SQL Server is used for storing data.
System Architect, SCRUM Product Owner at a tech company with 10,001+ employees
Easy to use, scalable, and reliable
Pros and Cons
- "I have found SQL Server easy to use."
- "SQL Server could improve by having better usability or user guidance."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
I have found SQL Server easy to use.
What needs improvement?
SQL Server could improve by having better usability or user guidance.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using SQL Server for approximately five years.
Buyer's Guide
SQL Server
December 2025
Learn what your peers think about SQL Server. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2025.
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable and the performance is good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
SQL Server is scalable.
How are customer service and support?
I have not needed to contact support.
How was the initial setup?
The implementation was done by our IT department.
What about the implementation team?
We did the implementation in-house.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price of the solution is fine.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to others.
I rate SQL Server an eight 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.
Technical Systems Support Manager at a hospitality company with 201-500 employees
Has a reliable database
Pros and Cons
- "The solution has a reliable database."
- "Microsoft support is an issue unto itself."
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using SQL Server for more than 10 or 15 years.
How are customer service and support?
Microsoft support is an issue unto itself. We mainly benefit from common support, such as a forum or Microsoft support, of which I don't have that much experience.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
As with Oracle Database, the solution has a reliable database. I do not see much difference between the two when it comes to usage and the program decision to use one solution over another varies with the appropriateness of a given product, some utilizing Oracle, others Scale.
What other advice do I have?
I am an SQL partner.
As with Oracle, SQL Server is deployed on private cloud.
I rate SQL Server as a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Buyer's Guide
SQL Server
December 2025
Learn what your peers think about SQL Server. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2025.
879,371 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Sr. Solution Architect at a computer software company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Easy-to-use interface for building queries
Pros and Cons
- "The interface for building the queries or writing the store procedures is good."
- "Additional interfaces would be an improvement."
What is our primary use case?
SQL Server is the database for the transactional database that is being used.
The solution can be used for the BI, the data warehouse part as well, but mostly I have seen it used for the transaction data being stored by the DBMS part of it.
What is most valuable?
The solution is very easy to use, because even the technical engineers that we get are able to use it more efficiently. I like the programming interface they have where they help us get the table names that we are dealing with, and the field names in that particular table.
The interface for building the queries or writing the store procedures is good.
What needs improvement?
If I compare the solution with current technology needs, like NoSQL, that have been prevailing now, they could improve it so there could be a single solution, where we could deal with a single database for both transactional as well as for the in-memory needs that we have.
For the integration part, additional interfaces would be an improvement. If SQL Server could expose certain APIs or certain interfaces which can be used for integration with the warehouse solution, then it would be great.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable.
How was the initial setup?
The team needed for implementing the solution depends on the project size and functionalities needed. But as far as the DB administrator, generally, we use a single resource for each project. One database engineer is sufficient for optimizing the query or indexes or building any database scripts.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate the solution an eight out of ten.
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
Product Owner at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
Straightforward installation, easy database access, and scalable
Pros and Cons
- "They have improved the UI and ease of accessing the database and server which is good. You can load it up and start using it from the very minute it is implemented."
What is our primary use case?
We use SQL Server to manage and store information.
What is most valuable?
They have improved the UI and ease of accessing the database and server which is good.
You can load it up and start using it from the very minute it is implemented.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using SQL Server for two and a half years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
SQL Server is stable. We have more resources that are using it, I am more familiar with SQL Server. I have been using it for a long time. Most of the time it has been stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable.
We have approximately 30 people in my organization using this solution.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support is okay.
How was the initial setup?
The installation is straightforward.
What about the implementation team?
We have administrators and engineers that do support the solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We are on a monthly subscription and the price could improve. However, the price has worked out well in some deployments. The problem is you never know what kind of services have been installed and you have to be in touch with many people, such as which servers are active or which are not. I did face a couple of issues in terms of subscriptions and the pricing model. They have improved over time.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to others. My advice to others wanting to implement this solution is you have to consider the industry demand and the benefits or advantages of a solution before you choose, for example, Oracle or Microsoft.
I rate SQL Server an eight 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.
CEO at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
Simple to use and in demand among our customers
Pros and Cons
- "SQL Server is widely used and it's simple. You cannot do without Microsoft if you want to manage IT for a business customer."
What is our primary use case?
We manage backups for our customers, so we are not developers and we don't use SQL to provide a service. We are a managed service provider focused more on IT support and SQL configuration. So we don't use SQL as a product by ourselves. Instead, we provide instructions for how to back up SQL and do maintenance on it for our customers who need a SQL server for their CRM and ERP products. Their products need to have a SQL server to use in order to use their services. So we handle the maintenance for our customers.
What is most valuable?
Microsoft has a very broad landscape of products that they provide—almost everything that you need. SQL Server is widely used and it's simple. You cannot do without Microsoft if you want to manage IT for a business customer. And even if you don't like Microsoft, you should know how to use it because just about every customer uses Microsoft, so you have to use it. So it doesn't matter if I like it. It's everywhere, so you have to know how to use it.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using Microsoft SQL Server for 25 years now.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We are a reseller of Microsoft. We also signed the SPLA agreement, which stands for Services Provider License Agreement. So we are able to use Microsoft products in our data center in order to provide cloud services to our customers.
What other advice do I have?
I rate SQL Server nine out of 10.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
System Analyst and Team Lead at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Stable, scalable, and simple installation
Pros and Cons
- "Many developers like SQL Server."
- "The solution could improve by having more integration with other operating systems and other platforms."
What is our primary use case?
I am a professional and I use this SQL Server in different companies. One of the companies I worked for was in the automotive industry. They had automobile products which they developed the SQL Server and database. At that time it was the first time I used SQL Server. I have also used Suprema which is a biometric system that also had an SQL Server. Our main products for data we have used SQL Server. However, my main application is developed on Oracle and MySQL, not any other database solution.
All of our systems use this solution, it can control security, data management, and integration.
What is most valuable?
Many developers like SQL Server.
What needs improvement?
The solution could improve by having more integration with other operating systems and other platforms.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used SQL Server within the past 12 months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
SQL Server is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have used MySQL.
How was the initial setup?
If you follow the restoration policy, the installation is not a problem. If you want connectivity in the application then you have to open the ports and configure them. Otherwise, I'm very pleased it is very simple.
What about the implementation team?
I can do the implementation myself.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
SQL Server is under a license from Microsoft.
What other advice do I have?
I would not recommend this solution.
I rate SQL Server a six 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.
Enterprise Solutions Architect at a comms service provider with 501-1,000 employees
Good Support, and easy to install
Pros and Cons
- "SQL Server scales well."
- "While this is a reliable product, it has room for improvement."
What is our primary use case?
We use SQL Server as a database management system for all of our projects.
What needs improvement?
While this is a reliable product, it has room for improvement.
Although Microsoft SQL was accessible in some projects, we did not use it everywhere. It is determined by the project. It's quite beneficial in some circumstances, but it couldn't support SQL databases in others, consequently, we used other suppliers like Oracle, Informix DB, PostgreSQL, MySQL, and others.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using SQL Server for quite some time now.
We use it both on-premises and in the cloud. It is dependent on the projects.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
SQL Server is a stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
SQL Server scales well.
In the future, we may expand our usage.
How are customer service and support?
I don't have any issues with the technical support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We evaluated each product after using it, starting with Informix DB and ending with Oracle.
Oracle, Informix DB, PostgreSQL, and MySQL are among the products we use.
How was the initial setup?
It's quite easy to install.
Completing the installation is not an issue.
What about the implementation team?
My position is not related to installation, but if it is necessary, I am capable of doing it.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It requires the purchase of a license. Our company's products all have licenses.
What other advice do I have?
It is appropriate for small and medium-sized businesses.
I would recommend this solution to others.
I would rate SQL Server an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Managing Director at a marketing services firm with 51-200 employees
Efficient data retrieval, scalable, and straightforward installation
Pros and Cons
- "One of the best features of SQL Server is the efficient retrieval of information."
- "We want to move to Azure, and the solution could be made better to make the process easier for the migration from on-premise to the cloud."
What is our primary use case?
We are using SQL Server for our financial application package.
What is most valuable?
One of the best features of SQL Server is the efficient retrieval of information.
What needs improvement?
We want to move to Azure, and the solution could be made better to make the process easier for the migration from on-premise to the cloud.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used SQL Server for approximately seven years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
SQL Server is stable. However, Microsoft products have a tendency to crash. I would rate it a five out of ten in terms of stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of SQL Server is good.
How was the initial setup?
The solution is straightforward to install.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price of SQL Server could be better in the African market. The licensing model needs to be improved, it is confusing.
What other advice do I have?
I rate SQL Server an eight 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.
Buyer's Guide
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Updated: December 2025
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