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STI Data Leader at grupo gtd
Real User
Useful data query manipulating, reliable, and good support
Pros and Cons
  • "The most useful feature of Azure SQL is the queries for manipulating the data, such as the tables and the storage processors."
  • "Azure SQL can improve by adding more machine learning features like other databases, such as Cassandra or Cosmos DB."

What is our primary use case?

We use Azure SQL serverless or with virtual machines.

Azure SQL is used mostly by my clients for ETL.

What is most valuable?

The most useful feature of Azure SQL is the queries for manipulating the data, such as the tables and the storage processors.

What needs improvement?

Azure SQL can improve by adding more machine learning features like other databases, such as Cassandra or Cosmos DB.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using SQL Azure for approximately three years.

Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Azure SQL Database
December 2024
Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Azure SQL Database. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2024.
824,067 professionals have used our research since 2012.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Azure SQL is a stable solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability of Azure SQL is good. However, it is limited by the infrastructure. The cloud version gives more scalability.

How are customer service and support?

The support from Azure SQL is good.

I rate the support from Azure SQL a four out of five.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of Azure SQL is of a medium level of difficulty. We need some expertise in installing, configuring, and deploying Azure SQL.

What about the implementation team?

We have approximately 20 to 30 specialists for the deployment of Azure SQL.

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

The price in general of Azure SQL could improve.

What other advice do I have?

We have enterprises in Chile, Peru, Spain, Italy, and Colombia that provide IT services. We use this solution every day to maintain new projects and use the on-premise and cloud versions.

My advice to others is to review alternatives to Azure SQL. For example, SQL Serverless, SQL with a virtual machine, or Azure SQL Instances.

I rate Azure SQL a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
Marios Christodoulou - PeerSpot reviewer
DB and Systems Engineer at JCC Payment Systems Ltd
Real User
Top 5
Stable, scalable, and good support
Pros and Cons
  • "SQL Azure is reliable and scales well."
  • "The solution could improve by allowing the export of the data more seamlessly. It is difficult to copy and back up data."

What is our primary use case?

We are using SQL Azure for databases that are hosted in Microsoft Azure.

What is most valuable?

SQL Azure is reliable and scales well.

What needs improvement?

The solution could improve by allowing the export of the data more seamlessly. It is difficult to copy and back up data.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using SQL Azure for three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I rate the stability of SQL Azure an eight out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have approximately 1,000 people using the solution in my organization.

I rate the scalability of SQL Azure a nine out of ten.

How are customer service and support?

The support is good.

How was the initial setup?

I rate the initial setup of SQL Azure a nine out of ten.

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

The solution is expensive.

What other advice do I have?

I rate SQL Azure a nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Azure SQL Database
December 2024
Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Azure SQL Database. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2024.
824,067 professionals have used our research since 2012.
reviewer2032284 - PeerSpot reviewer
Head, Information Technology at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Integrates well with Microsoft products and can expand but needs to have mobile capabilities
Pros and Cons
  • "We're a Microsoft customer, so it fits in with everything else we work with."
  • "The product could be more competitive in terms of features, security, and scalability."

What is our primary use case?

We have HR applications including a lead system and also traveling expenses. We're using SQL for items like that.

What is most valuable?

The solution offers good plugin capabilities. We're a Microsoft customer, so it fits in with everything else we work with. 

The solution can scale. 

What needs improvement?

From a user standpoint, there isn't really any need for improvement. 

We'd like the solution to be available on mobile phones. 

The product could be more competitive in terms of features, security, and scalability.

For how long have I used the solution?

We've been using the solution for around three years. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability would be a bit better. That said, right now, I am happy with how it can scale. As a user, you always want it to be better; however, as of now, it's not too bad. 

I'm not sure how many people are using the solution in our company at this time. 

How are customer service and support?

I've never used technical support services. I can't speak to how well they respond when a customer has an issue. 

What other advice do I have?

We're a Microsoft customer. 

I'm not part of the development team. I'm not sure which version our company is on. 

I'd rate the solution six out of ten. While it's fine for use online, we'd like it to be more mobile. If it were on mobile, I would rate it higher. 

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
PeerSpot user
IT Manager at European University
Real User
East to deploy with good documentation but can be expensive
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution is quite straightforward to set up."
  • "I want the pricing to be improved."

What is our primary use case?

We decided to implement some forms for different purposes. We needed to implement it on-premises, so we did this on Azure to support the data from the forms implemented on a SQL server, and on Azure on several databases. It's very easy. 

What is most valuable?

The solution is quite straightforward to set up.

It can scale. 

The solution is stable and reliable. 

What needs improvement?

I want the pricing to be improved. They should try to lower it for their customers. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've used the solution for one year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is good. There are no bugs or glitches, and it doesn't crash or freeze. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution can scale. I can't say how much as I don't have a comparable use case on the cloud and on-premises. 

We have about five people using the solution right now. For now, we do not have plans to increase usage.

How are customer service and support?

The support is good. They have a good document library. If there is a problem, we can figure it out. 

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is very straightforward. It's not complex at all. For us, it did not take more than one or two hours. It was quick to deploy. 

We only need one person on hand for deployment and maintenance. They are a developer. 

What about the implementation team?

We did not use a consultant for the implementation process. We have a lot of experience in Azure and a lot of systems in Azure as well. 

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

We have a yearly licensing fee we need to pay. It's not a cheap solution. 

What other advice do I have?

I'd recommend the solution to other users. 

Based on the experience I've had, I would rate it seven out of ten. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Samuel Lambrecht - PeerSpot reviewer
Principal Industry Consultant at Intelligent Operations Solutions
Consultant
The response time was better than expected
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable aspect of SQL Azure is the SQL language itself. It's open and everybody can use it at my company. Also, we thought in the beginning that the response time would be inadequate, but it's actually decent. It's much better than expected. Then again, I'm not a programmer, but that's what I hear from our development team."
  • "They should also simplify the security in Azure. We are using the cloud as a platform, so there is no physical infrastructure. We're using Azure components like databases and servers to create an application. Integrating those components in terms of permissions and security is challenging for us. Maybe there is a lack of knowledge on our side, but it's not straightforward."

What is our primary use case?

We use SQL Azure for what we call an inspection round. Inspection rounds are mainly used by an inspector in the field to check the compliance of the equipment, like if a given machine doesn't have enough instrumentation. 

In any kind of plant, there is an inventory of assets. Most companies have an inspector who goes to the field to check the condition and record some indicators. The results of the inspection are recorded in our software. All the data from the inspection round is stored in our database in Azure. That is what we use the Azure database for.

We created a custom PaaS. It's not a pre-built device in the cloud. Azure components like SQL Azure and a web server are combined to create this solution. Our SQL performs better in that space than a readymade device.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable aspect of SQL Azure is the SQL language itself. It's open and everybody can use it at my company. Also, we thought in the beginning that the response time would be inadequate, but it's actually decent. It's much better than expected. Then again, I'm not a programmer, but that's what I hear from our development team. 

What needs improvement?

There are some characteristics called "joins," like "inner join," "full join," "left join," "right join," etc. It's a little confusing for some coders. I think that could be simplified. 

I'm in the analytic space, so I would introduce a higher level of coding using artificial intelligence. SQL is quite close to English. They could add a voice interface where you speak into it, and the machine writes the code for you. My weakness in coding requires something automated, so I can be more proactive. 

They should also simplify the security in Azure. We are using the cloud as a platform, so there is no physical infrastructure. We're using Azure components like databases and servers to create an application. Integrating those components in terms of permissions and security is challenging for us. Maybe there is a lack of knowledge on our side, but it's not straightforward. 

The data modeling is not good for me. There are better tools than SQL Azure when you need to create the abstract part of the database design. It's weak. It's not user-friendly, and the notation is specific to Microsoft. I believe we use a third-party tool for data modeling because it's easier to use. Communicating with that tool is easier than SQL Azure. The model is nicer.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using SQL Azure for about five or six years. We started using the solution for one of our clients, a mining company, more than five years ago. They were the first customers to use our solution.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We don't have any issues with stability. The primary issues in the cloud are privileges, security, and integration between applications. That is a total mess for us. When we need to get the application servers access to the Azure database. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

SQL Azure is scalable.

How are customer service and support?

I only contacted Azure support once, and it was decent. We asked some questions, and they replied. I cannot it say was great or awful. They met our expectations. 

How was the initial setup?

Setting up SQL Azure is easy. Even I can do it. 

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

We pay around $1,200 per year for one customer based on what they currently use. It's mainly processing and storage. SQL Azure is a bit more expensive than other solutions. There are free databases, but they don't have the scalability of the Azure cloud. It might not be affordable for some companies, but it's highly scalable.

What other advice do I have?

I rate SQL Azure eight out of 10. I would recommend it to others depending on their needs. It might be beyond the budget of some companies.

Generally, what I like about Azure as a cloud is the analytics you can apply on top of that data. Azure provides a number of high-performing solutions for data science and analytics. The main issue is that you need to build the architecture to create a product that provides value for your customers.

It's about imagination and creativity, and most of the tools are there. In my case, ease of use matters because I lack the knowledge to explore more, but our development team could do that easily. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Daniel_Marin - PeerSpot reviewer
Software Developer at Generate Impact
Real User
Beneficial centralized authentication, scalable, and reliable
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature of SQL Azure is centralized authentication because I'm using the domain, user name, and password, for Microsoft 365 account with multifactor authentication and the security has been working well."
  • "I was using a user list for connecting a program in OTF for getting information. The connection in SQL Azure can improve by being easier because at the moment I have to use private certificates for user authentication. I had to do additional configuration to have the connections."

What is our primary use case?

SQL Azure is used for the replication of a CRM database. if get information from this database and try to replicate it on other servers and other systems. I'm getting the transactional data information.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of SQL Azure is centralized authentication because I'm using the domain, user name, and password, for Microsoft 365 account with multifactor authentication and the security has been working well.

What needs improvement?

I was using a user list for connecting a program in OTF for getting information. The connection in SQL Azure can improve by being easier because at the moment I have to use private certificates for user authentication. I had to do additional configuration to have the connections.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using SQL Azure for approximately six months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

SQL Azure is stable, I have not had any issues.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability of SQL Azure is easy to do.

We have a lot of people in my organization using this solution. We have a large company.

How are customer service and support?

I have not used support.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of SQL Azure is difficult and complex. I have to use a lot of certificates, private keys, and public keys to establish a connection.

What other advice do I have?

SQL Azure is a really good tool. I recommend using this solution instead of a normal SQL server, its an improvement,

I rate SQL Azure a nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Private Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Marco Cenzato - PeerSpot reviewer
Product Architect at Wolters Kluwer
Real User
Top 10
Enables us to manage highly intensive workloads and scale in real-time and on demand
Pros and Cons
  • "They have good documentation. It's concentrated information."
  • "Their support is nice but their responses aren't effective."

What is our primary use case?

We use the public cloud model of this solution. 

How has it helped my organization?

With Azure, we can achieve very high workloads (~6K queries/min) and, if necessary, scale databases in real-time with only one minute of downtime for our customers. It enables us to scale up on demand and to scale down when needed. 

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of Azure Database is the read-scaleout one: in Premium and Business tiers, the logic single DB consists of 4 identical DBs, the main one (writable) and three read-only synchronized copies; in our application we can use the three read-only copies for almost all of the read-only query and this allows workload distribution and minimizes the concurrency in write operations.

They have good documentation. It's concentrated information. 

What needs improvement?

Migrating existing application to SQL database had many problems, developing a new app for Azure Database not. 

Their support is nice but frequently their responses aren't effective. 

The documentation is always updated with the latest features but the documentation for the database features should be better. It doesn't specify when specific features will be released. The documentation needs improvement. They should improve the way they explain the information to the market.

It should have better support for UTF 8 (a feature already present on the on-premises version of SQL Database 2019) a for Hadoop integration.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for two years in a production environment and for four years in development.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is stable. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is very scalable. 

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was incredibly easy. Moving from a standard tier to a business tier is not so easy and the documentation isn't so clear the presence of the read scale out copies.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate it a nine out of ten. 

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
PeerSpot user
Manager of Architecture/Design with 51-200 employees
Real User
You can arrange training and demos based on the client’s budget.

What is most valuable?

  • Cloud products reduce the cost of the production of software products
  • You do not have to buy the product at the up-front market cost
  • You pay for it as you use the product
  • You can develop a product on your own premises
  • Just give the key to the vendor, so that there are no separate deployment costs.
  • You save on travel and meals, as well as housing required for a development team required for deployment and implementation.
  • The distance between the client and development team is invisible.
  • You may arrange virtual-real trainings/demos based on the affordability of the client’s budget.
  • There is no requirement of special hardware, as costs and additional software are bared by the cloud platform. You can spend as you need based on what the client’s needs are and scale hardware and software up to the client’s needs.
  • Cost of the platform and the software upgrades are covered under the service contract.

How has it helped my organization?

We developed our product with a small team of .NET developers for a client, a law university in Delhi, India.

We received the requirements from conversations of our team with our client, over the phone, and with email.

There was minimal training required for the team to be trained in cloud, as every developer in the team had basic .NET skills.

This product was then intended to be used by law university students for their training in court room sessions as student lawyers debating against each other to deduce lawful judgements of a case under study.

We provided virtual chat rooms for the students and had facilitated a method to share video sessions of their debates in virtual court rooms.

What needs improvement?

Microsoft has delivered on its promise by providing a free, developer-student (community) edition of Visual Studio.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have used this for around 6-9 months to develop and implement the product.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

There are questions in the developers’ and clients’ minds:

  • Since Azure is a pay-by-use product, what is the provision for the future?
  • If, for some reason, we lost this provision, what fallback parachute is Microsoft planning for customers?
  • What risk planning and hedging should the client do? There is no such possibility, but the concern must be addressed by Microsoft.

Physically owned products are also subject to failure. The hardware on premise also fails and needs to be maintained, so there is expected downtime.

Microsoft provides mirroring of cloud servers. There is a sure provision of backup and restore of the cloud environment.

By centralizing these services and products at a central location (datacenter), we are optimizing on services and goods cost and sharing these costs with other cloud dwellers.

By going towards the cloud, we are going towards a virus and spyware free environment.

We are moving away from special, owned hardware and products, to cloud-based datacenters, which exist in the other resource rich, low cost, areas.

This is Platform as a Service of the SOA revolution.

Along with overseas datacenters, we shall promote near shore or local datacenters to capitalize on the cloud advantage. We will also address issues of risk hedging, which will spur job growth in local areas.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We didn’t have any scalability problems.

How are customer service and technical support?

We did not explore this option, but the response was good for whatever we did request.

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

We switched due to the advantages I mentioned earlier.

How was the initial setup?

You don’t have to install the product on the cloud platform. You receive a login with pre-pared software installs. Custom requirements need to be implemented or requested.

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

Every region of a country has cheaper locations that can provide cost advantages, and data center growth must be equally distributed on earth with electricity and resource rich, low cost, areas to keep the cost of the cloud minimal. This will also avert natural and man-made calamities.

The United States and other countries can take this cloud option to the next level of off-shoring without any immigration and terrorism issues, enabling development in impoverished areas of the world.

This can further cut down the cost of software development, other "down-the-line" products, services and goods, and will empower the poor and neglected of the world.

This will also improve trade between the countries. There are always imbalances amongst populations in any country in skills and monetary status. An equalizer could be achieved by allowing more trade, more freedom, and more pollination.

In India, we had to start development using the 3-month free subscription Azure platform .net and SQL . Now as far as I know, vs 2015 community edition is a free download. One can develop software application in it and deploy it with an Azure subscription which is pay as you use. All nitty-gritty development can be done by a development team. That's why Microsoft has delivered their dream cloud promise with the zero cost alternative of community edition.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We considered local cloud and physical install options. These options were expensive and less effective.

What other advice do I have?

Microsoft Cloud is reliable and dependable.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Microsoft Azure SQL Database Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: December 2024
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Microsoft Azure SQL Database Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.