Senior Solutions Architect at a manufacturing company with 51-200 employees
Real User
User friendly, performs well, and backward compatibility
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature of the solution, compared to other RDBMS solutions, such as Oracle MySQL or IBM DB2, it is more user-friendly and has backward compatibility. For example, if you have an application that requires an old version of SQL Server and you have the latest version of the license, you are able to install and use it in backward compatibility mode. They keep supporting the existing legacy application."

    What is our primary use case?

    The solution is an RDBMS and can be used to simplify customers' requirements for a back-end database. The main function of the solution is to store information from front-end users.

    What is most valuable?

    The most valuable feature of the solution, compared to other RDBMS solutions, such as Oracle MySQL or IBM DB2, it is more user-friendly and has backward compatibility. For example, if you have an application that requires an old version of SQL Server and you have the latest version of the license, you are able to install and use it in backward compatibility mode. They keep supporting the existing legacy application. Additionally, the solution is simple and if it is configured properly it performs very well. 

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have used the solution for approximately six years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    I find the solution to be very stable. 

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    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    The solution is scalable. 

    How are customer service and support?

    The technical support is only provided to the customers having a subscription-based license with a Software Assurance server. For other forms of licensing the solution will not provide support. 

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

    I have previously used other RDBMS solutions, such as Oracle MySQL, Maria DB, PostgreSQL, and IBM DB2.

    When comparing PostgreSQL, Oracle MySQL, and Microsoft SQL, Microsoft SQL has an advantage over the other two server databases because it provides a graphical user interface by default.

    How was the initial setup?

    The initial setup of the solution is very easy and the time it takes depends on the architecture required. If the deployment of a cluster is required then the setup may take up to three hours, whereas standard environment deployment needs half an hour. 

    What about the implementation team?

    The solution can be installed by our selves but the use of an integrator makes it much easier. 

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

    The solution requires authorization in either the form of perpetual licensing or subscription-based licenses for two years. If a perpetual license version is purchased then customers have it to the end of life, whereas a subscription-based called server with Software Assurance, has to be renewed every two years. 

    The areas that need improvement are with regards to the commercial aspect of the solution, the licensing cost could be reduced in order to help customers to adopt it.

    What other advice do I have?

    I would recommend this solution. However, the customer has to make sure it fits their use case.

    I rate SQL Server a nine out of ten. 

    Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

    Hybrid Cloud
    Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
    PeerSpot user
    Global Head ICT (CITP & MIE) at The Aga Khan Academies
    Real User
    Runs seamlessly, stable and scalable, and easy to deploy
    Pros and Cons
    • "It is a stable product, and it runs seamlessly. It is not complex."
    • "They have too many licensing options. They may want to simplify its licensing and bring it down to two, three, or four categories from ten to fifteen categories. Having so many different licensing options makes it difficult to decide which one to choose from. They can club things together. This is an area where they can make things easier for customers."

    What is our primary use case?

    We're using it for our on-premise servers, and we have the latest version of SQL Server.  

    We use SQL Server for the database for Microsoft Navision. We also use it for the Track-It application that helps users in logging in their IT requests. We also manage all the IT inventory through Track-It. It does automatic auditing and traces online IT equipment.

    How has it helped my organization?

    We have end-computing devices with a server-client type of model. We have a server. All terminals are dumb terminals, but they get connectivity from SQL Server, and it has worked really well. We operate in difficult locations, such as Mombasa in Kenya and Mozambique in Maputo, where power is a big problem. Instead of desktop computers, we went for thin end-computing clients, and it worked really well with SQL Server.

    What is most valuable?

    It is a stable product, and it runs seamlessly. It is not complex.

    It has been there for a long time, and they are doing whatever bug fixes they have to do. 

    What needs improvement?

    They have too many licensing options. They may want to simplify its licensing and bring it down to two, three, or four categories from ten to fifteen categories. Having so many different licensing options makes it difficult to decide which one to choose from. They can club things together. This is an area where they can make things easier for customers.

    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?

    It is a stable product.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    It has pretty good scalability. In terms of usage, we have two different types of usage. For end-computing usage, we have about 600 or 700 students who use the media labs. For Microsoft Navision and Track-It, we have about 100 staff members as users. 

    It is being used fairly extensively. Microsoft Navision is one of the core solutions of our business, and it is used on a daily basis. End computing is used by students. Because of the pandemic, for the last 14 months, everything is closed, and everybody is remote, so end computing has not been used, but Navision continued to be used. After the school reopens in each location, we will continue to use it even more. We definitely have plans for expansion.

    How are customer service and technical support?

    Their response is fast.

    How was the initial setup?

    Its initial setup is very straightforward. In case there is an issue, Microsoft's tech support people come online and help you.

    What about the implementation team?

    For its deployment and maintenance, two people are required at each location. We have one database specialist and one IT service delivery engineer with networking knowledge.

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

    It comes with the bundle package that we have. We have Microsoft Volume Licensing, so we don't have to pay for it separately. It is a part of the package.

    What other advice do I have?

    I would definitely recommend this solution. I have nothing to complain about.

    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
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    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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    Prashant Baste - PeerSpot reviewer
    Sr. Solution Architect at Team Computers
    Real User
    Top 5
    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
    Kevin Honde - PeerSpot reviewer
    Data Solution Architect at Econet Wireless Zimbabwe
    Real User
    Top 5Leaderboard
    Easy to manage, stable and scalable, and has backup and recovery tools
    Pros and Cons
    • "It is easy to manage for the administrator. It is also easy to use for applications that are Windows-based. It is a very stable product, and it has got backup and recovery tools."
    • "Its security can be improved. When you look at the Windows environment, it isn't the most secure environment. It is exposed to so many attacks. They continuously need to improve the security of the platform on which it sits."

    What is our primary use case?

    SQL Server is used as database software. People who are using .NET and Windows-oriented tools prefer SQL Server.

    What is most valuable?

    It is easy to manage for the administrator. It is also easy to use for applications that are Windows-based.

    It is a very stable product, and it has got backup and recovery tools.

    What needs improvement?

    Its security can be improved. When you look at the Windows environment, it isn't the most secure environment. It is exposed to so many attacks. They continuously need to improve the security of the platform on which it sits.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using this solution for more than ten years.

    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 pretty scalable. You can scale your machine and nodes. Instead of using just one node or one server, you can use multiple servers and then cluster them together for failover and performance. You can also do replication across sites. Currently, we have around 50 users.

    How are customer service and technical support?

    We have got support from Microsoft. They are very quick at resolving issues. They are quite good.

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

    We were using different products. 

    How was the initial setup?

    It is easy to install. It might take 20 or 30 minutes to install.

    What about the implementation team?

    I installed it myself.

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

    Its price is fine. You have to buy the license and support.

    Which other solutions did I evaluate?

    We compared it with Oracle and MySQL. We got a lot of dev inputs, and we also looked at the vendors supplying the solutions. We found SQL Server to be the best and chose it because of the vendor.

    What other advice do I have?

    I would recommend this solution to others. We would definitely keep on using this solution.

    I would 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
    Reza Sadeghi - PeerSpot reviewer
    Software Development Team Lead at asa com
    Real User
    Top 5
    Good performance for non-complex data, and the stability is good
    Pros and Cons
    • "I have seen that this is a very stable product."
    • "We experience latency at times when there is a lot of data being processed."

    What is our primary use case?

    We are a company that produces stock market analytics data and we are working on creating an alerting system for our customers. We use Microsoft SQL Server in our development and I have a lot of experience with it.

    In my development role, I store about two gigabytes of data every month.

    What is most valuable?

    One of the big advantages of this product is its performance, where it works well when the data is not complex.

    What needs improvement?

    If you have a lot of data and you want to perform computations on it, you will have problems and the performance will be degraded.

    There are problems when you are dealing with Big Data and it doesn't scale very well. For example, in Hadoop, you can partition your data very well, but in SQL Server, you can't do that. If it could handle horizontal scaling then that would be an improvement.

    We experience latency at times when there is a lot of data being processed. In Iran, there is a specific time when all of the markets are open, and a lot of people are using the data to make decisions. Performing actions at that specific time gives us a lot of problems because of limitations in SQL Server. The problem seems to be caused by writing a lot of data to the table at the same time.

    Improving the intelligence for managing the SQL server would be very good.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using SQL Server for the past four years, and my company has been using it for approximately seven.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    I have seen that this is a very stable product.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    We had trouble scaling the solution to handle larger volumes of data. We have been able to scale out by adding CPU power and RAM, but other than by increasing the physical solution, we have not been able to do it very well. For example, we have not been able to do what we have done using Hadoop.

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

    I used Oracle in the past, approximately four years ago. That was stable, but the performance in SQL is very much better nowadays.

    How was the initial setup?

    The initial setup is very easy.

    What about the implementation team?

    Our in-house team deployed it by researching how to perform the setup and configuration. As a developer, I just let them know what I need from the product. For example, for my role, I have a lot of writes and I want them to optimize for that situation.

    If there are some simple features that I just want to enable, then I can do that myself.

    What other advice do I have?

    I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

    Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
    PeerSpot user
    Rafael Keller - PeerSpot reviewer
    IT Manager at Pluris Midia
    Real User
    Top 5Leaderboard
    Good technical support, easy to set up, and the documentation is helpful
    Pros and Cons
    • "The documentation and manuals are very good."
    • "I would like to have the option to use fewer processors for certain tasks, thus reducing the licensing fee."

    What is our primary use case?

    The primary use is to maintain my database client.

    What is most valuable?

    What I like best about this product is the environment.

    The documentation and manuals are very good.

    What needs improvement?

    The pricing could be improved.

    I would like to have the option to use fewer processors for certain tasks, thus reducing the licensing fee. That would be great.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been working with SQL Server for more than 10 years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    I use SQL Server on a daily basis.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    The scalability is not very good because when you add processors to the machine, the price of the license goes up. Scaling is very expensive. We have approximately 500 people who are using it.

    How are customer service and technical support?

    Technical support is very good.

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

    We used the Oracle Database prior to SQL Server.

    How was the initial setup?

    The initial setup is simple and the deployment took one day.

    What about the implementation team?

    We had assistance with our deployment and the experience was very good.

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

    This is an expensive product, especially when you need two servers, or for enterprise solutions. We pay approximately $12,000 USD per month for both the server and the license.

    Which other solutions did I evaluate?

    At this time, all of my applications are running on SQL Server. However, in the future, if the application can be migrated to Oracle or another database then I may do that because SQL Server is very expensive.

    What other advice do I have?

    This is a good product, although my advice is that if a company can afford it then they should use Oracle instead.

    I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

    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?

    Other
    Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
    PeerSpot user
    PeerSpot user
    Applications Business Intelligence Analyst at a aerospace/defense firm with 10,001+ employees
    Real User
    Just like a Windows PC needs basic defragmentation maintenance to run effectively, SQL Server needs its own regular maintenance.

    What is most valuable?

    There are many, but I would have to say the two most important for me have been SQL Server Profiler -- to run traces and the ability to kill sessions in the enterprise manager tool. This command-based functionality lets you search and sort through processes actively running on the system to find your i/o hog – that is the user that is overloading the database either through a hung query or bad SQL code.

    Once the hog user is found, the terminate or “kill” command can be used to shut down the hanging transaction. Similar to how clearing a vehicle crash on the interstate frees up waiting traffic, this kill command gives other users the ability to continue work as normal once the terminated transaction has been killed. This should be used sparingly though since it can cause waiting applications to corrupt data depending on how the application was written, but it is an often used research feature when a system starts to overload or show major signs of slowing.

    How has it helped my organization?

    In an effort to forego a data warehouse purchase, one company I worked with used a second SQL Server instance loaded to separate hardware as a reporting environment avoiding the need to hire additional employees to support a data warehouse. Essentially, the production database was snapshot and copied nightly to the reporting instance where it was restored through automated processes.

    All employees who wrote queries and reports against the reporting instance utilized the same knowledge, skillset and tools already used in the OLTP production environment. While it didn’t have all the abilities of a true data warehouse, it was quickly implemented and well served for the desired purpose.

    What needs improvement?

    Multiple operating systems support should improve. The ongoing and newly marketed support for Linux and Unix environments running SQL Server is a big win for Microsoft, in my opinion.

    Previous hold back related to open source environments stemmed from admins or management who would not run SQL Server for various reasons which many times boiled down to not liking Microsoft as a company.

    Open source and Microsoft have conflicted in the open source world for years, but I think Microsoft is finally starting to turn that tide in an effort to compete with other vendors.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    20 years. I began as a Microsoft Access database programmer in 1998 connecting early dynamic intranet websites to Access backend databases.

    I later progressed to the SQL Server 2000 environment and have utilized SQL Server ever since then.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    Issues encountered with stability were always correctable assuming we as a business were willing to spend money. The two major issues that come to mind were slowing of image files loading to disk using SQL Server and lack of proper indexing.

    Images were archived for a 30 year legal period at a rate of at least 12 million per year and we eventually just hit a max depth of data where SQL Server had a hard time returning results. Shortening the physical file path structure of how deep SQL Server had to dig through the hard drive in addition to changing to new and improved disk technologies resolved the problem.

    After this drive change occurred, a separate problem started where our database came to a crawl which is when we realized our regularly scheduled database index had not been updated to accommodate the new structure changes. A new index was put in place which is when SQL Server started humming along better than ever.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    Microsoft makes life easy to expand your environment through clustering tools and after-hours operational scheduling features. SQL Server is easily suited for small businesses where it found huge popularity, but daily operations can sometimes be overlooked as the business grows causing intermittent operational kinks. I have seen a few small businesses determine that a slowing or overloaded SQL Server environment means they should look at more enterprise level databases, which is simply not the case.

    Just like a Windows PC needs basic defragmentation maintenance to run effectively, SQL Server needs its own regular maintenance. There are many options available to improve the performance of SQL Server including the simple add-on clustering features which will balance excess load on the server.

    In addition, database indexes need to either be created or re-indexed periodically. A database does not automatically know how an application was designed although it’s very good at trying to guess using built-in scheme mapping software. Creating indexes and related maintenance schedules specific to your environment can make a huge difference in how quickly SQL Server responds to data requests.

    Disk partitions are another method for improvement. No matter how well SQL Server software is configured, it is limited by the hardware level. Underlying disk usage grows as data grows meaning the more data you add to the database results in the longer it will take for the database to find data on-disk. That’s when it’s time to either spread data across many independent disk sets or move to more expensive flash drives which save time by avoiding read & write disk operations.

    These options, of course, require time, effort, and money, but they have been well worth the costs of doing business based on my experience.

    How are customer service and technical support?

    I have only had to call Microsoft support 5 times in my nearly 20-year career, but they were extremely helpful. The one frustrating experience was 10 years ago when I worked over the phone 8 hours straight with 3 separate techs from the India location. Keep in mind, these were days pre-remote support meaning I had to verbally translate every diagnostic error I was seeing on the screen and assume the tech was clear on the meaning. The techs I worked with were extremely nice and tried hard to help, but I reached my frustration level due to the verbal language barrier.

    The senior tech, who I spent the most time working with, had an extremely thick accent and was hard to understand. I could tell he had hit a dead-end on his knowledge of the product so I finally asked to be transferred to a specialist in America. Once I found the right person in the US, my problem was resolved within an hour.

    In hindsight, I knew the senior tech was lost at the 6-hour mark, so I should have spoken up then, but he never complained and kept trying different solutions, which is good on Microsoft’s part.

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

    My team and I have tried many different technologies including MySQL (cheap but effective), Oracle (expensive and effective), PostgreSQL, and DB2. I never jumped on the PostgreSQL or DB2 train, but could not give you a specific reason why due to my limited knowledge of the products. It usually came down to lack of knowledge for available programmers in our area, meaning we would have to train new hires and take a lot of time getting them familiar with a new database structure. That defaulted us to either Oracle or SQL Server since MySQL was not used in production at the time due to limitations surrounding support.

    Oracle owns MySQL these days and they, of course, would prefer you run full fledged Oracle database for support needs. Oracle’s supremely expensive licensing has normally pushed me and coworkers to Microsoft SQL Server although every organization I have worked with pays for some form of Oracle even though SQL Server is primarily touching end users.

    I personally feel Oracle is a great database but also think Microsoft SQL Server can be configured to run just as well as Oracle in most cases. The problem I normally find is that many bloated applications run SQL Server where more streamlined (and many times less functional) applications run Oracle. For that reason primarily, Oracle has had a better reputation in the pre-Amazon world.

    This could all change in the years to come as Microsoft starts to fight Amazon and Google in cloud processing.

    How was the initial setup?

    Creating a SQL Server instance using the pre-installed GUI setup screen available in either Visual Studio or Enterprise Manager can be very simple to create and maintain database “instances” making it a prime choice for small startup businesses.

    In addition, Microsoft has added loads of training videos on their website along with step-by-step instructions for creating and maintaining servers. The user can get as complex as desired in SQL Server by learning all the behind-the-scenes commands the GUI is using. You will start researching commands quickly once the first SQL Server error occurs and the GUI doesn’t know how to resolve it.

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

    For the most part, what you see is what you get with Microsoft’s licensing website. I sat through many hours of negotiations with many database and application vendors. Some application vendors try negotiating a better deal based on their licensed volume, but only twice have I seen Microsoft cater to lower licensing and it was because they wanted to make long-term wins with the customer knowing they had the possibility of gaining market share.

    That said, Microsoft is still usually cheaper than Oracle who will sometimes look cheaper to start with but add the possibility of higher long term rates. Asking for a discount can never hurt.

    Which other solutions did I evaluate?

    MySQL (now owned by Oracle) is sometimes used internally for dynamic website needs, but Oracle is the only competitor evaluated for SQL Server.

    What other advice do I have?

    Start in the cloud if feasibly possible and if it makes sense for your business. I have mostly worked with organizations that still don’t trust the cloud for security and legal reasons, but Amazon, Microsoft, and Google are releasing promising products in the cloud that are leaps and bounds ahead of processing power for local servers assuming your organization is willing to pay what it takes. I have priced cloud services enough to know they’re expensive, but they could replace a lot of unknowns for growing businesses or those starting from scratch; mainly network security, redundancy and technical skillset of employees.

    Cloud services have full-time employees focusing on those niches meaning you as an employer will have less headaches at night.

    According to CNBC and Synergy Research Group as of this writing, Amazon AWS leads 33% of global cloud market share. That may sound like a small number, but it’s by far the majority of customers since Amazon’s AWS cloud revenue is more than the next five providers combined. Two of those 5 providers are Microsoft and Google.

    And for those of you new to the cloud, you do have the ability to run Microsoft products, including Microsoft SQL Server, in the AWS cloud.

    Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
    PeerSpot user
    Owner at 2 Bit
    Real User
    Very fast with reliable, easy-to-access data
    Pros and Cons
    • "For me, the initial setup is very easy as I have years of experience with the product."
    • "With so much data, things can get slow, which is why I would like to be able to understand how to better optimize queries."

    What is most valuable?

    The solution is very fast. 

    The data is reliable and I can normalize the database and normalize the data so that I can collect whatever information I need. If I collect the data correctly, then I can share whatever report I want.

    Normally, when the data is in the database, it will always be a long-term information holder, instead of putting it in Excel or something like a spreadsheet or something like that. 

    For me, the initial setup is very easy as I have years of experience with the product.

    What needs improvement?

    I could use some more guidelines about making the correct queries to understand the structure better. I'd like to have a better idea and to understand how to make a nice query, which is good for the system and good for the hardware.

    Sometimes you have to have different data in different tables and you want to merge them into something together. I'd like to be able to do this in a different way. 

    Sometimes I need to have more optimization. I want to understand how can I optimize this or that? Especially now, when we're working with a lot of camera information, where we are using a lot of cameras for photogrammetry, we need to take this data and put it into the SQL Server and we would like to be more flexible with the data.

    With so much data, things can get slow, which is why I would like to be able to understand how to better optimize queries. 

    Those who are not familiar with the solution can find the initial setup intimidating and difficult. 

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I've been using the solution for 30 years at this point. 

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    I don't have so much experience with scaling. It's my understanding that that task is a specialist job.

    How are customer service and technical support?

    I have dealt with technical support in the past. I'm happy with them. They have been helpful.

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

    I'm not only working with SQL Server. When I need the database, I will always do it in SQL Server or Maria Database or something like that.

    How was the initial setup?

    For me, the initial implementation is easy, however, I know a lot of people can't set it up and believe everything is hard. It's difficult if you didn't know how to do it. You have to know, in the beginning, how to define what hardware you need and how many disks, for example. You need to understand if it should be a cluster disk or not. Long ago, it used to be hard disk access only. Things have changed. 

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

    The solution does come at a cost.

    What other advice do I have?

    I'm a customer and an end-user.

    This solution is one of my favorites and I would rate it at a nine out of ten. I'm very pleased with its capabilities. 

    Microsoft has a freeware option that might be called something like SQL Server Express. I'd advise new users to try to put that one up. It's easy to implement. If you need more data, then buy the correct server. The SQL Server is expensive, however, when you see how nice data is installed and how easy you can get access to it, it may be worth it. If new users need help, they can always go to YouTube to find answers for the freeware.

    SQL Server has a steep learning curve, however, it's worth it to learn about it and understand it. 

    Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
    PeerSpot user
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