We use it for warehouse data management, as well as for statistical reports. It facilitates tabling and query processing while supporting multiple database operations.
System analyst at Ministry of Interior
A reliable database management system that is able to handle significant volumes of data
Pros and Cons
- "The solution is valuable because it seamlessly extracts reports and enables the collection of information from different tables."
- "There is a lot of room for improvement when it comes to limited compatibility across the platform and restricted performance with massive data sets."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The solution is valuable because it seamlessly extracts reports and enables the collection of information from different tables.
What needs improvement?
There is a lot of room for improvement when it comes to limited compatibility across the platform and restricted performance with massive data sets. Enhancing those two areas would significantly improve the operation. It is important to mention the licensing cost, as well. Optimization of the licensing options to fit different needs and businesses would be of great benefit.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used this solution for ten years.
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SQL Server
March 2025

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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a robust and stable solution. Its tracking record is reliable and it can handle large volumes of data.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
SQL Server offers easy scalability, allowing databases to grow as the data and user base expand.
How are customer service and support?
Their customer service is great. When we faced certain issues, they solved them fast. There were no problems with communication.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is easy, and integrating the system is okay. The only issue is regarding the customization of the business process of the organization, it might take some time. Ultimately, it depends on the client's specific needs.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
SQL Server is an expensive solution. Their pricing structure and licensing options are not budget-friendly, so I believe it is an essential factor to consider when choosing the right product.
What other advice do I have?
It proved to be a great fit for medium-sized enterprises, in terms of the variety of the tools it provides. For bigger projects and specific needs, there might be a need to employ different solutions such as Oracle, and ERP systems. But overall, it works great as a relationship database management system. I would rate it eight 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.

Sr. Training Manager with 201-500 employees
Stores all of our data, and there is nothing that it can't do
Pros and Cons
- "I've been using SQL Server for 20 years, and there is nothing that it can't do. It is awesome."
- "When we are talking about event space architecture, scalability generally comes into play. For example, I might have a hundred thousand transactions a second, and then all of a sudden, I build something that everybody in the world wants. The next thing I know is that I have a million transactions a second. So, to be able to process the throughput, I'd have to scale up, and then when the holidays are over, I'm again down to a hundred thousand transactions, and I want to scale back down. SQL Server is not going to do that. In this way, it is not very scalable. One of the reasons why they want us to use Kafka is so that if we need to, we can do that, but our base program is on SQL Server. So, this is where we would use a Kafka event stack so that if I need more servers, I can just write a command, and I can have more consumers, more brokers, and more producers, and when the holiday season is over, it scales right back down again. SQL Server is not going to do that."
What is our primary use case?
It has all of our data. Our company sells contracts when you buy a car. We sell aftermarket insurance for the tyre, wheel, ding, dent, windshield, etc. When somebody buys a contract, we capture all of that data into a legacy database PostgreSQL, and my task is to incorporate that into our financial platform using T-SQL. So, I write queries, procedures, and views. I use SSIS, and I use SSRS. My job is to get the data into our financial system so that we can process claims, payments, cancellations, and refunds.
In terms of its version, we're up-to-date. We have version 2019.
How has it helped my organization?
This is the heart of the whole company. SQL Server is where all of our financials are. It has all of our data.
What is most valuable?
I've been using SQL Server for 20 years, and there is nothing that it can't do. It is awesome.
What needs improvement?
When we are talking about event space architecture, scalability generally comes into play. For example, I might have a hundred thousand transactions a second, and then all of a sudden, I build something that everybody in the world wants. The next thing I know is that I have a million transactions a second. So, to be able to process the throughput, I'd have to scale up, and then when the holidays are over, I'm again down to a hundred thousand transactions, and I want to scale back down. SQL Server is not going to do that. In this way, it is not very scalable. One of the reasons why they want us to use Kafka is so that if we need to, we can do that, but our base program is on SQL Server. So, this is where we would use a Kafka event stack so that if I need more servers, I can just write a command, and I can have more consumers, more brokers, and more producers, and when the holiday season is over, it scales right back down again. SQL Server is not going to do that.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for 20 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We do clustering. If one SQL Server goes down, it automatically goes to another one.
How are customer service and support?
I don't ever need tech support. If it breaks, I can just rebuild it.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
They're now using a different database for contracting called Road Runner. I don't know what that is, and how it stores data. I don't know anything about it.
There is also Postgres. I like SQL Server more than Postgres. That's only because I know SQL Server. I don't know Postgres as well. So, I can't say which one is better because I don't have the same amount of experience in both.
How was the initial setup?
I can bring up a SQL Server in an hour or so and set it up.
In terms of maintenance, the number of people required depends on the need.
We have a team of DBAs, developers, and UA analysts. We probably have 40 people in our IT area who are maintaining our solution. I'm just the developer. I'm the guy who makes the magic happen, but without other people collecting the information that I need to make the magic happen, I'm stuck. Without the guy who is an expert in permissions, partitioning, and performance tuning, I'm stuck. So, it's definitely a team effort. You can do it all, but you don't want to do it all because then you're running your head off, and you don't really get good at anything. It would be a jack of all trades, master of none type of scenario.
What other advice do I have?
You will seldom find a database that was designed correctly. Just because you got a poor-quality database doesn't mean that you're going to get a better database anywhere else. You rarely get to build a thing on your own. Usually, you inherit somebody else's stuff. So, the challenging thing is working with what you have while trying to implement a better solution. My only advice is to be patient.
I would rate it a nine out of 10. I wouldn't give anything a 10 because I don't have that kind of knowledge, but right now, it does what I need it to do.
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
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.
842,296 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Information Technology Manager at a retailer with 51-200 employees
A stable solution that hosts ERP systems and connects with PowerBI
Pros and Cons
- "The ability to see tables, reviews, and custom script options is good."
- "The upgrades are unstable."
What is our primary use case?
We use SQL Server to host our ERP system. It serves both as the underlying database and server application software. This database solution handles all our ERP calls.
How has it helped my organization?
We use SQL Server to support Business Intelligence. It also connects with Power BI. We create all our views and datasets in SQL, specifically for Power BI. Previously, we used Tableau but transitioned to Power BI for all our analytics needs.
What is most valuable?
SQL Server provides access to audio information and audio tables. You can customize and create views. The ability to customize and upload these services is uncertain when migrating, but SQL in a local environment or Azure seems suitable for now. The ability to see tables, reviews, and custom script options is good.
What needs improvement?
The upgrades are unstable.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using SQL Server for several years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate the solution’s stability an eight out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I rate the solution’s scalability a seven out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
The support is pretty good. We have never had to reach out to Microsoft for issues. It is a pretty solid application.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward. You need to install technical agents and create databases.
What other advice do I have?
We use Active Directory authentication. If you have access to the database, it's secure. Not everyone with access to the database can access it. Only our IT staff or those who require access have permission. It does offer a high level of control and security.
We have a small team. We could explore Azure Virtual Desktop or engage with local partners if we need additional technical knowledge. We employ a cloud gateway, enabling our SQL database to be somewhat cloud-based. This facilitates integration with various cloud applications, such as the Power Platform. We use Power Apps and Power Automate, allowing us to connect to our database in adaptable and scalable ways.
I recommend the solution if it meets your requirements.
Overall, I rate the solution an 8 out of 10.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Infrastructure Manager/Deployment Manager at Hivedome Consultancy Services
An easy to use solution with third-party integrations
Pros and Cons
- "It integrates well with other platforms."
- "Running multiple instances on the same box would be beneficial."
What is our primary use case?
We use the solution as the backend for the application.
How has it helped my organization?
SQL Server is a backend for software products that our company writes and distributes.
What is most valuable?
SQL Server is easy to use, but there is a great deal of complexity that you can dive into to use it to its best. Also, it integrates well with other platforms.
What needs improvement?
SQL Server should make the pricing simpler. It should add simplified load-balancing features.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using SQL Server for 24 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
There's a reporting database feature in SQL Server, but running multiple instances on the same box would be beneficial. That's one limitation we've encountered. Many of our customers utilize a hosting provider that offers multi-tenant SQL Servers, but we cannot implement a multi-tenant reporting database.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution’s scalability is good.
How was the initial setup?
There are a lot of different deployment options. The default options will work pretty well. We have to change a few things for our setup. Deployment is not at all long. It takes a couple of minutes. It took a long time for the first time because I had to go back and redo it and change the configuration, but it runs pretty smoothly now.
The deployment process follows: mount the ISO and run a script. That script retrieves some entries from a table and creates several instances based on that table using active directory SQL Server accounts, which is an out-of-the-box option. There are a lot of features that you can add to the setup to make it quieter. We've automated it so we can spin up an instance as needed for development processes.
What about the implementation team?
Deployment was done in-house.
What other advice do I have?
Overall, I rate the solution a 9 out of 10.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Senior Data Engeer at Qbros
A server solution for transaction database with easy deployment
Pros and Cons
- "Excel integration is one of its most valuable features."
- "When transferring data from the SQL Server to Excel, the data types are not copied correctly. This issue might be associated with the formatting of the data types."
What is our primary use case?
We use the solution for data quality purposes like checking, testing, and writing its cases using data validity and quality measurements.
What is most valuable?
The valuable features are Excel integration, writing a query in SQL Server, exporting the data, and copying the data.
What needs improvement?
When transferring data from the SQL Server to Excel, the data types are not copied correctly. This issue might be associated with the formatting of the data types. Specifically, the data types for dates and timestamps have not been copied correctly.
In SQL, as with other databases, abbreviations are commonly used to simplify tasks such as writing queries or commands.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using SQL Server for 3 years. We are using V18.0 of the solution.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The product is stable. The community is big.
I rate the solution's stability a ten out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The data warehouse engine should be scalable. It's not scalable. We use it every single day.
I rate the solution's scalability a three out of ten.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have used Oracle Server.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward. The connection to the database is not straightforward. There are many ways to connect to the database. It may be tricky to choose which way to connect.
I rate it seven or eight out of ten, where one is difficult and ten is easy.
What other advice do I have?
The solution is good for a transaction database, but its performance is not very good. One or two persons are needed to maintain an SQL server.
I recommend the solution.
Overall, I rate the solution 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.
Independent Consultant at Unaikui
Enables us to have continuous integration with high uptime
Pros and Cons
- "The stability is fine, especially if you're hosting it on AWS or Azure. You can get up to 99.99% stability on AWS."
- "Support could be improved."
What is our primary use case?
We use the solution for continuous integration, including CI/CD integration.
What needs improvement?
Support could be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using SQL Server since 1992. I’ve used AWS and Azure for two and three years, respectively.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is fine, especially if you're hosting it on AWS or Azure. You can get up to 99.99% stability on AWS.
I rate the solution’s stability an eight out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
You can scale to any extent. You need to increase your EC2 or your app server.
Six team sites with 50 users each are using this solution.
How are customer service and support?
Sometimes the response time was high.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward. Depending on the complexity, setting up the infrastructure can take a while. You can work on MVP. To deploy on AWS, select SQL Server along with several calls and CPU.
What about the implementation team?
The solution was deployed in-house.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
You receive other products, like free usage, depending on the number of product shares.
What other advice do I have?
You can use a Cloudflare or web application layer that controls security. Furthermore, you can implement SQL reverse proxy practices for in-house environments and beyond.
To ensure the security of my SQL server, we typically set up a configuration where an API communicates with the SQL Server, and there's a front-end interface. This setup prevents direct access to the database.
Four people are required for the solution’s maintenance, but it depends on the complexity of the solution. You can put one senior and three trainees.
Overall, I rate the solution 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.
Group CEO at Mmusi Group
Good performance, stable, and easy to install
Pros and Cons
- "It works fine in terms of performance and stability."
- "I would like Microsoft to evolve SQL Server because stateful databases dying are in a way. We would like to find out if it can absorb Hadoop and other similar things. They should make it useful for data mining. Data is evolving forever, and how we store it is also changing constantly. So, SQL Server also needs to change."
What is our primary use case?
We do data warehousing on it. We have databases on it. A lot of our applications use it for transactions and data.
We're using version 2019. We're trying to migrate to 2021 because 2023 is not yet that stable.
What is most valuable?
It works fine in terms of performance and stability.
What needs improvement?
I would like Microsoft to evolve SQL Server because stateful databases dying are in a way. We would like to find out if it can absorb Hadoop and other similar things. They should make it useful for data mining. Data is evolving forever, and how we store it is also changing constantly. So, SQL Server also needs to change.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for two decades.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It works fine. There are no issues.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is scalable. There are a lot of users. There are over 300 applications using this solution. Each application has its own users. In the technical team, there are about 13 people working with it.
How are customer service and support?
I logged a ticket recently when I had an issue with the data manager. Their support wasn't that bad. I would rate them an eight out of 10.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I've used different solutions. There are times when I use Db2, and there are times when I use Oracle Database. Oracle beats SQL Server when it comes to procedures and process optimization.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is easy. It takes 30 minutes at the most. What limits you is just your infrastructure in terms of:
- Do you have enough room on those servers to process that stuff?
- Do you have enough RAM resources?
- Do you have enough storage?
What about the implementation team?
I can do it by myself.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It is annual.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend it to other users. I would rate it a nine 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.
Integration developer at Blackwoods
An easy-to-manage solution with good integration capabilities
Pros and Cons
- "SQL Server, a widely adopted database management system, is utilized across numerous sectors. Initially competing with Oracle and Db2, SQL Server has gained popularity. It serves as the backend database for a variety of applications."
- "The tool's support needs to be improved."
What is our primary use case?
SQL Server, a widely adopted database management system, is utilized across numerous sectors. Initially competing with Oracle and Db2, SQL Server has gained popularity. It serves as the backend database for a variety of applications.
What needs improvement?
The tool's support needs to be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the product for 25 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Performance issues are a common concern when using SQL Server. However, it's important to recognize that the problem may not solely lie with SQL Server. It is stable. My team has four members using it.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I find that using SQL Server is more cost-effective than Oracle. Although Oracle remains the top choice regarding power and stability, SQL Server is steadily catching up. We still have dedicated administrators for Oracle maintenance, whereas SQL Server requires less maintenance. While I'm not entirely clear on all the technical features and comparisons, Oracle generally offers more advanced features, such as table-locking options.
How was the initial setup?
The tool's deployment is easy.
What other advice do I have?
We also have a data warehouse. This warehouse feeds into Power BI for data presentation. Currently, we're in the process of transitioning because we have various teams and solutions in place.
The tool serves the purpose of managing all the data within a system. It is utilized extensively for storing, processing transactions, and conducting analysis.
I rate the overall product a nine out of ten. Its ability to integrate with other products is good. The tool is popular and easy to manage. You can find resources easily to manage it.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

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