Solutions Architect at One Click
MSP
Knocks ROI out of the park
Pros and Cons
  • "Scalability, cluster ability, ease of use, ease of implementation — these are all great."
  • "In terms of exceptionally large databases, it doesn't scale as well as Oracle."

What is our primary use case?

SQL Server is enterprise database software. It provides the back end for any number of different applications, including web applications, and other types of internal applications, and software-based applications. It also provides a back end for enterprise backup tools. It's incredibly diverse in terms of its use case.

What is most valuable?

Scalability, cluster ability, ease of use, ease of implementation — these are all great. 

What needs improvement?

In terms of exceptionally large databases, it doesn't scale as well as Oracle. It scales excellently and it's flexible and it can provide a solution for exceptionally large databases, but it doesn't work as well as Oracle does for this particular use case. The performance starts to drag in the case of exceptionally large databases; especially where there's a lot more feature functionality. With Oracle, there's a lot more tunability.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with this product for 20 years. 

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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's exceptionally stable. The ease of implementation and the ease of use can't be beaten. I think it's outstanding overall.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scalability-wise, it's outstanding. The one limitation it has is that at the very, very high end of petabytes-sized databases, it doesn't scale as well as Oracle. Still, you're not going to run into very many exceptionally large databases. Almost 100% of the use cases for it scale very well.

How are customer service and support?

Technical support is available for a separate cost. If you don't have a subscription or a support contract, then you don't get support. You'll be stuck with online forums — that's how you'll have to get answers to questions. Assuming you have a support contract with Microsoft, it's outstanding.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was straightforward. 

What was our ROI?

This solution is available at a much lower price point than Oracle. Plus, it includes 99% of the same feature functionality. I'd say it knocks ROI out of the park.

What other advice do I have?

If you're interested in using this product, make sure that you have a good understanding of best practices for database implementation. Make sure to incorporate them in your deployment right off the bat. You won't want to have to go back and have to take production databases down because you have to change the configuration, post-implementation. Make sure you get all of these things done, pre-production implementation.

They've come a long, long way in the 20 years I've been working with them. Overall, on a scale from one to ten, I would give SQL Server a rating of nine.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
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: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
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Alvaro Callupe Arias - PeerSpot reviewer
Key Account Manager at Sumteccorp
Real User
Easy-to-learn product with good scalability features
Pros and Cons
  • "The product’s most valuable features are flexibility and scalability."
  • "SQL Server could be more robust than one of its competitors."

What is our primary use case?

We use SQL Server for tuning data transactional language.

How has it helped my organization?

The product helps me tune the transactional language with the databases of our organization.

What is most valuable?

The product’s most valuable features are flexibility and scalability.

What needs improvement?

SQL Server could be more robust than Oracle.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using SQL Server for ten years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The product could be more stable than Oracle.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is a scalable product.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support services need improvement in terms of communication. It is difficult to understand the accents of the executives from different countries.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is easy. The deployment services cost around $2000 to $3000.

What was our ROI?

SQL Server generates more return on investment than Oracle servers.

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

The product’s price depends on the specific server requirements.

What other advice do I have?

I rate SQL Server an eight out of ten. It is easy to learn Microsoft products. There is a lot of information available about it on the internet.

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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PeerSpot user
SQL Database Administrator at Aurora Mental Health Center
Real User
Top 20
Easy to set up, fairly cost-effective, and scales well
Pros and Cons
  • "There is a lot of information about the solution readily available online."
  • "Technical support could be better."

What is our primary use case?

We're primarily using the solution for our health record system.

How has it helped my organization?

The use of a solution with SQL Server has helped standardize how we import, store, and report data. It is a standard that many applications use so we are able to buy pre-made solutions instead of having to develop a solution and the data can be moved from application to application easily.

What is most valuable?

The solution comes at a more effective price than Oracle. 

It's a little bit more advanced than using MySQL or NoSQL.

It's more prevalent in the industry than SQL Postgre.

The initial setup is mostly straightforward.

The product is scalable. 

The stability has been mostly pretty good.

There is a lot of information about the solution readily available online.

What needs improvement?

Every time Microsoft comes out with a new version, they like to move everything around. Updates are a bit intrusive. For example, it used to be in a certain place and then they update it, and now I can't find it.

Technical support could be better. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using SQL Server since version 6.4. I have used it with several different companies and help upgrade several versions.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

With the versions we have, the solution is quite stable. That's one of the reasons we don't immediately download the latest version. We wait a little bit before we go to the newest version. We want to make sure it's very stable beforehand.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is very easy to scale. We have between 300 to 500 people that use it. 

How are customer service and support?

Microsoft's tech support is really hard to use. I would rather look outside of Microsoft for solutions. When needed we usually pay the one-time fee but only in rare instances where a deep dive is needed to isolate the issue.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

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

SQL's been the main solution for this company. I have, however, used Oracle in the past with other companies.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is pretty straightforward.

It can be complex depending on what you're trying to do, however, it has a good user base and user support groups, so there's lots of information. If you're trying to do something, likely somebody else has already done it, and you can usually find that information through a user group or a forum, or even on YouTube or Google.

What about the implementation team?

Implementation was a joint effort with our team and the vendor team. Most of the vendor team was India based and was very low-level for best practices and security. We had to clean up a bunch of their generic implementations and correct code.

What was our ROI?

That is a complex question since there are too many variables that are outside the range of IT to answer.

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

The pricing is pretty decent. It's less expensive than Oracle. 

While the solution started out really reasonable, it's gotten a little bit more pricey, as Microsoft keeps changing how they want to license it.

Whether you're using it in the cloud or on-premise changes the costs involved. A lot of times it might be more cost-effective to do it in the cloud. Microsoft includes a lot of the licensing in the cloud.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

The evaluation was based more on the applications and the solution that the business unit wanted to use which are easier to support if they all use the same database structure. The most common was SQL Server.

What other advice do I have?

We're just a customer and end-user.

We're not using the latest version. We're probably one or two versions behind.

I'd advise new users that you want to know what you're going to use it for. I would say it's more suited to a more midsize or larger company than a mom-and-pop shop - unless they're tying it to some software that uses SQL.

I'd rate the solution at an eight 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
Tushar Rahatekar - PeerSpot reviewer
Sr. Systems Analyst at a maritime company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Top 5
Low-cost product that does what you want and is easy to set up
Pros and Cons
  • "Microsoft is less demanding because everything is GUI, unlike Oracle, where you need to use command lines."
  • "SQL is a highly unstable server - there are patch updates on the Windows server every week, which is why we only use it for non-critical systems."

What needs improvement?

Performance-wise, SQL cannot handle large amounts of data. In the next release, I would like them to commission SQL Server on Linux, as has been announced in the past but has not yet happened.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using SQL Server for thirteen to fourteen years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

SQL is a highly unstable server - there are patch updates on the Windows server every week, which is why we only use it for non-critical systems. 

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was very easy - much, much easier than Oracle - and took about a day to complete. Microsoft is less demanding because everything is GUI, unlike Oracle, where you need to use command lines.

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

This is a very cheap product.

What other advice do I have?

SQL's performance is good enough if you have a low amount of data. For those looking into implementing SQL Server, I would advise first analyzing your requirements and whether your system is critical or non-critical. If it is non-critical, go for SQL as it will save you in terms of cost, but if it is critical, avoid SQL as it will bring you down in one day. I would rate this solution as eight out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
System engineer at a financial services firm with 51-200 employees
Real User
Beneficial querying, scalable, and stable
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature would most likely be querying. We query a lot, we use a lot of stored procedures. As for other features, such as replication and all other more fancy features we don't use them the most. I do not know, but perhaps the DBAs would be the best people who know of the features that they use, but as far as how I use it, it's just for querying and running stored procedures. We use the bare minimum features."
  • "If SQL Server could perhaps run on Linux, that would be good. Most of us prefer Linux and I've used a lot of Linux. I understand that SQL Server is quite powerful, but I'm not sure if the functionality is there, but if it could be used in an open-source type of environment, it would be very good."

What is our primary use case?

We provide support services to clients. We find that some of our clients are running the latest system while others are still on Windows 2016, others are moving to 2019. Some other clients take time to upgrade. If I interact with five clients, I'll basically be in five different environments.

Our use case for the SQL Server is for transaction processing. We store all the transactions that occur. For example, if you now purchase something from the point of sale, all the information about the good you are purchasing gets stored on the SQL Server. 

When you perform a transaction that information is stored at the bank that owns the point of sale and perhaps even your bank, where your money is will be stored in a SQL Server.

All the people in all of the organizations, which are involved in the process use SQL Server.

If your transaction goes through my server, I store part of the transaction there, and if I have to route that transaction to Visa or Mastercard, they have their own SQL Server, and they also store the transaction up until you get receive your goods at the particular merchant. Almost everyone in that transaction stores the information on their respective Microsoft SQL server.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature would most likely be querying. We query a lot, we use a lot of stored procedures. As for other features, such as replication and all other more fancy features we don't use them the most. I do not know, but perhaps the DBAs would be the best people who know of the features that they use, but as far as how I use it, it's just for querying and running stored procedures. We use the bare minimum features.

We do not know all the features of SQL Server.

What needs improvement?

If SQL Server could perhaps run on Linux, that would be good. Most of us prefer Linux and I've used a lot of Linux. I understand that SQL Server is quite powerful, but I'm not sure if the functionality is there, but if it could be used in an open-source type of environment, it would be very good.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using SQL Server for approximately 10 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

SQL Server is stable and is a high-performance database. We do hundreds of transactions per second, it's fairly robust, it does not struggle. Mostly, if your hardware is strong enough and you've set it up properly, then you can actually perform a lot of transactions per second on a SQL Serving installation.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability of SQL Server is relatively easy. if you are in a Microsoft environment, then I think that it relatively it should not be that difficult. However, I haven't been on a project whereby we have had to scale.

SQL Server is suitable for all companies in my experience, ranging from small to large enterprises businesses.

How are customer service and support?

I have not dealt much with technical support, because most of the time when we have issues, we go online. If it's a Microsoft issue, then we go and read up what that issue is. If there's an error, then there are places on the Microsoft support system where we are able to enter in the error code and it is able to tell you why you have that problem. As far as dealing or interacting with people or technical support from Microsoft, I have not done that.

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

I use MySQL and when comparing the solutions I have found the SQL Server is much more professional, and it's quite big and robust. MySQL is a community of people who are contributing to a project and you have to hack them in order for it to work. But it is quite good as well.

How was the initial setup?

The installation is straightforward and not complex. However, it depends on some of the features that you may want to use. I think it is simply because you only need to tick whatever functionalities you want to use and the ones that you don't need to use, you don't select them.

What about the implementation team?

Most of the time we are doing the implementation from scratch. If it's a big bank, then they would normally have dedicated people who deal with SQL. However, it depends on the customer.

There is some maintenance that is required, such as updates and tuning. We need to find ways of filling up the data so that it doesn't get stale but normally with regular updates, you should be fine.

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

I cannot comment on the price because I find that the organization already has a license when I arrived. I have not had a sneak peek at the price. When you join an organization, they tell you we are using the 2018 version and that someone purchased it. I don't know who purchased it, I'm not privy to that kind of information.

What other advice do I have?

My advice to companies that are wanting to implement the solution is they have to make sure that they've have a proper skillset. When you have the proper skillset or people who are certified it would make for a better investment into the product. When you are certified, then you know the system in and out and you should be able to have the best implementation for the type of business you have.

I rate SQL Server an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Vishal Khare - PeerSpot reviewer
IT manager at Electrolux Home Products
Real User
Top 5
Scalable, reliable, and good technical support
Pros and Cons
  • "The performance of the SQL Server is very good."

    What is our primary use case?

    We use SQL Server as a database solution.

    What is most valuable?

    The performance of the SQL Server is very good.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using SQL Server for a few years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    The stability is very good.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    The solution is scalable. However, we do not have many large servers using SQL Server anymore, we have moved to SAP HANA.

    We have approximately 2,000 users using this solution in my organization.

    How are customer service and support?

    The support offered by Microsoft is very good. We have not faced any issues with SQL Server to need to contact their support.

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

    We use SAP HANA as a database solution for certain use cases.

    What about the implementation team?

    We have technical managers and engineers that do the maintenance and support for this solution.

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

    We are on an annual enterprise license for the solution and the cost of the license could be reduced.

    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: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
    PeerSpot user
    Senior Developer at a government with 51-200 employees
    Real User
    Easy to scale, simple to set up, and offers many great features
    Pros and Cons
    • "The backups are excellent."
    • "I would like to see better integration between their link server and other platforms, such as IBM."

    What is our primary use case?

    Usually, we use a lot of the vendor software, like ManageEngine, and stuff like that. They use Postgres, however, I prefer to use Microsoft's SQL server. We have a couple of servers and we integrate that information into it. I can run reporting and analysis off of that.

    What is most valuable?

    There's a lot of great features. I like T-SQL, which is wonderful. The backups are excellent. There's a lot of things that are much easier to manage. All of the features and functions within the SQL language itself, the store procedures, I really, really enjoy. The security has been excellent.

    The initial setup is very straightforward. 

    The stability is very good.

    We find it easy to scale if we need to.

    What needs improvement?

    I would like to see better integration between their link server and other platforms, such as IBM, due to the fact that, a lot of times, you want to set up a linked server so you can be on SQL and pull data off of another server using that link server. Sometimes they don't play well together. There just needs to be better integration for those types of situations.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I've been using the solution for about eight or nine years at this point. 

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    The stability is great. There are no bugs or glitches. it doesn't crash or freeze. It's very reliable. The performance is great. 

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    Scaling is easy if you need to do it. You simply set up a cluster and you can just grow it up.

    In our organization, all the end-users are pretty much integrated into it and using it. As far as developers, there are two developers and me that are using it.

    How are customer service and technical support?

    We haven't used tech support as we used to have a business partner that wanted us to talk to them instead. Therefore, I can't speak to how helpful or responsive they would be if you need assistance. 

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

    Here at the company, they used Postgres, and what I didn't care about it was that it was okay, but it didn't integrate with a lot of the other applications. I felt Microsoft did a better job of that.

    How was the initial setup?

    The setup is pretty straightforward. The only thing that sometimes gets weird is if you have somebody that's needing an ODBC driver from another type of application back to the SQL server. It's usually that other application trying to figure out what it needs to connect to SQL. It's not really SQL's fault.

    What other advice do I have?

    We are customers and end-users.

    We are using both the latest version and a previous version of the solution. I don't have the exact version numbers on hand. 

    I would advise new users first to get help implementing it unless you know the solution well, as there's so much that it can do. A lot of times you can actually make a little mistake. Say if you're going to go in a certain direction, if you get some advice, you may be much happier going in another direction completely.

    In general, I would rate the solution at a nine out of ten. I've been quite satisfied with its capabilities. It's an excellent product that still has room for growth.

    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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