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Oracle Database In-Memory vs SQL Server comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 4, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Oracle Database In-Memory
Ranking in Relational Databases Tools
9th
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.9
Number of Reviews
31
Ranking in other categories
Embedded Database (3rd)
SQL Server
Ranking in Relational Databases Tools
1st
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
268
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Relational Databases Tools category, the mindshare of Oracle Database In-Memory is 1.5%, up from 1.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SQL Server is 18.6%, down from 23.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Relational Databases Tools
 

Featured Reviews

Laksiri Bala - PeerSpot reviewer
Faster processing and improved memory operations have enhanced transaction and analytics efficiency
The valuable features of Oracle Database In-Memory ( /products/oracle-database-in-memory-reviews ) include its capability to bypass disk storage for faster memory operations, which is critical for transactions and analytics. It also offers specific memory areas, like in-memory cache, that act as intermediaries between disk and buffer cache. This feature helps organizations handle real-time memory requirements effectively.
Azizul Haque - PeerSpot reviewer
It has eliminated all kinds of inconsistencies, and it is reliable, secure, and fast
I don't know whether SQL Server can support large organizations where the database size is more than 100 GB. It might be because of SQL Server, or it might be because of the programming of the software vendor, but a lot of people think that it is a problem with SQL Server. It can't handle a large amount of data or large data size. In terms of its usage, about 90% of our applications are running on the SQL Server database. We have around 1,600 users for our software, and all the applications are connected to the SQL Server database.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"I like Oracle because it is a backward-compatible solution."
"The scalability is very good."
"I find the performance features of Oracle Database In-Memory to be most beneficial."
"We can integrate it with any data sources as well."
"The product offers high scalability."
"The valuable features of Oracle Database In-Memory include its capability to bypass disk storage for faster memory operations, which is critical for transactions and analytics."
"The application development is very user-friendly."
"The solution's most valuable feature is its performance optimization within our hardware environment."
"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."
"The stability is fine, especially if you're hosting it on AWS or Azure. You can get up to 99.99% stability on AWS."
"Tuning Advisor suggests where to add indexes and from where to remove them. It works like an adviser."
"There was an online system in which we had about 2500 requests to the DB per second. Every request had a completion window of one second to process and retrieve data. After switching to SQL Server, and AlwaysOn, and Snapshot, and tinkering, and configuring and tinkering, the handling capacity we measured increased to about 5000 requests per second, while the time decreased to 0.5 seconds per request."
"It's a very stable solution."
"The most valuable features of this solution are easy queries and straightforward programming for beginners."
"It is quite reliable in cluster configurations and has helped me to reduce downtime and improve SLAs."
"The product's initial setup phase was simple."
 

Cons

"They should lower the price. My customers think that it's too expensive."
"The high cost of the product is an area of concern where improvements are required."
"They should improve the solution's scalability for large databases."
"Lacks sufficient integration with other tools."
"I would like Oracle Database In-Memory to include a data replication feature."
"The solution should move to the new way of writing software code with AI that is intelligent and learns."
"The pricing could be improved. It would ideal if it was more reasonable."
"The platform’s pricing needs improvement."
"Due to the fact that I'm dealing with the product more as a data analyst, the SQL Server management studio is really relatively primitive compared to other more advanced tools."
"Something that could be improved is the cost because it's very high. That's the only thing I'm concerned about but the technology is good."
"Currently, I do not face any difficulties with SQL Server as all options and documentations are available."
"Performance could be improved."
"I would like to have the option to use fewer processors for certain tasks, thus reducing the licensing fee."
"We need it to support Linux for better troubleshooting flexibility."
"The Management Studio is a pretty heavy piece of software, and it's sometimes slow. I would recommend making an express version of the Management Studio, which is lighter and has fewer features but is a little faster."
"Indexing, as well as integration, are areas of this product that need improvement."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The platform's licensing cost needs improvement."
"I rate the pricing a zero out of ten because Database In-Memory is too costly."
"Database In-Memory is priced a bit higher than its competitors like Microsoft."
"The product is expensive."
"The pricing is pretty good so I rate it an eight out of ten."
"Oracle Database In-Memory is expensive."
"The solution's pricing is high."
"There is a need to make a yearly payment towards the licensing costs, after which there is any to pay towards the support cost attached to the solution."
"Historically, SQL Server has been much more affordable than Oracle, which is overpriced."
"You need to pay for the license. It most probably has per-core licensing."
"SQL Server is expensive if you use the advanced SQL version, but if you use the standard version, it's not expensive."
"SQL Server's pricing has proven satisfactory for our market range."
"Their options for concurrency and locking are good, as well as their prices."
"We are on a monthly subscription and the price could improve. However, the price has worked out well in some deployments. The problem is you never know what kind of services been installed and you have to be in touch with many people, such as which servers are active or which are not. I did face a couple of issues in terms of subscriptions and the pricing model. They have improved over time."
"The price of SQL Server could be reduced, the license is expensive. We have an annual subscription."
"We pay per second of usage, but there are different offerings of the license."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
18%
Computer Software Company
12%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Government
8%
Educational Organization
53%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Computer Software Company
6%
Manufacturing Company
5%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Oracle Database In-Memory?
We can integrate it with any data sources as well.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Oracle Database In-Memory?
Oracle Database In-Memory is very expensive. Additionally, there are extra costs for some features.
What needs improvement with Oracle Database In-Memory?
The dashboard requires some refreshment or configuration improvements. Also, the pricing could be addressed.
Would you say the price of SQL Server is high compared to that of similar products?
SQL Server is fairly priced because it has various editions, depending on the number of users, servers, or core packs you are using. If you compare the product to others in this category, the price...
Has using SQL Server helped your organization in any way?
SQL Server has helped my organization through partitioning to distribute the workload, as it splits them up into smaller pieces so the machines can easily deal with it. However, this comes with a h...
Which authentication mode is best for SQL Server?
My company connects through SQL Server authentication. We have company Windows accounts, but we do not want to connect the two, out of security concerns and to keep things separated for our own pur...
 

Also Known As

No data available
Microsoft SQL Server, MSSQL, MS SQL
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Shanghai Customs
Microsoft SQL Server is used by businesses in every industry, including Great Western Bank, Aviva, the Volvo Car Corporation, BMW, Samsung, Principality Building Society, Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield, and the Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario.
Find out what your peers are saying about Oracle Database In-Memory vs. SQL Server and other solutions. Updated: March 2025.
842,767 professionals have used our research since 2012.