10 employees
Real User
Top 20
Jan 11, 2021
Easy to use, stable, and scalable
Pros and Cons
  • "Its easy usage is the most valuable."
  • "It can have more dashboards for monitoring, which would naturally help a lot. Other than that, everything is okay."

What is our primary use case?

We normally use it for development and other services. We have on-premises as well as cloud deployments, but it is mostly deployed on the cloud.

What is most valuable?

Its easy usage is the most valuable. 

What needs improvement?

It can have more dashboards for monitoring, which would naturally help a lot. Other than that, everything is okay.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using this solution for the last ten years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is definitely stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is scalable because it is in Azure. We have around 50 to 60 developers who access it.

How are customer service and technical support?

We have contacted their technical support. Sometimes, we take support from Microsoft, and sometimes, we take support from our partner.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We have been a partner of Microsoft, so we have been using Microsoft solutions.

How was the initial setup?

It was easy to install. There was not much challenge with the setup.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend this solution. I would rate SQL Azure an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
PeerSpot user
Alvaro Olivares - PeerSpot reviewer
Head of Cloud Engineering at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Nov 22, 2020
Easy setup, good backup features, and good stability and scalability
Pros and Cons
  • "The backup features are the most valuable."
  • "Its compatibility with existing applications can be improved. Its compatibility is currently a little bit imbalanced."

What is our primary use case?

We use it as a backend product. We are using the Managed Instance and the SQL Database.

What is most valuable?

The backup features are the most valuable.

What needs improvement?

Its compatibility with existing applications can be improved. Its compatibility is currently a little bit imbalanced.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for about two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is pretty good. It seems very stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It has good scalability. We have about a thousand users.

How are customer service and technical support?

Technical support was very good. I would rate them a ten out of ten.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is pretty easy. The deployment took about a day.

What other advice do I have?

It is a good product for any new development or organization.

I would rate SQL Azure a nine out of ten. It is working fine right now, and I am pretty happy with this solution.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Microsoft Azure SQL Database Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: December 2025
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Microsoft Azure SQL Database Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.