Information Security Manager at a financial services firm with 501-1,000 employees
Real User
Good for publishing web applications, but security, stability and performance can be improved
Pros and Cons
  • "We have found the feature that allows us to publish web applications to be valuable."
  • "As we have faced problems with the solution in both the past and present, I feel it could be more stable."

What is our primary use case?

We use the solution for nearly all of the services we provide that utilize Windows Server. We use it to provide continuous service and in respects of our mail server. 

What is most valuable?

We have found the feature that allows us to publish web applications to be valuable. 

We have 20 servers and we use disparate ones for different applications, such as Kaspersky Anti-Virus Server and Windows SharePoint in respects of the surveillance system. 

What needs improvement?

The solution should be more secure and stable and have better performance, particularly as concerns the endpoint operating systems. I would like to have a better operating system that links the CPU and the RAM efficiently.

For the majority of our servers we have not used other operating systems, although there are certain features or requirements that necessitated their use, such as Red Hat. This was rare. Mostly, we used Windows OS. 

As for the performance issue, we have recently encountered situations in which everything would fail in spite of the CPU and memory being 100 percent operable. 

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using SQL Server for 12 or 13 years.

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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

As we have faced problems with the solution in both the past and present, I feel it could be more stable. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution seems scalable to me. 

How are customer service and support?

We have not had experience with technical support and have handled this independently whenever we encountered problems. 

How was the initial setup?

When it comes to the installation of the operating system, we have found it to be easy and user-friendly. 

Our greatest praise for the solution we reserve for its ease of installation and usage. These provide definite advantages. Perhaps this can be attributed to the fact that we have always made use of the solution for nearly every relevant company in South Africa.

While I cannot recall exactly how long the installation lasted, I did recently install endpoint Windows 10 Operating System and this took an hour and a half. 

We were able to handle the installation on our own, as we are well versed in this process when it comes to Windows OS.

On an individual basis, we solely make use of Windows OS. There are between 300 and 400 people in our organization who do so. 

Generally speaking, we do not make use of a technical team for deployment and maintenance purposes and do so internally. There are a maximum of seven or eight people in our organization who are responsible for this. We are talking about technical people who are responsible for the direct installation and configuration of Windows OS and they do not include managers. 

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

I believe the licensing to be on an annual basis. In 2019 we purchased a three year license. 

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We did not evaluate other other options before going with the solution. 

What other advice do I have?

I rate SQL Server as a seven out of ten. 

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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IT Assistant at Hotel 2 Fevrier
Real User
has an efficient configuration but is not sufficiently scalable in size for simultaneous connections
Pros and Cons
  • "The initial setup is time-efficient and can be done independently."
  • "As SQL server could not support the number of connections we desired, we were forced to go with Oracle."

What is our primary use case?

We use SQL Server with Sage products.

It is used by our finance team and also human resources.

What is most valuable?

the database management tool is very easy to use and largely meets expectations

What needs improvement?

As SQL Server could not support the number of connections we desired, we were forced to go with Oracle. This is an area that needs to be improved.

For how long have I used the solution?

for 04 Years now 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution could be more stable

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The performance in terms of simultaneous connection must be reviewed.

How are customer service and technical support?

We do not pay for technical support.

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

No

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is time-efficient and can be done independently.

There is no need for developers or managers to deploy and maintain the solution. One or two systems' administrators are sufficient for its deployment.

The deployment is on-premises. We installed the solution on a server and this on the Windows server. The user is provided an application for connecting to it.

What was our ROI?

great

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

The licensing involves a one-time fee.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We evaluated Oracle as an alternative.

What other advice do I have?

For my part, SQL Server is aimed at small and medium-sized businesses, I would give it an eight out of ten.


I would not recommend it for a large company that has to support more than 40 simultaneous bi-directional connections to the database


Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Computer engineering student at a educational organization with 501-1,000 employees
Real User
Stable with good technical support and integrates well with Visual Studio
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable aspect of the solution is that it's integrated with the Visual Studio and also with Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio. It's a tool they have and it's quite easy to use and understand. It's the interface for programming for SQL Services."
  • "The solution could be better integrated with the SQL Server Studio tool."

What is our primary use case?

I primarily use the solution for the development of various applications, database connections, that I need for projects.

I just use it myself, for assignments. I am a student and am studying the product.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable aspect of the solution is that it's integrated with the Visual Studio and also with Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio. It's a tool they have and it's quite easy to use and understand. It's the interface for programming for SQL Services.

The solution is very stable.

The solution scales well.

The initial setup is straightforward. 

What needs improvement?

I don't have a deep technical knowledge of the solution. It's hard to discuss features that may be lacking.

The solution could be better integrated with the SQL Server Studio tool.

There are some complexities with the initial setup sometimes as there are a lot of options.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for two years at this point.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is very stable. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's reliable in terms of performance.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution can scale. If a company needs to expand it, it can do so.

As a student, I don't yet have plans to increase usage of the product.

How are customer service and technical support?

I've been in touch with technical support. I contact them to assist with a bug that I detected, that was not really related to SQL Server. It was, however, related to another tool, the Microsoft SQL Server Studio. They responded quickly. I was quite satisfied with their level of support for the most part.

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

I've also worked with PostgreSQL, and MySQL as well as MongoDB. I found that, in comparison, PostgreSQL was not as easy to use.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was pretty straightforward. It's very similar to other software products. The Visual Studio is easier, however, it's still mostly straightforward. It could be better integrated with this SQL Server Studio tool. You have to install it separately. If they could be installed together, that would be an improvement in my opinion. While not everyone would use it, the developer would find it a helpful item to have.

It can sometimes be confusing to install by yourself since it does have many options that you need to decide on.

What about the implementation team?

I was able to install the solution myself. I did not need the assistance of an integrator or consultant.

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

You do need to pay for a license in order to use the product.

What other advice do I have?

I'm just an end-user.

I'd rate the solution at a nine out of ten. I'm mostly happy with its capabilities.

I'd recommend the solution to other users. It's a solution that is nice and standardized. We are learning all about it at school and its industry standards make it a good option.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Associate Manager at a consultancy with 501-1,000 employees
Real User
Provides great CDC mechanism for adding data incrementally; simple installation
Pros and Cons
  • "A big advantage is the ability to store any type of data in SQL Server."
  • "Performance could be improved."

What is our primary use case?

We use SQL Server to import data from different source systems. Depending on requirements, you act as the resource and can schedule jobs in the Azure environment. The server can be stopped when not required so there's no cost when it's not being used. We make use of the pipeline to put the data into the SQL Azure environment and extract it to the server. I'm the associate manager.

What is most valuable?

The best feature in SQL Server is the CDC mechanism for adding data incrementally. Another good feature is the ability to store any type of data in SQL Server, it's a big advantage.

What needs improvement?

You need to be careful if you have a very large amount of data, because the platform can be degraded if you're not on top of it. Oracle handles that issue better and it's the main problem I have with SQL Server. The performance should be better.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This is a stable product. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

This product is scalable, we have between 20 and 30 users in our company. We'll continue to use this product. 

How are customer service and technical support?

We haven't needed to contact technical support. If there is an issue we use the different SQL forums and we can easily fix issues. 

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward, you can install with basic knowledge. Installation doesn't take long at all, I did it myself. 

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

There are no annual licensing fees, you pay when you use the product. 

What other advice do I have?

I rate this solution a nine out of 10.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Infrastructure and Networks at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Reasonably priced, stable, scalable, and the support is good
Pros and Cons
  • "We like business integration, database, and analysis."
  • "I would like to see more integration with other platforms."

What is our primary use case?

We use this solution for data warehousing and products to the platforms developed by the company. 

What is most valuable?

We like everything. We use all of the features that SQL offers. 

We like business integration, database, and analysis.

What needs improvement?

I would like to see more integration with other platforms.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have used this solution for more than ten years

We are using the latest version.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's a stable product.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It's a scalable solution and we have 1,000 users in our organization.

We are stabilizing, so we are not going to increase our usage with SQL.

How are customer service and technical support?

Technical support is okay. We don't have any issues with them.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was straightforward.

It took a couple of hours to install, no more than that.

What about the implementation team?

We completed the implementation ourselves.

We have a team of 34 admins and engineers to deploy and maintain this solution.

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

We purchased our license and the pricing is fine for us. 

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend this solution to others.

I would rate SQL Server a nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Chief Information Officer at a financial services firm with 501-1,000 employees
Real User
Good SSMS and profiling tools that work well for internal applications
Pros and Cons
  • "I like that the new version has a memory-optimized table to improve the performance."
  • "I would like to see the performance improved. Migrating should be easier and the scalability needs improvement."

What is our primary use case?

We use SQL Server for our internal applications.

What is most valuable?

Working with SQL Server, it is quite convenient to use the SSMS tools to write a profile. I also like the profiling tools.

I like that the new version has a memory-optimized table to improve the performance.

What needs improvement?

We had some difficulty doing the performance tuning when we migrated from the 2008 version to the 2016 version. We experienced a drop in the performance. We could not understand or figure out what caused the drop in performance. We did not change any settings to cause this effect. We tried to keep the same settings.

We feel that when running the 2008 version, it was much quicker in terms of performance. 

That is an area of SQL Server that can be improved. Moving to a new version, you shouldn't have to change the configuration.

We have not been able to utilize it fully because it is not straightforward.

I would like to see the performance improved. Migrating should be easier and the scalability needs improvement.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for many years. 

We are using version 2016.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's a stable product.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

In terms of scalability, it has some room for improvement.

We have 20 people in our organization who are using this solution.

How are customer service and technical support?

We don't usually get support from Microsoft. We get it from our software vendors or we try to do it ourselves.

We are somewhat satisfied with the support that we have received from the vendor, but not fully because of the issue we faced when we moved to a newer version. But in other areas, it's okay.

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

We have used SQL Server from the beginning.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was moderate. It was not easy but it was not difficult.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate SQL Server a nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Director of Data Analytics at a insurance company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Stable with good support, but the scalability needs improvement
Pros and Cons
  • "Technical support is very good."
  • "Scalability is an area that needs improvement, and the deployment is difficult, which why I'm looking for an appliance to deploy it in a much more scalable way."

What is our primary use case?

We are using this solution for application databases and data warehouses.

How has it helped my organization?

The organization was deploying SQL before I came to it, so I assume whoever selected this type of technology was really happy with it.

What is most valuable?

That question is not that easy to answer, to say that there is a feature in a database that you like more than others. When you are running a database, you expect it to do many different things, and if fails in one area, it basically takes it out of the picture completely.

What needs improvement?

Scalability is an area that needs improvement, and the deployment is difficult, which why I'm looking for an appliance to deploy it in a much more scalable way.

I would like to know how you can scale to be a large enterprise server.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using SQL Server for approximately 20 years.

We were using version 16 and we went to version 19.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

There are no issues with stability that are not within the norm where you deploy new versions. Microsoft is always very close. When we experience any type of glitch, Microsoft handles it and we take care of it.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It scales with a lot of effort. When comparing it to Exadata, it's easier to scale with Exadata.

How are customer service and technical support?

Technical support is very good. We have them on-site.

They know their business very well and I would rate them a ten out of ten.

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

Previously, I was working with Oracle Exadata at a different company. It was great, and ran very smoothly.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was straightforward because we had help from Microsoft.

What about the implementation team?

We had help through the Microsoft team.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Our company is Microsoft SQL Server based. I used to use appliances like Exadata before I joined the organization. 

I was looking to see if there would be available technology solutions that would make Microsoft SQL Server work on an appliance to improve stability and scalability, as opposed to running or dividing into Intel-based processors and servers, and handling all of the operational issues.

Having a server that's optimized for the purpose of data warehousing and analytics, is something that I would be interested in. 

I am not sure if there is anything else available as a nice comparison.

We use SQL Server and we are evaluating Azure cloud, and Azure SQL.

What other advice do I have?

I am a data person. I design data warehouses and I develop analytics.

Before implementing SQL Server, make sure that you evaluate it based on the case that you're actually planning to implement it for, and that it's not just for general purposes.

It's not built for everything and anything. You need to choose carefully.

I would rate SQL Server a seven out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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General Manager/MVP at Yotta Infrastructure Solutions LLP
Real User
Reliable, Stable, And Cost-effective Solution For A Small Database
Pros and Cons
  • "The features that we have found the most valuable are reliability, availability perspective, and current scalability."
  • "The scalability and the high availability feature can be expanded or improved. Currently, there is a limitation on scalability. A feature similar to the Oracle Diagnostic feature can be included to provide a better user experience."

What is our primary use case?

We use on-premises, standalone deployment of SQL Server for our own CRM database. There are around seven to eight users in our company. 

How has it helped my organization?

SQL Server suffices our main requirement of a small database, and it is also very cost-effective.

What is most valuable?

The features that we have found the most valuable are reliability, availability perspective, and current scalability. 

What needs improvement?

The scalability and the high availability feature can be expanded or improved. Currently, there is a limitation on scalability. 

A feature similar to the Oracle Diagnostic feature can be included to provide a better user experience. 

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using SQL Server for around 10 years. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Stability and scalability are both good. It suffices for our current requirements, but if we want to scale up in the future, it has limitations.

How are customer service and technical support?

We sometimes contacted Microsoft technical support, and we also have in-house Microsoft support. We are happy with the support.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was straightforward. 

What about the implementation team?

Our in-house team handled the deployment. 

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

SQL Server is a cost-effective solution for a small database. 

What other advice do I have?

I would definitely recommend SQL Server. 

I would rate SQL Server an eight out of ten. 

Not a ten because it has some limitations. When considering overall scalability, reliability, features, if you look at Oracle, it's still ahead of SQL Server.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
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