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Senior General Manager at Worly Plumbing Supply, Inc.
Real User
Easy to use and provides good speed and data recovery
Pros and Cons
  • "Agent service is a good feature of SQL Server, where you can schedule certain tasks."
  • "SQL Server is an expensive solution"

What is our primary use case?

Most of our clients use SQL Server as a back-end source.

What is most valuable?

Agent service is a good feature of SQL Server, where you can schedule certain tasks. The solution's encryption feature allows the data to be encrypted while transferring from one place to another. The solution's performance and speed are also good. Indexing and Magic Tables are very good features of SQL Server. We have a different transition style with the solution.

What needs improvement?

SQL Server is an expensive solution, and its pricing should be reduced.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using SQL Server for 18 years.

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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

SQL Server is a highly stable solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution’s performance and scalability are very good. Our clients for SQL Server are enterprise businesses.

I rate the solution a 9 out of 10 for scalability.

How was the initial setup?

The solution’s initial setup is easy.

What about the implementation team?

The solution can be deployed within a few minutes.

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

SQL Server is an expensive solution.

On a scale from 1 to 10, when one is cheap and ten is expensive, I rate the solution's pricing a 9 out of 10.

What other advice do I have?

The solution has a good data recovery feature. There are a lot of ways you can recover data. You can manage the recovery, resilience, and disaster management with SQL Server. I would recommend SQL Server to other users because it's easy to use, stable, and has a lot of features. The solution is suitable for different types of companies as per the requirement, including small, medium, and large enterprises.

Overall, I rate the solution 10 out of 10.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Implementer
PeerSpot user
HaiPham - PeerSpot reviewer
Managing Director at sea-solutión
MSP
Top 5Leaderboard
Provides effective security features, but the scalability needs improvement
Pros and Cons
  • "The setup process is straightforward."
  • "The product performance can become slow when the data reaches sizes like a terabyte."

What is most valuable?

SQL Server is easy to use. As a Microsoft product, it has an intuitive and user-friendly interface.

What needs improvement?

The product performance can become slow when the data reaches sizes like a terabyte.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The product is stable. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Our organization has a maximum of 100 SQL Server users. The scalability needs improvement.

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

We have used other solutions such as PostgreSQL, MySQL, and Oracle. 

SQL Server is often chosen for Windows platforms due to its compatibility. For other development environments, like PHP or Java, we might select MySQL or PostgreSQL, respectively.

How was the initial setup?

The setup process is straightforward. It involves running the setup file, configuring general settings, setting up a user account, and creating a database. After that, you can create tables within the database and start using it.

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

The product's price is reasonable. It requires a one-time license purchase, unlike Azure SQL, which operates on a subscription basis.

What other advice do I have?

SQL Server's performance is good enough for medium-sized applications. The security features are adequate and effective.

I rate it a seven out of ten. 

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
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.
856,873 professionals have used our research since 2012.
AhmadTalha - PeerSpot reviewer
Product owner at Digitt Plus (AFT)
Real User
Top 5
A robust and secure solution that helps to store data
Pros and Cons
  • "SQL Server is essentially the backbone of every microservice. From a developer's perspective, it is the backbone of all microservices. The tool enables data retrieval, set data, and essential operations, ensuring the smooth functioning of applications. In essence, it is the integral part that keeps applications operational."
  • "The GUI needs improvement. From a technical perspective, it's quite complex, which may not be a problem for individuals with technical backgrounds like ours, especially since we've encountered similar interfaces. However, navigating the GUI can be challenging for newcomers or product owners without technical experience. For example, as someone transitioning from a developer role to a product management role, I find it relatively easy to use the GUI. But for those without a technical background, it's much more challenging to grasp what's happening."

What is most valuable?

SQL Server is essentially the backbone of every microservice. From a developer's perspective, it is the backbone of all microservices. The tool enables data retrieval, set data, and essential operations, ensuring the smooth functioning of applications. In essence, it is the integral part that keeps applications operational.

The solution's security features are good. 

What needs improvement?

The GUI  needs improvement. From a technical perspective, it's quite complex, which may not be a problem for individuals with technical backgrounds like ours, especially since we've encountered similar interfaces. However, navigating the GUI can be challenging for newcomers or product owners without technical experience. For example, as someone transitioning from a developer role to a product management role, I find it relatively easy to use the GUI. But for those without a technical background, it's much more challenging to grasp what's happening. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the product for six years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I rate the tool's stability a nine out of ten. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution's scalability and performance depend on application size and data size. Overall, the performance is pretty good and decent. My company has 20-30 users. 

How are customer service and support?

I haven't contacted the technical support. Our DBA manages it. 

How was the initial setup?

SQL Server is easy to deploy. A five-member technical team maintains it. 

What other advice do I have?

I rate SQL Server a nine out of ten. It is robust, secure, scalable, and can store data. It can handle multiple users with good customer support. We have integrated it with IDE and Git. 

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Isam Ahmed - PeerSpot reviewer
System analyst at Ministry of Interior
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
A reliable database management system that is able to handle significant volumes of data
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution is valuable because it seamlessly extracts reports and enables the collection of information from different tables."
  • "There is a lot of room for improvement when it comes to limited compatibility across the platform and restricted performance with massive data sets."

What is our primary use case?

We use it for warehouse data management, as well as for statistical reports. It facilitates tabling and query processing while supporting multiple database operations. 

What is most valuable?

The solution is valuable because it seamlessly extracts reports and enables the collection of information from different tables.

What needs improvement?

There is a lot of room for improvement when it comes to limited compatibility across the platform and restricted performance with massive data sets. Enhancing those two areas would significantly improve the operation. It is important to mention the licensing cost, as well. Optimization of the licensing options to fit different needs and businesses would be of great benefit. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have used this solution for ten years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is a robust and stable solution. Its tracking record is reliable and it can handle large volumes of data.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

SQL Server offers easy scalability, allowing databases to grow as the data and user base expand. 

How are customer service and support?

Their customer service is great. When we faced certain issues, they solved them fast. There were no problems with communication.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is easy, and integrating the system is okay. The only issue is regarding the customization of the business process of the organization, it might take some time. Ultimately, it depends on the client's specific needs.

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

SQL Server is an expensive solution. Their pricing structure and licensing options are not budget-friendly, so I believe it is an essential factor to consider when choosing the right product.

What other advice do I have?

It proved to be a great fit for medium-sized enterprises, in terms of the variety of the tools it provides. For bigger projects and specific needs, there might be a need to employ different solutions such as Oracle, and ERP systems. But overall, it works great as a relationship database management system. I would rate it eight 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.
PeerSpot user
DineshKumar27 - PeerSpot reviewer
Solution architect at Rackspace
MSP
Top 10
Offers good reliability and fault tolerance capabilities
Pros and Cons
  • "Features like autoscaling, business continuity, and security are beneficial. The tool's compatibility with almost all of the enterprise-class applications is also beneficial for users."
  • "Sometimes, the tool doesn't support all the native features, and because of this, our company has to customize it to meet our requirements, which is a challenging process for our company's engineers."

What is our primary use case?

There are three variations available within SQL Server, the first one being that you can migrate your SQL instances from an on-premises version to the cloud. Second, you have an option to modernize the SQL platform and move to managing instances on the cloud. Third, SQL Server has an offering called Azure SQL, where you can deploy Azure instances in a flexible manner, and it can automatically scale up or down, depending upon the requirements. There are specific features you can license, as per the CPU cores and transactions you deal with in your business. There are various models of the tool that are available.

What needs improvement?

Features like autoscaling, business continuity, and security are beneficial. The tool's compatibility with almost all of the enterprise-class applications is also beneficial for users.

The tool is secure in nature. The security portfolios are changing day by day, and new security bugs are being released. The tool responds to users' requirements to deal with bugs and security issues. I feel that the tool should offer more security features to be made available. The security packages to be followed by users should be consolidated and sent to customers every day or every week so that they can have the security features updated. If security packages are available in a consolidated manner every month, it will be beneficial. I think there are certain areas of concern regarding the backup of the product that I have heard from my company's engineers. Sometimes, the tool doesn't support all the native features, and because of this, our company has to customize it to meet our requirements, which is a challenging process for our company's engineers. The tool has to be user-friendly- in terms of supporting the backup features and adapting to various backup environments.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using SQL Server for 5 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is a very stable solution. Hundreds and thousands of customers have adopted SQL Server since it is a very stable solution.

Stability-wise, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

My company deals with organizations where the solution is used, with between 200 and 7,000 users.

How are customer service and support?

The solution's technical support is available twenty-four hours, seven days a week, with the specific SLAs associated with the product. Apart from Microsoft, there are hundreds of solution integrators and managed service providers available worldwide who provide support for SQL servers.

How was the initial setup?

The product's initial setup phase is very straightforward and nothing complex. Anybody who has a basic knowledge of SQL and Azure should be able to deploy the product.

SQL Server has a clear set of procedures to help users deploy the product. Initially, to identify your sizing or capacity requirements, after which you pick up the right setup from the cloud and then configure it with the right level of storage and the right level of CPU and memory before choosing the version of SQL you want to deploy, post which you will be ready to use the tool.

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

You can opt for a pay-as-you-go model, which allows you to pay as per your usage, which is a little expensive. You also have the option to purchase for a period of a year or three, which comes with discounted pricing. Depending upon your usage, you can use the pay-as-you-go model for a short period of time. For longer projects, we can opt for one-year or a three-year license.

What other advice do I have?

Speaking about a project where SQL Server was essential in archiving our company's objectives, I feel that customers generally like to optimize their licenses while making sure they get the right level of operational excellence out of it. When you run the tool on an on-premises version, you are dependent upon operational resources or human resources to manage it. When the tool is in the cloud, it is managed by Azure, where you can optimize or effectively use your resources, which can provide you with cost advantage or cost optimization. As the tool is flexible in nature, you don't have to monitor it all the time for performance and capacity issues. The tool automatically scales and provides you with the required level of scalability, and it also has built-in DR and business continuity features. Even in the case of a disaster, it automatically moves to a DR location and provides you with the right level of business continuity and availability.

The product has built-in scalability features. Depending upon the number of transactions or usage, it automatically scales itself. You can also define specific parameters for how the tool needs to scale or how to respond to the requirements of the users. The tool has a good amount of scalability features.

Azure provides funding for doing a PoC, so if you are a little apprehensive about using it, then you can reach out to a local Azure partner, who will be able to help you with providing the funding from Azure. Azure's funding part is valid for a period of two to three weeks, so you can actually deploy it and play around to ensure that you are comfortable with what you are doing. Once you are satisfied with the results of the tool, you can go ahead and migrate or modernize your databases. I suggest others use the funding from Azure so that you can get a touch and feel for the product.

SQL Server comes under the category of enterprise tools. Most enterprise tools have connectivity available. If there is no connectivity available in the enterprise tools you use, you can develop APIs to integrate with other tools.

The benefits attached to the solution revolve around the fact that it offers scalability and reliability. The tool also helps with fault tolerance while offering business continuity features. The tool offers its users a fully secure environment. In banking, federal government, or insurance firms, I feel that the tool ensures that its users are fully secured, and you can apply whatever regulatory governance you want to apply to the tool.

 I rate the tool a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
Domenico Beneventano - PeerSpot reviewer
Professor at University of Modena and Reggio Emilia
Real User
Top 20
Users need to go through a simple initial setup process to use it
Pros and Cons
  • "The product's initial setup phase was simple."
  • "The interface of the tool has certain shortcomings, making it an area where improvements are required."

What is our primary use case?

There are no specific use cases attached to the solution. From an academic point of view, I make the tool available to the students for some training or tests. I also used it to compare the functionalities of Oracle Data Integrators with other data integration systems.

What is most valuable?

I can't comment on the valuable features of the product right now since I recently downloaded some whitepaper and manuals. I downloaded the documentation related to the tool, but I haven't used much of the system. I know that SQL Server is a good system, based on a report I read on the Gartner website.

What needs improvement?

The interface of the tool has certain shortcomings, making it an area where improvements are required.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using SQL Server for ten to twenty years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is a stable solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I haven't tested the system for scalability. I use it for simple tasks.

As per our company's agreement with Microsoft, some of the software from Microsoft 10 was included in SQL Server when there were about 1,000 students attending database classes using it.

How was the initial setup?

The product's initial setup phase was simple.

What other advice do I have?

There were no specific projects for which I used the tool. I conduct classes related to data integration. I need to use some products attached to the data integration area having a Python framework. I wanted to compare the tool with some commercial tools such as Oracle Data Integrator.

I recommend the product to those who plan to use it.

SQL Servers and Power BI Report Servers can integrate well.

I rate the tool a seven to eight out of ten.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Sumeet  Zalpuri - PeerSpot reviewer
Data engineer at ASR Nederland N.V.
Real User
Top 10
The restoration of data is very easy compared to any other database
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution is very intuitive and easy to use."
  • "The performance degrades when the data is huge."

What is our primary use case?

We extracted data from SAP and stored it in SQL Server. We created a connection between the Data Services Server and the SQL Server. If anything went wrong, there were SQL Server experts who took care of everything. So, we extracted data from our ERP system and stored it in SQL Server.

What is most valuable?

Whenever we had to restore the data, it was not as difficult as restoring the database to any other RDBMS. The restoration of data is very easy compared to any other database. The solution is very intuitive and easy to use. It is one of the best relational database systems in the market. The restore and backup strategy was not complicated. The ease of use was excellent compared to any other databases.

What needs improvement?

The performance degrades when the data is huge. It also degrades when there is a flux of data.

For how long have I used the solution?

I used the solution for four to five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The tool is stable. I rate the stability a seven out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The tool is pretty scalable. We had 100 users in our organization. We can scale the tool vertically and horizontally.

What other advice do I have?

SQL Server is the best database when the data is not huge or when we know that the data is coming in at a specific rate. I rate the integration of the product with SAP BusinessObjects Data Services nine out of ten. It is easy. We did not come across any issues or delays. Every organization uses Microsoft. SQL Server is one of the oldest RDBMSs on the market. It is easy to use and intuitive. A lot of people know about it. The ease of use is greater than any other server in the market. Overall, I rate the solution an eight and a half 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
reviewer2662845 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Business Intelligence Developer
Real User
Enables basic BI tasks but lacks AI functionality
Pros and Cons
  • "It is easy to use for a BI specialist."
  • "It can be better if it enables the use of AI functions."

What is our primary use case?

I work as a BI specialist, so I am directly using SQL Server since I am using the database and making reports from it via SSAS.

What is most valuable?

I use SQL Server daily for data analysis using its database capabilities and reporting via SSAS. It is easy to use for a BI specialist.

What needs improvement?

It can be better if it enables the use of AI functions. I used to work with Alteryx, and it has an analytical platform that was best for working directly from a database with machine learning algorithms. So, it would be better, I think.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using SQL Server for around three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I would rate the stability around nine or ten. I have not encountered any problems with it.

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

I used to work with Dataiku, however, I switched jobs. I used to work as a developer for Dataiku, and now I am working as a BI specialist.

How was the initial setup?

I think it is not easy to work with date types when compared to Oracle. Oracle is more useful, but I do not know which feature is better for SQL Server.

What about the implementation team?

I deploy all packages myself and use SSIS for that. We are creating stored procedures and triggering some jobs in SQL Server. I did the deployment by myself.

What was our ROI?

I am unable to determine any ROI since I have always used SQL Server and cannot compare it with other tools.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I have previously worked with Dataiku.

What other advice do I have?

Based on my experience, SQL Server is a common tool and does not offer significantly higher benefits or anything too special. It is easy to use, and I would recommend it to others. 

I would rate it around five on a scale of one to 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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Updated: March 2025
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Download our free SQL Server Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.