Owner at BNS
Real User
Reliable, with good programmability, and helpful web support
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable features are programmability and reliability."
  • "Price could be cheaper, and access to reporting tools should be better."

What is our primary use case?

We are using this solution for business websites.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features are programmability and reliability.

What needs improvement?

Price could be cheaper, and access to reporting tools should be better.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with SQL Server for more than 20 years.

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March 2024
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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 has limited scalability, but it's perfectly adequate for our needs. We apply vertical scalability to it and not horizontal.

We are a very small software development company, scaling is not an issue for us.

How are customer service and support?

Technical support is good.

In general, we use what is available on the web, rather than talking to people. The articles on the web are more useful.

We have no particular issue with Microsoft.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was straightforward. It was very easy to do.

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

The price could be cheaper.

What other advice do I have?

The marketing for dealer support and that type of environment is very contorted. It's very difficult to access, but, with the technical side of things, they are fine.

My experience is limited, but compared with Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server is many times better and easier to program with. So, I love Microsoft. I don't like Oracle.

I would rate SQL Server a ten 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
PeerSpot user
Technical Department Manager at Direcbusiness Technologies, Inc.
Real User
Straightforward setup and good stability
Pros and Cons
  • "We have many users, between 50 and 100 using the SQL Server product."
  • "Right now we don't get much technical support from Microsoft"

What is our primary use case?

We use it mostly for integration into an ERP system. We also use it for our internal development of products.

How has it helped my organization?

We have many users, between 50 and 100 using the SQL Server product.

What is most valuable?

We have been using SQL Server from the start, so it's a stable product.

What needs improvement?

I think a web console for the management studio, I think that would be a good thing. I think also on load balancing. I think that's something that we can use.

For how long have I used the solution?

We've been using SQL Server for 12 years. We are currently using the latest version. It is deployed on-premise and cloud.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The product is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The product is scalable.

How are customer service and technical support?

Right now we don't get much technical support from Microsoft. I think for all issues we encounter, we do the solutions by ourselves. I think if there should be some avenue for us to raise some issues that we are encountering, so maybe that would be something that's good for us as well. It is not easy to contact Microsoft support for this product.

How was the initial setup?

Setup required two engineers to deploy it. It was pretty straightforward and took one to two days.

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

We didn't have any licensing costs for SQL Server.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend this product to others and give it an 8 out of 10.

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: Implementer
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
SQL Server
March 2024
Learn what your peers think about SQL Server. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2024.
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it_user823959 - PeerSpot reviewer
Works at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
MSP
SSAS is the most interesting feature to organize the data and let the users play with it
Pros and Cons
  • "SSAS is the most interesting feature to organize the data and let the users play with it."
  • "The reporting services of the solution (SSRS and now Power BI) are the less valuable items of the SQL Server suite."

What is our primary use case?

Implementing solutions for controllers and project managers on their financial data for 10 years, and now using the Power BI Microsoft solution.

How has it helped my organization?

Implementing a unified, reliable database is one of the main improvements of departments whose business is to make decisions according their aggregated data. SQL Server, with the services it offers, has the full capability to manage this goal.

What is most valuable?

SSAS is the most interesting feature to organize the data and let the users play with it.

SSIS is also very powerful, but not always user-friendly. It requires you to build a solution around SSIS.

What needs improvement?

The reporting services of the solution (SSRS and now Power BI) are the less valuable items of the SQL Server suite. 

For how long have I used the solution?

More than five years.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
System Engineer at CMC CSI saigon
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
Easy to install, reliable, and reasonably priced
Pros and Cons
  • "The license fee is very low."
  • "We have no vision. We don't know when or how we have been hacked."

What is our primary use case?

SQL Server is only running in China, it is not connected to our site.

We have some PCs running on Windows 7, but it is not supported.

What needs improvement?

We have no vision. We don't know when or how we have been hacked.

We require expert support with it. That is why I am looking for CRMs.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using SQL Server for one year.

We use several versions such as 2008, 2012, and 2015.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

SQL Server is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We are not running more than 1%. Scalability needs improvement.

We have 415 users in our organization.

We have plans to increase our usage.

We have an Active Directory system, so we can install antivirus on the endpoints.

How are customer service and support?

Normally, we can check with the deployment person, and our IT team will respond to the message once my team has deployed it.

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

I have some experience with McAfee MVISION Endpoint. We are focused on the MV1 edition. We have to blend into the EDR.

McAfee has three editions, MVISION 1, 2, and 6. We are still working with version 1.

We are also working with Endpoint Plan 1.

We have 15 servers, both Windows OS and Linux OS.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is not complex.

We have an in-house IT team that can deploy this solution.

What about the implementation team?

We have some people who have worked in IT and with endpoint software. I believe my team is capable of handling the new software, and solutions.

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

The licenses are purchased annually.

The license fee is very low.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I was looking into some solutions to meet our company's needs. Endpoint Protection for Business, McAfee, and Microsoft Defender for Endpoint was among the solutions I researched. For endpoint security, I prefer Microsoft Defender or McAfee Endpoint Security.

Now we're comparing the cost-effectiveness, and especially the features, and giving ourselves the ability to choose the solution, truly enabling a solution.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend this solution to others who are interested in using it.

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.
PeerSpot user
Ferhat Alkan - PeerSpot reviewer
Kurucu, Bilgisayar Programcısı at Optimus Yazılım
Real User
Easy to use and there is great value having the database engine running continually
Pros and Cons
  • "It's great that the database engine is always on."
  • "The solution is lacking a compound index for comparing values."

What is our primary use case?

We are an independent software vendor and users of this product. I'm a company founder. 

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature for me is that the database engine is always on.

What needs improvement?

The solution is lacking a compound index for comparing values as you find in PostgreSQL. SQL Server doesn't support that feature so we need to build binary indexes to be able to compare those compound values. I'd also like to see AI capabilities. Oracle has a cloud solution which maintains its own indexes. If you buy a service from Oracle's cloud system, it keeps track of the queries that you have made to the database and it automatically implements its own indexes. It's such a good optimized database and I'd like to see an SQL Server that maintains its own indexes with AI capability. 

I have an issue with memory support: If you create a table and a third procedure followed by an additional procedure using that third procedure, and then wish to alter the original table with the two dependent objects, you have to drop those third procedures and alter the table and recreate dependencies. Those dependencies make it impossible to work in an online environment. If there's a problem, for example, in your implementation and you have to modify a production system, for example, it can't be done. SQL Server generates DLL files in this instance and you can't change DLLs of a running program. It should be easy for them to solve. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using this solution for 20 years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I have the issue of memory support but the solution is stable. 

 

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

For Turkey, the licensing costs are too high. Previously, independent software vendors like us would buy the license from Microsoft and resell to our customers.
For vendors it was half the retail price, but that's no longer possible. Sometimes enterprise companies buying in bulk can get licenses at a better price, but we don't have that and it's impractical for us to sell this solution. 

What other advice do I have?

The solution doesn't have too many surprises and is easy to understand. It's all dependent on the architecture and implementation. Newer products use code-first solutions and I'm not sure people will continue to go down the SQL path. If I were starting my project now, I would have chosen another database. 

I rate the solution eight out of 10. 

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Data Analyst at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Useful online community, helpful support, and powerful
Pros and Cons
  • "SQL Server's most valuable features are that it is a large number of community resources to help you out. that's one, and then it is quite powerful."
  • "SQL Server backups could be better."

How has it helped my organization?

SQL Server has helped us make better decisions through the queries that we have built.

What is most valuable?

SQL Server's most valuable features are that it is a large number of community resources to help you out. that's one, and then it is quite powerful.

What needs improvement?

SQL Server backups could be better.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using SQL Server for approximately three years.

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?

I have found SQL Server to be scalable.

The solution is suitable for all-sized businesses.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support from SQL Server is quite good.

How was the initial setup?

I was satisfied with the implementation of the solution.

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

The price of SQL Server is great. In my company, SQL Server is part of the Microsoft Suite, we don't have to pay for any additional license costs, it's quite cost-effective for us.

What other advice do I have?

My advice to others is SQL Server is a good tool to work with and there are a lot of community resources available to help you out in case you are stuck anywhere.

I rate SQL Server a ten out of ten.

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
Al Fath Nuur Rochman - PeerSpot reviewer
Co-Founder at a logistics company with 1-10 employees
Real User
User-friendly and reasonably priced system for storing and managing information
Pros and Cons
  • "Easy to implement and user-friendly relational database management system. This product is stable and scalable."
  • "The UX design of this system needs improvement."

What is our primary use case?

We're using SQL Server for database work.

What is most valuable?

What I find most valuable in SQL Server is that it's user-friendly.

What needs improvement?

The product needs improvement in its UX design. A newer interface is what I'd like to see in the next release of SQL Server.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been working with SQL Server for two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

SQL Server is a stable system.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

SQL Server is a scalable system.

How are customer service and support?

I'm satisfied with the technical support provided by Microsoft for this product.

How was the initial setup?

SQL Server is easy to implement, especially because it's a very common system that we use in the workplace.

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

Pricing for this product is very reasonable.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I evaluated Oracle Database.

What other advice do I have?

SQL Server is a common product that I use on a daily basis, and I'm using its latest version. Most of my colleagues use it for database work.

200 people use this system in the company.

My advice for people looking into using SQL Server is that it's the best choice, especially for those who are beginners with databases.

My rating for SQL Server is nine out of ten.

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
Senior Database Administrator at ITGStore
Real User
A stable, scalable and easily installable solution for saving and managing data and applications
Pros and Cons
  • "Most valuable features include: high availability, clustering, save backup and recovery."
  • "Although I am satisfied with the solution, some clients have asked us to resolve technical issues, such as those involving silver solution and replication."

What is our primary use case?

We use the solution as a database for saving and managing data and applications.

What is most valuable?

Most valuable features include: high availability, clustering, save backup and recovery.

What needs improvement?

Although I am satisfied with the solution, some clients have asked us to resolve technical issues, such as those involving silver solution and replication.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with SQL Server for four or five years.

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 are customer service and technical support?

I am satisfied with the solution's partner support. 

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

I am  satisfied with SQL Server.

Use of alternative solutions varies with the client involved. Some make use of all that SQL Server has to offer, while others employ everything in Oracle Database. We have managed to resolve any issues they have encountered in the two cases in which they have approached us. 

When examining Oracle or IBM db2, Oracle and SQL Server are generally the prefered products. 

How was the initial setup?

While I find the setup and installation to be easy, others may find it difficult. 

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

I am only a technician and responsible for the installation, so I cannot comment on the licensing, although there are others in my company who are better qualified to do so. 

What other advice do I have?

The solution is mostly deployed for our clients on-premises. 

We are satisfied with the documentation. 

My advice is that one adhere to the documentation before doing installation. 

I rate SQL Server as a nine out of ten. 

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Integrator
PeerSpot user
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Updated: March 2024
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Buyer's Guide
Download our free SQL Server Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.