We use the product as a database for the applications.
Chief ICT Officer at Barbados Public Workers Cooperative Credit Union Ltd
A scalable and stable solution that works as a database for applications
Pros and Cons
- "The tool helps us by being available always."
- "The tool is expensive."
What is our primary use case?
How has it helped my organization?
The tool helps us by being available always.
What is most valuable?
We don't encounter any issues with the solution.
What needs improvement?
The tool is expensive.
Buyer's Guide
SQL Server
March 2025

Learn what your peers think about SQL Server. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2025.
844,944 professionals have used our research since 2012.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the product for the last ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The tool is scalable.
How was the initial setup?
The tool is easy to install.
What was our ROI?
We have seen ROI with the tool's use.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I would rate the tool's pricing a six out of ten. It is not extremely cheap but also it's not the most expensive product.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate the product 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.

CEO at TMentors
Problem-free, easy to implement, and very reliable
Pros and Cons
- "The scalability is very good."
- "The remote access aspect needs to be improved in terms of security."
What is our primary use case?
We use the solution on FastAutomate, our core product, to store the aggregated data from different nodes. It resides on the server that's handling the agents. We also use it for different organizations for development. Therefore, we use it for development mainly.
What is most valuable?
Overall, we've been satisfied with the capabilities of the product.
The solution is stable. It works without issue - to the point you rarely need any technical support at all.
The scalability is very good.
It's got an easy initial setup.
What needs improvement?
The remote access aspect needs to be improved in terms of security. Right now, it's a little bit hard.
Also, they need to work on the user interface, as it's a little bit old. They need to improve it a little bit.
The pricing could be lowered a bit.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've used the solution for a while.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Its stability has been good. The solution performs well and is reliable. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have found the solution to be scalable. If a company needs to expand, it can do so.
How are customer service and support?
Techni al support is good. That said, it's hard to judge as you don't need support on SQL Server. It's working without trouble or issues. Therefore, it's rare to seek support for SQL Server. You rarely have to deal with them.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I've also used SQL Azure.
The recommendation is based on the use case. It depends on what use case the customer will need. If they don't have the capacity to manage their own Server, I would recommend Azure, as it's managed. Therefore, you don't have to worry about the management and administration.
The main difference between the two is, in some data types it is not available on SQL Azure while it's available on SQL Server or vice versa. There's a version of SQL Server with a little bit of limited functionality. That said, the difference is not huge. You can go back and forth between them if you want.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is very easy. It's even easier than before, in fact. A company shouldn't have any problems with the implementation.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price could be less.
What other advice do I have?
I'd rate the solution at an eight out of ten. If the price was a bit less or the remote access was better, I would rate it tighter.
In general, I've been happy with the product.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: partner
Buyer's Guide
SQL Server
March 2025

Learn what your peers think about SQL Server. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2025.
844,944 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Senior Database Administrator at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees
Secure, good GUI, and easy to use
Pros and Cons
- "Its security is good. The GUI of SQL Server is also very good."
- "It is very costly, and that's the reason people are moving away from SQL Server."
What is our primary use case?
We are using it for storing important data.
What is most valuable?
Its security is good. The GUI of SQL Server is also very good.
What needs improvement?
It is very costly, and that's the reason people are moving away from SQL Server.
They have started using Linux, and Linux is the way forward for SQL Server. They have to invest a lot in that.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for almost 10 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Its stability is good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Its scalability is good.
How are customer service and support?
I haven't spoken to their support team in the last three years, but prior to that, their support was good.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I also have experience with Postgres. The main difference between SQL Server and Postgres is that Postgres is open source. The Community version of Postgre is basically free. Postgres is very easy to set up and very easy to scale. It is quite a good database.
How was the initial setup?
It is very easy.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It is expensive in terms of licensing costs and pricing. If you want to scale SQL Server, it is very expensive.
We probably have to pay extra for technical support. We also have to pay for the license of Windows on which the SQL Server resides, which is an extra cost.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend SQL Server for its stability, scalability, and ease of use. I would rate it an eight out of 10.
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.
Sr. Consultant (Enterprise Architect) at Devoteam
Secure with great out-of-the-box functionality and works well as a database
Pros and Cons
- "If we want to expand to other servers and create an extra node, it's expandable."
- "It would be great if we were able to run it on multiple operating systems and not only stick with Windows."
What is our primary use case?
We use the product as a database, a data tool for everything.
What is most valuable?
SQL Server, as a database, is great.
When it comes to the governmental sector, it is easily dealt with and can handle a big load of data. Specifically, after they added the capability of building a big data cluster from the SQL Server itself it's been great.
If it was a database developer who was working with it or database admin, it provides a lot of tools and potential utilization that helps in doing the work in the right way.
Stability-wise, it's stable.
If we want to expand to other servers and create an extra node, it's expandable. If you want to connect it with another, let's say, cloud node, it's also expandable with the cloud node.
Security-wise, it provides most of the required security aspects in the market suchg as hashing, or encrypting, or hiding some data in tables (according to privileges and tools of the users). That can be done throughout it easily.
It's an out-of-the-box solution. Lately, after they created the SQL Azure, if you use the Azure SQL Explorer, or SQL Server Management Studio, both of them can connect to the same database easily. It's natively built on the same core.
What needs improvement?
In my experience, while working with multiple sectors, such as banking, services, et cetera, there are some limitations for some sectors when dealing with the data.
It would be great if we were able to run it on multiple operating systems and not only stick with Windows.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for five or maybe six years. It's been a while.
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. Its performance is reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It's very easy to scale the solution in multiple ways. If a company needs to expand, it can do so easily.
How was the initial setup?
I can't say it is easy to deploy as it depends on the admin, however, it is doable. Most of the databases, in general, require configuration. Therefore, if the admin knows what he's doing, then it's super easy.
A full deployment, depending on what is needed, might take anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes. It's fast.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I can't speak to the pricing. I don't have any information on that.
It's my understanding that we pay for licensing on a yearly basis.
What other advice do I have?
There is also another added product they created, called Synapse, Azure Synapse Analytics. Both of them are similar to Microsoft PowerBI on-prem with SQL Server on-prem.
I would rate the solution at an eight out of ten. There are other competitors that are also doing a very good job as well.
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.
Senior Solutions Architect at a manufacturing company with 51-200 employees
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.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable.
How are customer service and technical 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.
Head of Technical Support at a real estate/law firm with 51-200 employees
Integrates well, high performance, and provides many features
Pros and Cons
- "SQL Server provides good performance. Most of the SQL solutions can be integrated and this solution is no different, you are able to link other databases. For example, we have Oracle running a Postgres Server and it is linked. It follows the ISO standard when it comes to commands, it works well."
- "They could improve by adding the SQL format."
What is our primary use case?
This solution is part of the ERP that we have for application. We use it for many purposes, such as POS in-store cash registers for enterprise companies.
What is most valuable?
SQL Server provides good performance. Most of the SQL solutions can be integrated and this solution is no different, you are able to link other databases. For example, we have Oracle running a Postgres Server and it is linked. It follows the ISO standard when it comes to commands, it works well.
What needs improvement?
They could improve by adding the SQL format.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using SQL Server for approximately eight years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable, I have not had any issue using it.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is very good.
We have approximately 500 users using the POS.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have previously used IBM Informix, PostgresSQL, and Oracle Databases.
How was the initial setup?
The installation is straightforward and takes approximately 30 minutes. If you were to add more features the installation could take longer. For example, there are many features such as table partitioning allowing you to do queries faster, transferring data from one table to another, and performing quicker backups.
What about the implementation team?
We did the implementation ourselves. We have a team that does the maintenance for Windows Servers, Linux desktops, and Linux Servers.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There is a license required for servers and for the POS we use the free version. The free version allows you to have tables and a total database size of approximately 10 GB, which is enough for our requirements.
What other advice do I have?
This is an excellent solution when it comes to databases. I would recommend it to others.
I rate SQL Server a ten 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.
Managing Partner at Bizz Advisers SRL
Stores and retrieves data requested by other applications
Pros and Cons
- "I haven't really experienced any issues that required the assistance of technical support."
- "The ability to connect with other environments needs to be improved."
What is our primary use case?
We use this solution to manage our database and store information. I use another platform for more specific needs.
Within our organization, there are roughly 10-12 employees using this solution.
What needs improvement?
SQL Server consumes a lot of resources. You need to keep an eye on the number of resources involved. It expands and uses all of the memory available on the server. For this reason, I install it on separate machines.
Also, the ability to connect with other environments needs to be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using SQL Server for nearly 10 years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability-wise, it's okay.
How are customer service and technical support?
I haven't really experienced any issues that required the assistance of technical support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I also use MySQL — the open-source version. I started using SQL Server because we required some special functionality for a specific project.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was not complicated. You can do it without any external support.
What about the implementation team?
I installed the entire solution myself within 20-50 minutes.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price could always be lower.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I evaluated Oracle, but I didn't like it — I prefer Microsoft.
What other advice do I have?
I would absolutely recommend this solution to others. Overall, on a scale from one to ten, I would give this solution a rating of eight.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
NMS Service Automation & RPA Technical Lead at Vodafone
Scalable with a straightforward setup and good stability
Pros and Cons
- "From a security perspective, we have no complaints."
- "It would be ideal if the solution offered better integration capabilities."
What is our primary use case?
The solution is a part of a product. We use it for our database, among other items.
What is most valuable?
The solution is very stable.
The product scales well.
From a security perspective, we have no complaints.
The initial setup is very straightforward.
What needs improvement?
The solution should work to improve its search functionality.
It would be ideal if the solution offered better integration capabilities. In the future, we expect that our company will need to make more integrations with other systems.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for three years. It hasn't been that long.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
So far, the stability has been very good. We haven't experienced any crashed or anything of that nature. There are no bugs or glitches. It's reliable and the performance is good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is very scalable. The only thing that would limit its ability to expand is how your environment is designed. That said, a company should have no trouble scaling it if they would like to.
There are only five of us using the solution right now.
We do plan to increase usage in the future.
How are customer service and technical support?
While I haven't had a chance to open a ticket with technical support, I plan to open one next week, as I have an issue I need to ask them about. However, since I have yet to be in contact, I cannot evaluate their level of service.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is not complex or difficult. It's easy. It's very straightforward and the setup guide is available if you Google it. Anyone can search for the installation guide on whichever version you're installing.
The deployment is quick. It only takes about 30 minutes or so.
We have a technical team of five engineers. If any maintenance is needed, we can handle it.
What about the implementation team?
I installed the product myself. I found an installation guide and just followed the directions. I didn't need the help of a consultant or integrator.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We do not currently pay a licensing fee in order to use this product.
What other advice do I have?
I'm currently using the 2017 version. I am not using the latest version of the solution.
In general, I would rate it at an eight out of ten. For the most part, we have been satisfied with its capabilities.
I'd recommend the solution to other users and organizations.
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.

Buyer's Guide
Download our free SQL Server Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros
sharing their opinions.
Updated: March 2025
Product Categories
Relational Databases ToolsPopular Comparisons
MySQL
Teradata
Oracle Database
MariaDB
SAP HANA
IBM Db2 Database
Amazon Aurora
CockroachDB
LocalDB
IBM Informix
Citus Data
Oracle Database In-Memory
YugabyteDB
SAP IQ
SAP Adaptive Server Enterprise
Buyer's Guide
Download our free SQL Server Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros
sharing their opinions.
Quick Links
Learn More: Questions:
- Microsoft sql2017 VS SAP Hana
- SQL Server 2005 vs. InfoBright - what are the pros and cons of these solutions?
- SQL Server 2012 - can I make OLTP transactions from my ERP run in memory?
- How does NuoDB compare to MySQL and SQL Server?
- What are the main architectural differences between Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle Multitenant?
- Would you say the price of SQL Server is high compared to that of similar products?
- Has using SQL Server helped your organization in any way?
- Which authentication mode is best for SQL Server?
- Which solution do you prefer: Microsoft SQL Server's enterprise edition or Oracle Database's enterprise edition?
- Which is better: SQL Server or SAP HANA?