I primarily use it to extract some configuration information for my product - in order to understand how the configuration is done for my base product.
Technical Specialist at a media company with 10,001+ employees
Stable, intuitive, and easy to use for non-technical users
Pros and Cons
- "The solution is very easy to use. It's intuitive and easy to navigate. Overall, it's a straightforward product."
- "The documentation could be much better. It's lacking right now. If there are better help pages, for even complicated queries and stuff like that that would be quite a help for users."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The solution is very easy to use. It's intuitive and easy to navigate. Overall, it's a straightforward product.
You don't really need a learning code to study MySQL. If you know the basics, it's quite easy to use the product. There isn't a high learning curve and you don't have to be overly technical.
The initial setup was straightforward.
What needs improvement?
The documentation could be much better. It's lacking right now. If there are better help pages, for even complicated queries and stuff like that that would be quite a help for users.
There were times where it was not working all the time, however, that could be due to some issues on our network side as well. I'm not really sure of that, and therefore can't blame the solution. However, I do remember experiences where, when I tried something, it didn't work.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been dealing with the solution for seven years now. It's been a while.
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
For my purposes, I haven't had any issues with stability. I find it to be reliable in terms of performance. It doesn't crash or freeze. There are no bugs or glitches. It's good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I don't really use it heavily, basically, my usage is quite small. It's been okay for me for my purposes. However, it's my understanding that it can scale.
We have more than ten engineers that currently use the product regularly.
How are customer service and support?
I've never needed to reach out to technical support from Microsoft, I can't speak to how helpful or responsive they are. I don't have any direct experience I can draw from.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was not overly difficult or complex. It was quite straightforward. It's a pretty simple process.
Our team is capable of handling the maintenance internally.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
In terms of pricing, I just downloaded it and started using it. I don't have a lot of information on licensing. I can't speak to the costs.
What other advice do I have?
We are just a customer and an end-user. We do not have a business relationship with SQL.
I would recommend the solution to other users. So far, the experience I have had over the years has been a positive one.
I'd rate the solution at 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.
Chief Technology Officer & Vice President, Delivery at a recruiting/HR firm with 1-10 employees
Very stable, easy to use, and easy to move data across versions, but needs better indexing, performance, scalability, and JSON support
Pros and Cons
- "It is easy to use and very stable."
- "Its support for JSON should be improved. It does support JSON, but the support is not good enough currently. They should also improve the way indexes work. Its performance can also be improved because sometimes it becomes very slow for certain table designs. It cannot have more than a certain amount of data. As compared to other databases, its capability to handle large volumes of data is not very good."
What is our primary use case?
We are a product-based company, and we use it as part of our product. It is deployed in a public cloud and on-premises.
How has it helped my organization?
We use it as part of our product, so it is helpful for us. It is easy to move data across versions, and it holds lots of our internal data for operations.
What is most valuable?
It is easy to use and very stable.
What needs improvement?
Its support for JSON should be improved. It does support JSON, but the support is not good enough currently.
They should also improve the way indexes work. Its performance can also be improved because sometimes it becomes very slow for certain table designs.
It cannot have more than a certain amount of data. As compared to other databases, its capability to handle large volumes of data is not very good.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It has been very stable. We had a very good experience with it.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scaling is a challenge because you cannot scale horizontally. We've run into a couple of scenarios where we were not able to scale it easily.
How are customer service and technical support?
Their support is quite satisfactory. They have not been perfect every time, but they have mostly been quite good. They're prompt, but they weren't able to resolve some of the issues.
How was the initial setup?
It is easy to install.
What about the implementation team?
Our IT team handles the installation.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It is expensive.
What other advice do I have?
You should know its limitations. It cannot have more than a certain amount of data.
I would rate SQL Server a seven out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Database Operation Assistant Manager at a consumer goods company with 10,001+ employees
Plenty of features, flexible, but could be more scalable
Pros and Cons
- "I have found the most valuable features to be the flexibility and the vast amount of features available."
- "The scalability is adequate but could improve."
What is our primary use case?
I use the solution for analytics and reporting.
What is most valuable?
I have found the most valuable features to be the flexibility and the vast amount of features available.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for approximately three 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 scalability is adequate but could improve. We have approximately 100 people using the solution in our company.
How was the initial setup?
The installation is not difficult, it is quick. It took approximately 15 minutes to complete.
What about the implementation team?
We have four technicians that do the deployment and maintenance of the solution.
What other advice do I have?
I recommend this solution to others.
I rate SQL Server a seven 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.
Consultant at Rpc Data
Easy to set up and configure, integrates well with other components, and the support is good
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature is that it is easy to use and you don't have to do a lot of configuration."
- "More things in SQL Server need to be automated."
What is our primary use case?
We are a solution provider and this is one of the products that we implement for our clients.
It can be used for different things such as data warehousing and online transactional processing (OLTP). This is a product that I have never used in production, however.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is that it is easy to use and you don't have to do a lot of configuration. For example, there is no installation.
When you want to insert data, it is easy to do. For example, if I want to test something then I log into my GitHub account, download what I want, and then upload it to the SQL server.
The integration with other products like SQL Developer is really good. Connecting it to Visual Studio is also quite good.
What needs improvement?
More things in SQL Server need to be automated. We need to do a lot of things, especially on the cloud, and Oracle has better automation for handling these kinds of tasks. Automation is the key, these days.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using SQL Server for a couple of months.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
With respect to scalability, I can say that the cloud version is scalable. I don't have much to say about how an on-premises deployment scales. However, in general, both Oracle and Microsoft products scale really well.
How are customer service and technical support?
Technical support is responsive and quite good.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I also have experience with Oracle Database. When I compared pricing between the two products, I found that Microsoft was more expensive.
How was the initial setup?
There is no installation. Everything is done by Microsoft and all you have to do is deploy it. The process takes less than five minutes.
What about the implementation team?
I have done the installation many times by myself.
As a cloud-based product, there are no special resources required for maintenance. Once you deploy it, you just want to make sure that the data is displayed or presented in the way that you want it. Most of the technical work is handled by Microsoft.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There is a charge for this product if you are using it in production. For development, there is no cost. The pricing from Microsoft is quite expensive compared to Oracle.
What other advice do I have?
In summary, this is a good product, I plan to continue using it, and I definitely recommend it.
I would rate this solution an eight 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.
Head of IT, CTO at a insurance company with 51-200 employees
Reliable, scalable, and user-friendly but the pricing could always be better
Pros and Cons
- "It's much more friendly in comparison with Oracle."
- "I am fine with the pricing, but pricing is an area that can always be improved."
What is our primary use case?
We are using this solution as a database. The main purpose is as an SQL Server.
How has it helped my organization?
Our backend and core systems are using Microsoft SQL Server. We have no complaints from anyone who is using it.
We have nothing that we can compare it with.
What is most valuable?
It's much more friendly in comparison with Oracle.
We are using the standard features. I don't see any areas that can be simplified with the standard functionalities. We don't use any special extended features.
From my point of view, using SQL Server 2017 and 2019 is very good. I haven't experienced any issues or been in a situation where I was struggling with problems for which I didn't have access to proper documentation or proper functions.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using SQL Server for eight years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
After eight years in our company, we have not had any issues with SQL Server from a stability point of view.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We are a small company. We don't have any issues with this and we are fully virtualized. If we need to, we can extend the amount of CPUs as we want.
Our core system is being used by 50 users, but they are not accessing the SQL Server. We have approximately 10 users in our company who are using the SQL Server.
How are customer service and technical support?
I have never used technical support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I am using Avamar and Data Domain. I have been using Data Domain for four or five years. It was used as the data storage for the backup solution in our sister company.
I worked with Oracle in the previous company. Microsoft SQL Server is better.
We have also used Software Center, Active Directory, Microsoft Exchange, and almost everything that is Microsoft-based.
How was the initial setup?
It was installed by an outsourcing company. It is another sister company.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It's cheaper than Oracle.
I am fine with the pricing, but pricing is an area that can always be improved.
We are Microsoft D-level partners. Pricing is not an issue for us, because of the outreach of our mother company.
What other advice do I have?
We are a Microsoft-based company.
I would rate SQL Server a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: partner
Technical lead/Senior embedded software engineer at a wireless company with 51-200 employees
I've used SQL Server for most of the solutions I worked for, from web crawlers to logistic platforms and medical devices
What is most valuable?
Database Engine
Integration Services
Reporting Services
How has it helped my organization?
I am a Senior Software Engineer. I've used SQL Server for most of the solutions that I worked with, from web crawlers to logistic platforms and medical devices.
What needs improvement?
- The Server Objects area of SQL Server Management Studio
- The SQL Server Configuration Manager
For how long have I used the solution?
Over 10 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Yes, I encountered issues only when using the Express editions during the development. SQL Server, generally speaking, is stable also in high transaction environments.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Yes, I encountered issues in the CPU intensive application, like web crawlers. It was difficult to reach the desired scalability through the fine tuning options available.
How are customer service and technical support?
The support is good. The knowledge base is very good.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have experience with Sybase SQL Anywhere .
I switched mainly because the SQL Server is widely deployed and known, for better XML support, and for better integration with .NET framework and its related technologies.
How was the initial setup?
It was straightforward for most of the installation, thanks to the wizards.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I am not a direct purchaser, so I don’t know.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
SAP/Sybase SQL Anywhere for the small footprint which makes it suitable for embedded solutions.
SAP/Sybase SQL Anywhere for the built-in synchronization technologies available.
What other advice do I have?
Improve the built-in database replication technologies.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Senior Systems Engineer at a energy/utilities company with 201-500 employees
It is easy to deploy and easy to maintain, but they should provide faster support
Pros and Cons
- "It is easy to deploy and easy to maintain."
- "They need to improve their support. It should be faster."
What is our primary use case?
We are using it for various applications.
What is most valuable?
It is easy to deploy and easy to maintain.
What needs improvement?
They need to improve their support. It should be faster.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using it for a couple of years.
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 scalable. We have more than a thousand users who use this solution. It is being used heavily, and we don't have any plans to increase its usage.
How are customer service and support?
Their support needs improvement. It should be faster.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We didn't use any other solution previously. We have been using it for a long time.
How was the initial setup?
It was easy.
What about the implementation team?
I can install it myself. We also have a technical team of three admins.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Its licensing is yearly. There are no additional costs. There is only the subscription license.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to others. I would rate it a seven out of 10.
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 Database Administrator at ITGStore
A stable, scalable and easily installable solution for saving and managing data and applications
Pros and Cons
- "Most valuable features include: high availability, clustering, save backup and recovery."
- "Although I am satisfied with the solution, some clients have asked us to resolve technical issues, such as those involving silver solution and replication."
What is our primary use case?
We use the solution as a database for saving and managing data and applications.
What is most valuable?
Most valuable features include: high availability, clustering, save backup and recovery.
What needs improvement?
Although I am satisfied with the solution, some clients have asked us to resolve technical issues, such as those involving silver solution and replication.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with SQL Server for four or five 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 solution is scalable.
How are customer service and technical support?
I am satisfied with the solution's partner support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I am satisfied with SQL Server.
Use of alternative solutions varies with the client involved. Some make use of all that SQL Server has to offer, while others employ everything in Oracle Database. We have managed to resolve any issues they have encountered in the two cases in which they have approached us.
When examining Oracle or IBM db2, Oracle and SQL Server are generally the prefered products.
How was the initial setup?
While I find the setup and installation to be easy, others may find it difficult.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I am only a technician and responsible for the installation, so I cannot comment on the licensing, although there are others in my company who are better qualified to do so.
What other advice do I have?
The solution is mostly deployed for our clients on-premises.
We are satisfied with the documentation.
My advice is that one adhere to the documentation before doing installation.
I rate SQL Server as a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Integrator
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