We use the solution as a database for saving and managing data and applications.
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?
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.
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March 2025

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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 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

Chief of Engineering at a comms service provider with 11-50 employees
Ease of use, stability make it the right choice for us
Pros and Cons
- "Only one CPU core can be used. Can’t move a database between servers easily. Can’t use triggers."
What is our primary use case?
We use it
- to capture long distance calls for billing
- as a quoting database
- to redirect phone calls based on customer caller line id.
What is most valuable?
Ease of use.
What needs improvement?
- Only one CPU core can be used
- Can’t move a database between servers easily
- Can’t use triggers
The free version is cumbersome to use and maintain. But $5000 for a licence is more expense than the benefit I would get from a licensed version.
For how long have I used the solution?
One to three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
No stability issues.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We are capturing 1 million calls per month. The free version can’t scale this much data.
How are customer service and technical support?
Never used. Google is sufficient.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Postgre has a weird syntax and it is slower than MS SQL. The command line interpeter makes it complex to learn.
How was the initial setup?
MS SQL is the easiest of the three I tried.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
A licence might be worth the price to simplify management and speed up searches.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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.
848,989 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Data Analyst at a financial services firm with 501-1,000 employees
Easy use and simple to expand with good performance
Pros and Cons
- "We found it to be quite scalable."
- "While using it, we really didn't experience any pain points."
What is our primary use case?
I'm a web developer, and I use SQL for the backend.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable aspect of the solution is its ease of use.
It's a pretty stable solution.
We found it to be quite scalable.
What needs improvement?
While using it, we really didn't experience any pain points. It doesn't need any additional features.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have a couple of years of experience with the solution so far.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability and performance are good. It doesn't crash or freeze. it's not buggy. there are no glitches. It's pretty reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability has been good. If a company needs to expand it, it can do so.
How are customer service and support?
I've never used technical support. I can't speak to how helpful or responsive they would be.
What other advice do I have?
I'm not sure which version of the solution I'm using.
I'd rate the solution at a nine out of ten. We've been satisfied with its overall capabilities in general.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Admin at IEC (Electoral Commission of South Africa)
Stable and scalable data storage for enterprise applications
Pros and Cons
- "SQL is stable."
- "SQL could be improved by making all features available on the on-premise version of the product as well as the cloud version. When you buy the on-premise version, it's sort of an inferior product compared to the cloud version, which seems to get most of the latest and greatest features."
What is our primary use case?
SQL is our main data store for enterprise applications, all applications that we have in the organization.
What needs improvement?
SQL could be improved by making all features available on the on-premise version of the product as well as the cloud version. When you buy the on-premise version, it's sort of an inferior product compared to the cloud version, which seems to get most of the latest and greatest features.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using this solution for a few years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
SQL is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This solution is scalable.
How are customer service and support?
I am satisfied with Microsoft's technical support.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was ok, it met our requirements.
What about the implementation team?
We implemented SQL ourselves, and it took around a week to install.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Subscriptions are available on a yearly basis.
What other advice do I have?
I would give SQL a score of 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.
Technical Systems Support Manager at a hospitality company with 201-500 employees
Has a reliable database
Pros and Cons
- "The solution has a reliable database."
- "Microsoft support is an issue unto itself."
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using SQL Server for more than 10 or 15 years.
How are customer service and support?
Microsoft support is an issue unto itself. We mainly benefit from common support, such as a forum or Microsoft support, of which I don't have that much experience.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
As with Oracle Database, the solution has a reliable database. I do not see much difference between the two when it comes to usage and the program decision to use one solution over another varies with the appropriateness of a given product, some utilizing Oracle, others Scale.
What other advice do I have?
I am an SQL partner.
As with Oracle, SQL Server is deployed on private cloud.
I rate SQL Server as 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.
Marketo Consultant at Webtech software servies
Easy to query, straightforward for beginners, and extensive online support community
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable features of this solution are easy queries and straightforward programming for beginners."
- "SQL Server could improve by providing something similar to an interface or dashboard where a developer can do debugging, this would make a developer's work easier. Additionally, the optimization could be better. If there was an interface showing information needed for the optimization it would help because there can be some data loss making it difficult to optimize the SQL Server."
What is our primary use case?
We use SQL Server for web application and website development.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features of this solution are easy queries and straightforward programming for beginners.
What needs improvement?
SQL Server could improve by providing something similar to an interface or dashboard where a developer can do debugging, this would make a developer's work easier. Additionally, the optimization could be better. If there was an interface showing information needed for the optimization it would help because there can be some data loss making it difficult to optimize the SQL Server.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution within the past 12 months.
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 good for simple applications. However, the problem with scalability is if the application is too large, it cannot handle it. We have to depend on other database servers.
How are customer service and technical support?
I have not used technical support but I have used the open forums online that provide all the information that we have needed. There is a large online community for support.
How was the initial setup?
The installation is straightforward.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There is a license required for this solution and we pay monthly. The price is reasonable compared to other solutions.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to others.
I rate SQL Server 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.
Operations Director at ALTERSIS Performance
Flexible and easy to use but the performance could be better
Pros and Cons
- "It's a good option for those that have a lot of Microsoft solutions in use."
- "The solution needs to be more secure. It's lacking, compared to, for example, Oracle."
What is our primary use case?
We use the product for information systems. This is a must both for us. We use it for our Enterprise Portal.
What is most valuable?
The solution has proven to be very flexible.
The product is quite stable.
Overall, we've found it to be extremely easy to use.
The initial setup is pretty straightforward. It's not difficult to implement and the deployment doesn't take too long.
Technical support has been pretty good so far. They are helpful.
It's a good option for those that have a lot of Microsoft solutions in use.
What needs improvement?
The solution needs to be more secure. It's lacking, compared to, for example, Oracle.
The product needs to work on its scalability. Oracle can scale a bit more effectively.
Sometimes we have some performance issues. It's not like Oracle. Oracle is more powerful in terms of performance.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've just been dealing with the solution for a few months. It hasn't been too long just yet.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We've had some performance issues overall. It's something that's a pain point for us. They need to work on their capabilities in this regard.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution could be more scalable. Oracle scales better for companies that need to expand.
We have two to three customers that use the solution currently.
How are customer service and technical support?
We've used technical support in the past. They've been helpful and responsive. We haven't had any issues when we deal with them. We are quite satisfied so far with the level of service we receive when we reach out.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I've also used Oracle in the past. From my side, Oracle is more technical and is more scalable, and more secure than the SQL server.
How was the initial setup?
The installation is quite straightforward. It's not overly difficult or complicated. I found it to be quite simple.
The deployment is rather quick. It took us about one hour, from what I can recall.
We just need one technical person to handle the implementation and maintenance processes.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Customers do have to pay to use the solution. They tend to pay on a yearly basis.
What other advice do I have?
I'd rate the solution at a seven out of ten.
I'd recommend the solution to other customers, users, and companies. It's a good option of r many. Sometimes the customer is Microsoft-oriented and sometimes they are Oracle-oriented. If the customer is already using a lot of Microsoft products, SQL just makes sense.
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: Integrator
Senior Manager - RPA & Transition at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
Stable with prompt technical support and capable of scaling
Pros and Cons
- "The performance is reliable."
- "You do need to have technical knowledge in order to install the solution. It's not something a layperson can do."
What is our primary use case?
Typically, the SQL Server is used in many, many ways. We primarily use SQL Server when there is a data requirement for our projects.
Typically there are uses around where you are creating a database. I've yet to store the data in our RPA server. We need MS Excel through Microsoft.
Any sort of RPA process where you require data through housing data or using a database, you need an SQL Server.
What is most valuable?
The solution is extremely stable. The performance is reliable.
The scalability of the solution is very good.
Technical support is pretty good. they are prompt in their responses.
What needs improvement?
You do need to have technical knowledge in order to install the solution. It's not something a layperson can do.
The scalability can always be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using this solution for a number of years now. It's been a while. I have some experience with it.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of the product is very good. It's reliable. There are no bugs or glitches. It does not crash or freeze. It doesn't give us any trouble.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is very capable of scaling. A company should have no trouble expanding the solution as needed.
You can always add on to the server or make compartments into it.
We have a team of about 200 or more people using the solution.
We do plan to continue using the solution.
How are customer service and technical support?
We've dealt with technical support in the past. We found that their responses have been prompt. Given their engagement to typical organizations, they do decent work. I would say that we are mostly satisfied with the level of support on offer.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We did not use any other databases prior to SQL. We only use SQL.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup does take some time. It depends upon how you are establishing the server in your environment and depends upon the firewall of your organization. It is a lengthy process, however, it is not that grueling. Depending upon the firewall of your organization, it does take time. That influences the time.
What about the implementation team?
I can handle the installation myself. I did not need the help of a consultant or integrator. However, whoever installs it must be somebody who has the technical knowledge. Not everybody can do it.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We have an organizational license.
What other advice do I have?
We are customers and end-users. We do not have a business relationship with SQL.
We are using the latest version of the solution. I cannot recall the exact version number.
I would recommend the solution to other users, companies, and organizations.
I'd rate the solution at 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.

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