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reviewer1478394 - PeerSpot reviewer
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: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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reviewer1523223 - PeerSpot reviewer
IT at a financial services firm with 201-500 employees
Real User
Enables a person to do whatever is required at the command line level
Pros and Cons
  • "Since we can automate most of our tasks, it means that the management is very easy."
  • "I would like to see the database become fully automated."

What is our primary use case?

Microsoft SQL Server is a database application, meaning it acts as the backend system for help with the backend data repository system. It concerns itself with every activity that happens at the front end of the database in Microsoft SQL Server. ERP Microsoft solutions is one reason that the SQL server has compatibility. The management of Microsoft SQL Server is actually quite easy. It has a GUI interface and enables a person to do whatever is required at the command line level. It functions as a repository for storing one's data in the relational database. 

What needs improvement?

The Standard Edition and Enterprise Edition have certain limitations. While the latter is clearly more expensive than the former, it would be nice to see some of the features in the Enterprise Edition be moved to the Standard Edition. This will encourage many more people to use that solution.

If we were discussing the 2000 edition in respect of the SQL Server, I would probably cite security and performance as issues. However, nowadays, when it comes to an application connected to their databases, there is no real difference between MS SQL Server and Oracle. As a consequence, it would be nice to see the application be made more cost-effective. I am aware of much database self-management in respect of Oracle. I know that the last time a colleague of mine used this solution in California, he informed me that the application itself was managing the database.

At present, the solution uses the older connection and the schema is designed in such a way that it can actually provide a very low level of virtualization. Since the security is also hierarchical within the system, they've really done a very good job. 

This said, I would like to see the database become fully automated.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using SQL server for a couple of years, since day one. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable and it has remained so over the years. I've worked in different organizations, such as the banks here in Lagos. Straight off the bat, I've been using Microsoft SQL Server 2000. We currently use Microsoft SQL Server for our ERP needs. How one designs his tables is important. As the team leader, it is my job to ensure that the functioning is as it should be. The application is pretty straightforward. 

Since we can automate most of our tasks, it means that the management is very easy. We can have jobs for our backups. The solution grants us the ability to perform database housekeeping tasks.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is very scalable.

How are customer service and technical support?

It's been fun dealing with technical support. Generally speaking, they have shown a willingness to handle issues we may have. 

What other advice do I have?

The solution demonstrates performance and this is going well for the moment. 

In consideration of its performance, I rate SQL server as a nine out of ten. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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SQL Server
March 2025
Learn what your peers think about SQL Server. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2025.
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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: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1570953 - PeerSpot reviewer
Database Administrator at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Very scalable and stable, good support, and works well with Windows Server platforms
Pros and Cons
  • "Microsoft SQL Server is one of the better database administration software packages out there. It runs primarily on Windows Server platforms, but it can also run on Linux platforms."
  • "Primarily, the data replication and the backup areas can be improved. It should have data replication capabilities and uptime capabilities."

What is our primary use case?

It is used for everything under the sun. We're currently using it for a health pass for a medic aid information management system. It is also used by companies in banking and retail.

We are using SQL Server 2014 on Windows Server 2012 platform, and we also have SQL Server 2016 on Windows Server 2016 platform. I have primarily worked on the hardware, but I am now also working in the Amazon AWS cloud.

How has it helped my organization?

The entire solution that we're deploying is built on Microsoft SQL Server as a database engine. Our solution is completely engineered for that, and if we attempt to deploy it in any other database engine, it is going to be a huge nightmare.

What is most valuable?

Microsoft SQL Server is one of the better database administration software packages out there. It runs primarily on Windows Server platforms, but it can also run on Linux platforms.

What needs improvement?

Primarily, the data replication and the backup areas can be improved. It should have data replication capabilities and uptime capabilities.  The native SQL Server Backups take more time than do the backup processes from LiteSpeed, and the backup compression is a little less.  

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using SQL Server since version 6.5, which came out about 30 years ago.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is very stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is very scalable. You can run the database engine on the C drive, or you can run it on a large cloud array or a disk array. Currently, we just have developers and testers accessing it.

How are customer service and technical support?

Technical support from Microsoft is very good.

How was the initial setup?

If you know how to set it up, it is easy, but you have to learn that over time. For a new user, it is detailed. You need to have the right things in place at the right time before you actually install the software.

To create an instance, it takes about an hour overall. This includes deploying the basic system, applying the latest service pack, and then applying the latest cumulative update.

What about the implementation team?

It was an in-house job. In terms of maintenance, the number of staff members required would depend on the implementation. It requires coordination amongst teams. It is a team effort. The database administrator creates and runs the jobs that create the backup file. You need to have somebody for copying the backup files to offline storage. You also need to have system administrators for setting up the hardware.

What other advice do I have?

I would advise others to just be familiar with Windows concepts.

I would rate SQL Server a nine out of ten. If you're familiar with Windows concepts, it just works.

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?

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Database Administration Team Leader at a transportation company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
A stable relational database management system with a valuable Always On feature
Pros and Cons
  • "I believe Always On is the most valuable feature. It's also easy to use and not very tricky."
  • "Analysis services have a lot of room for improvement. Basically, manageability on the available tools. They should have improved them already. They are not very efficient. My main headache is with the analysis service, and it would be really good if Microsoft developed some additional tools that are more user-friendly to manage the analysis. This is both from the perspective of management, users' roles, and performance analysis. My main wish for SQL Server would be that management tools for analysis services grow and mature a bit."

What is our primary use case?

We use it for both database services and analysis services.

What is most valuable?

I believe Always On is the most valuable feature. It's also easy to use and not very tricky.

What needs improvement?

Analysis services have a lot of room for improvement. Basically, manageability on the available tools. They should have improved them already. They are not very efficient. My main headache is with the analysis service, and it would be really good if Microsoft developed some additional tools that are more user-friendly to manage the analysis. This is both from the perspective of management, users' roles, and performance analysis. My main wish for SQL Server would be that management tools for analysis services grow and mature a bit.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using SQL Server for about 15 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's stable. The database service is better than the analysis service, but it's quite stable. It's as stable as the support it has. If it has a good infrastructure and good machines with disks, it's quite stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

SQL Server is vertically scalable. We have about 3,000 people using this solution.

How are customer service and technical support?

We haven't used their technical support a lot. I would say it depends on the scope of the help you need. On a scale from one to ten, I would give technical support a seven.

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

I don't know the exact prices because my focus is essentially technical and not on the bills. A few years ago, they changed the billing policy for the Enterprise Edition, and it became less attractive. But I believe they are still cheaper than Oracle. SQL Server isn't cheap, but it's not expensive either. 

What other advice do I have?

I would tell potential users that it's important to have a good infrastructure, but my advice is for any database, not only SQL Server. It's important to have a good infrastructure and a good network if you're planning to use Always On and clusters. I believe the most important thing is the infrastructure where the SQL Server will be based.

On a scale from one to ten, I would give SQL Server an eight.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Prashant Baste - PeerSpot reviewer
Sr. Solution Architect at Team Computers
Real User
Top 10
Very fast with an easy initial setup and reasonable pricing
Pros and Cons
  • "The initial setup isn't overly complex."
  • "The backup capacity needs to be bigger."

What is our primary use case?

We are primarily using the solution for pulling data and analysis.

In the auto industry, are the dealer management systems for which there is kind of portals from which the dealers are maintaining information can have access to retail data, bookings, and details surrounding individual customers.

We are fetching data and using it for analytics purposes, basically.

What is most valuable?

The basic features of the solution are excellent overall.

The initial setup isn't overly complex.

The pricing is reasonable.

The solution scales well.

The solutions very fast. It reads and writes six to eight times faster than any other tool.

What needs improvement?

The solution is very different from Oracle, which is a product we also use.

Mainly the data capacity needs to be improved. The data values are limited. They are smaller or medium scale. The MySQL is working fine, however, when it comes to large data sets or large data volumes, Oracle can handle them better. The backup capacity needs to be bigger.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

When it's medium or small-scale data volume, people are referring to MySQL, however, when the data volume grows the people are referring to Oracle. In my estimation, the stability is fine.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability of the product is pretty good. It can scale effectively and expands better than other options.

We have around 40 users on the solution currently.

Our main usage is not for the database and we simply use basic aspects of the platform.

How are customer service and technical support?

Technical support isn't an aspect of the solution I know too much about. I've never been in direct contact with them. Therefore, I can't speak to how helpful or responsive they are. 

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

We also currently use Oracle. 

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup isn't too complex or difficult. It's pretty straightforward. It's less complex of a process as compared to other solutions.

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

The cost isn't overly expensive. It's very reasonable. Our customers are happy with the price. It's in a good range.

What other advice do I have?

We are partners with Microsoft. We use multiple deployment models, and typically those are private cloud or on-premises options.

Overall, I would rate the solution at an eight out of ten. We've been mostly very satisfied with the capabilities of the product. It's fast. It's our preferred product.

I'd recommend the solution to other users and organizations.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Private Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: partner
PeerSpot user
reviewer1488372 - PeerSpot reviewer
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: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
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: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
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