Microsoft Azure SQL Database Reviews

Name: Microsoft Azure SQL Database
Brand: Microsoft
Rating: 4.3 (117 reviews)

Vendor: Microsoft

4.3 out of 5

117 reviews
96% willing to recommend

578 followers

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What is Microsoft Azure SQL Database?

Microsoft Azure SQL Database is a relational database-as-a-service that delivers predictable performance, scalability, business continuity, data protection, and near-zero administration to cloud developers and solution architects. This is the deep technical library for Azure SQL Database.

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Microsoft Azure SQL Database is the #1 ranked solution in top Database as a Service vendors. PeerSpot users give Microsoft Azure SQL Database an average rating of 8.6 out of 10. Microsoft Azure SQL Database is most commonly compared to Amazon RDS: Microsoft Azure SQL Database vs Amazon RDS. Microsoft Azure SQL Database is popular among the midsize enterprise segment, accounting for 76% of users researching this solution on PeerSpot. The top industry researching this solution are professionals from a educational organization, accounting for 73% of all views.

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Azure SQL Database

March 2025

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Helped 842,672 peers since 2012

Featured Microsoft Azure SQL Database reviews

Charley Hanania

Data Platform Specialist at QS2 AG - Quality Software Solutions

Microsoft Azure SQL Database is integrated into other Azure capabilities and has a great foundation being on SQL Server with a long history of security, performance, and usability from a DBA perspective. Once you've set up a server, adding databases is easy. There's a minor challenge with having data in separate databases that you want to connect like we do on premises. I'm looking forward to using some of these new AI-driven functions that have come out around vectorization. Having the data closer to my transactional databases or data makes it easy to augment and enhance the Database and applications I currently use. It's great that Azure SQL now seamlessly integrates with Microsoft Fabric. It's a first-tier service in the cloud that connects to web applications and other databases. The data transformation orchestration capabilities within Database Factory and similar capabilities make it effortless to move that stuff forward.

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Maanda Ambani

Senior AI Specialist at Nedbank

Our migration to Azure for most databases has increased our organization's efficiency and reduced the maintenance required to manage on-premises infrastructure. With on-premises infrastructure, you have to build and maintain your setup. It has reduced our downtime. We've improved our productivity because we can automate database deployments and script execution within the database.

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Michael Hamlett

Senior Manager, Information Technology of Data Strategies at a hospitality company with 5,001-10,000 employees

Some of the best features of Microsoft Azure SQL Database are its scalability, pricing, and ease of setup. It is quick to set up and easy to scale. As our data needs increase, scaling up is as straightforward as dragging a slider to increase processing speed. The product also offers automatic backups, giving us peace of mind about data security. For the features we receive, the price is very reasonable.

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Microsoft Azure SQL Database mindshare

As of March 2025, the mindshare of Microsoft Azure SQL Database in the Database as a Service (DBaaS) category stands at 15.9%, down from 18.6% compared to the previous year, according to calculations based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Database as a Service (DBaaS)

PeerAnalyst reports based on Microsoft Azure SQL Database reviews

Type	Title	Date
Category	Database as a Service (DBaaS)	Mar 30, 2025	Download
Product	Reviews, tips, and advice from real users	Mar 30, 2025	Download
Comparison	Microsoft Azure SQL Database vs Amazon RDS	Mar 30, 2025	Download
Comparison	Microsoft Azure SQL Database vs MongoDB Atlas	Mar 30, 2025	Download
Comparison	Microsoft Azure SQL Database vs Google Cloud SQL	Mar 30, 2025	Download

Title	Rating	Mindshare	Recommending
Amazon RDS	4.1	25.1%	98%	54 interviews Add to research
Google Cloud SQL	4.1	16.5%	100%	22 interviews Add to research

Valuable Features

Microsoft Azure SQL Database excels in scalability, availability, and security. Users appreciate the seamless integration with Azure and Microsoft services, high data availability, and cost-effectiveness. The system's user-friendly interface simplifies deployment and management, while its powerful tools aid in development and performance monitoring. Organizations value its consistency with on-premise SQL environments and its ability to quickly adapt to changing data requirements, offering automatic backups and robust support for business continuity.

"The database is extremely scalable, allowing seamless scaling up or down with a simple change in parameters."
"Azure SQL Database is very quick and easy to use."
"I rate Microsoft Azure SQL Database 10 out of 10."

Room for Improvement

Microsoft Azure SQL Database requires enhancements in security, scalability, and cost efficiency. Users express concerns about the complexity of queries and pricing. The platform's compatibility with existing systems and support for third-party integrations are seen as limited. Automation features, user rights management, and user-friendly interfaces are frequently mentioned as areas for improvement. Documentation and technical support are considered inadequate, and users desire better performance monitoring and integration with tools like SQL Server Management Studio.

"Pricing could be improved to make Microsoft Azure SQL Database more accessible."
"There are compatibility issues that prevent Azure SQL Database from being a direct replacement for SQL Server running on a virtual machine."
"One area for improvement is data virtualization. Companies use different data sources, creating a separate data virtualization layer, and there are more data sources behind that layer. For example, we have different data layers for Excel, SQL Server, PostgreSQL, etc. Creating a data virtualization layer would help because you retain the metadata of your source data."

ROI

Many users experienced reduced costs with Microsoft Azure SQL Database, highlighting savings of 20% to 80% by decreasing infrastructure needs. Return on investment varies, with some noting a 40% to 50% range. Benefits include scalability and lower capital expenses. Many appreciated cost management through cloud-based services, with some achieving significant savings from hybrid licensing. They reduced total cost ownership, especially when using Elastic Pool, and users emphasized reduced overhead and infrastructure management costs.

Pricing

Enterprise users find Microsoft Azure SQL Database pricing challenging to forecast, especially with large-scale deployments. Plans are subscription-based, with costs tied to usage and resources, ranging from basic to premium. The platform offers flexibility with pay-as-you-go and elastic services. Though generally competitive, prices can increase rapidly with scaling, making it sometimes more expensive than solutions like PostgreSQL or Google. While some users find it affordable, others consider it costly, especially without Azure Hybrid Benefits.

"From a licensing benefit standpoint, we have clients who are coming with their own SQL licensing with Software Assurance, and they are able to use those licenses for their Azure SQL and reduce costs."
"If we use a smaller or free-sized Microsoft Azure SQL Database, it is extremely cost-effective and much cheaper than on-premise enterprise licenses, which are expensive."
"Microsoft Azure SQL Database is not cheap."

Popular Use Cases

Organizations primarily use Microsoft Azure SQL Database for hosting and managing databases, supporting various applications like accounting, ERP, content management, and analytics. Many utilize it for cloud-based data storage, integrating hybrid environments, and facilitating database migration. It is also employed for hosting backend services for web and mobile applications. Businesses leverage its scalability for handling transaction peaks and use it as a data warehouse for consolidating and reporting data.

Service and Support

Users generally find Microsoft Azure SQL Database support to be very effective, with fast and knowledgeable assistance available. Many appreciate the extensive online resources, training, and seminars offered. Some issues are resolved quickly, though premium support levels improve response times. Licensing agreements enhance the level of personalized support received. While reaching customer service might be challenging, many rely on Microsoft's comprehensive documentation and community resources for troubleshooting, finding them helpful and informative.

Deployment

The initial setup for Microsoft Azure SQL Database is often easy, especially with cloud-based configurations, taking as little as 10-15 minutes. Companies frequently find it straightforward with tools like SQL Server Management Studio, although setup complexity can vary for enterprise deployments. Many note that it's user-friendly, despite occasional challenges with documentation or specific configurations. Once accustomed, the process becomes consistent, although certain migrations and network configurations may require additional time and expertise.

Scalability

Microsoft Azure SQL Database is recognized as highly scalable, effectively meeting diverse business needs. Users highlight its ability to easily handle increased loads, with options for both vertical and horizontal scaling. The platform's cloud-based nature supports seamless upgrades and flexibility, accommodating different user levels. While some find manual interventions necessary, the general consensus is positive, emphasizing the simplicity and efficiency for enterprises scaling up their database and compute resources.

Stability

Microsoft Azure SQL Database is consistently stable. Users report no significant issues, with performance staying reliable and no frequent disruptions. Historical concerns about handling large databases existed, but recent updates seem to have resolved these. Stability ranks highly, with frequent mentions of good performance and reliability. While some struggle with latency over long distances or poorly optimized code, most find Azure SQL efficient and dependable for their needs.

These insights are based on the in-depth reviews provided by peers to help you make a better buying decision.

Download our Microsoft Azure SQL Database Buyer's Guide for additional reliable information.