We use SQL Server to manage and store information.
Product Owner at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
Straightforward installation, easy database access, and scalable
Pros and Cons
- "They have improved the UI and ease of accessing the database and server which is good. You can load it up and start using it from the very minute it is implemented."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
They have improved the UI and ease of accessing the database and server which is good.
You can load it up and start using it from the very minute it is implemented.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using SQL Server for two and a half years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
SQL Server is stable. We have more resources that are using it, I am more familiar with SQL Server. I have been using it for a long time. Most of the time it has been stable.
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SQL Server
January 2026
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What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable.
We have approximately 30 people in my organization using this solution.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support is okay.
How was the initial setup?
The installation is straightforward.
What about the implementation team?
We have administrators and engineers that do support the solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We are on a monthly subscription and the price could improve. However, the price has worked out well in some deployments. The problem is you never know what kind of services have been installed and you have to be in touch with many people, such as which servers are active or which are not. I did face a couple of issues in terms of subscriptions and the pricing model. They have improved over time.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to others. My advice to others wanting to implement this solution is you have to consider the industry demand and the benefits or advantages of a solution before you choose, for example, Oracle or Microsoft.
I rate SQL Server an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
CEO at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
Simple to use and in demand among our customers
Pros and Cons
- "SQL Server is widely used and it's simple. You cannot do without Microsoft if you want to manage IT for a business customer."
What is our primary use case?
We manage backups for our customers, so we are not developers and we don't use SQL to provide a service. We are a managed service provider focused more on IT support and SQL configuration. So we don't use SQL as a product by ourselves. Instead, we provide instructions for how to back up SQL and do maintenance on it for our customers who need a SQL server for their CRM and ERP products. Their products need to have a SQL server to use in order to use their services. So we handle the maintenance for our customers.
What is most valuable?
Microsoft has a very broad landscape of products that they provide—almost everything that you need. SQL Server is widely used and it's simple. You cannot do without Microsoft if you want to manage IT for a business customer. And even if you don't like Microsoft, you should know how to use it because just about every customer uses Microsoft, so you have to use it. So it doesn't matter if I like it. It's everywhere, so you have to know how to use it.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using Microsoft SQL Server for 25 years now.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We are a reseller of Microsoft. We also signed the SPLA agreement, which stands for Services Provider License Agreement. So we are able to use Microsoft products in our data center in order to provide cloud services to our customers.
What other advice do I have?
I rate SQL Server nine out of 10.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Buyer's Guide
SQL Server
January 2026
Learn what your peers think about SQL Server. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2026.
881,707 professionals have used our research since 2012.
System Analyst and Team Lead at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Stable, scalable, and simple installation
Pros and Cons
- "Many developers like SQL Server."
- "The solution could improve by having more integration with other operating systems and other platforms."
What is our primary use case?
I am a professional and I use this SQL Server in different companies. One of the companies I worked for was in the automotive industry. They had automobile products which they developed the SQL Server and database. At that time it was the first time I used SQL Server. I have also used Suprema which is a biometric system that also had an SQL Server. Our main products for data we have used SQL Server. However, my main application is developed on Oracle and MySQL, not any other database solution.
All of our systems use this solution, it can control security, data management, and integration.
What is most valuable?
Many developers like SQL Server.
What needs improvement?
The solution could improve by having more integration with other operating systems and other platforms.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used SQL Server within the past 12 months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
SQL Server is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have used MySQL.
How was the initial setup?
If you follow the restoration policy, the installation is not a problem. If you want connectivity in the application then you have to open the ports and configure them. Otherwise, I'm very pleased it is very simple.
What about the implementation team?
I can do the implementation myself.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
SQL Server is under a license from Microsoft.
What other advice do I have?
I would not recommend this solution.
I rate SQL Server a six out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Enterprise Solutions Architect at a comms service provider with 501-1,000 employees
Good Support, and easy to install
Pros and Cons
- "SQL Server scales well."
- "While this is a reliable product, it has room for improvement."
What is our primary use case?
We use SQL Server as a database management system for all of our projects.
What needs improvement?
While this is a reliable product, it has room for improvement.
Although Microsoft SQL was accessible in some projects, we did not use it everywhere. It is determined by the project. It's quite beneficial in some circumstances, but it couldn't support SQL databases in others, consequently, we used other suppliers like Oracle, Informix DB, PostgreSQL, MySQL, and others.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using SQL Server for quite some time now.
We use it both on-premises and in the cloud. It is dependent on the projects.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
SQL Server is a stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
SQL Server scales well.
In the future, we may expand our usage.
How are customer service and support?
I don't have any issues with the technical support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We evaluated each product after using it, starting with Informix DB and ending with Oracle.
Oracle, Informix DB, PostgreSQL, and MySQL are among the products we use.
How was the initial setup?
It's quite easy to install.
Completing the installation is not an issue.
What about the implementation team?
My position is not related to installation, but if it is necessary, I am capable of doing it.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It requires the purchase of a license. Our company's products all have licenses.
What other advice do I have?
It is appropriate for small and medium-sized businesses.
I would recommend this solution to others.
I would rate SQL Server an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Managing Director at a marketing services firm with 51-200 employees
Efficient data retrieval, scalable, and straightforward installation
Pros and Cons
- "One of the best features of SQL Server is the efficient retrieval of information."
- "We want to move to Azure, and the solution could be made better to make the process easier for the migration from on-premise to the cloud."
What is our primary use case?
We are using SQL Server for our financial application package.
What is most valuable?
One of the best features of SQL Server is the efficient retrieval of information.
What needs improvement?
We want to move to Azure, and the solution could be made better to make the process easier for the migration from on-premise to the cloud.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used SQL Server for approximately seven years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
SQL Server is stable. However, Microsoft products have a tendency to crash. I would rate it a five out of ten in terms of stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of SQL Server is good.
How was the initial setup?
The solution is straightforward to install.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price of SQL Server could be better in the African market. The licensing model needs to be improved, it is confusing.
What other advice do I have?
I rate SQL Server an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
IT Developer at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
Performs well for our use case
Pros and Cons
- "SQL Server's performance is fine."
- "SQL Server could integrate better with other platforms."
What is our primary use case?
It's a normal DMS, so it can be used everywhere you want to use any RDBMS or relational database. It's for normal transactions.
What needs improvement?
SQL Server could integrate better with other platforms.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using SQL Server for the last six months. Earlier we used DB2, but now we use this one.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
SQL Server's performance is fine.
How are customer service and support?
Microsoft support is fine.
How was the initial setup?
We don't deal with the setup because we are developers. The system or admin team does all those things. So I don't have any idea.
What other advice do I have?
I rate SQL Server eight out of 10. We haven't had any issues, but it depends on the use case. So I would recommend it depending on your use case.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Other
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Chief Technology Officer at a financial services firm with 11-50 employees
Stable, simple installation, but scalability could improve
Pros and Cons
- "The initial setup was straightforward."
- "I would like the SQL Server to be able to provide cloud support. We use the solution with a Korean provider supporting only MySQL rather than Microsoft SQL Server, which would be preferable and cheaper. This would prevent us from having to pay for troubleshooting and hosting the server."
What is our primary use case?
The main use of this solution is to control and manage data storage information.
What needs improvement?
I would like the SQL Server to be able to provide cloud support. We use the solution with a Korean provider supporting only MySQL rather than Microsoft SQL Server, which would be preferable and cheaper. This would prevent us from having to pay for troubleshooting and hosting the server.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for approximately two 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?
I find the solution not to be scalable.
There are approximately six people in our company using SQL Server.
How are customer service and support?
I have not needed to contact technical support.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was straightforward.
What about the implementation team?
I did the implementation of the solution myself, it does not require any consultants or integrators.
What other advice do I have?
I rate SQL Server a six out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Principal, Sr. IT Consultant at a consultancy with 51-200 employees
It is fairly easy to work with
Pros and Cons
- "It is fairly easy to work with. I like the high-availability options, like mirroring for example, and the high-availability groups."
- "The Management Studio is a pretty heavy piece of software, and it's sometimes slow. I would recommend making an express version of the Management Studio, which is lighter and has fewer features but is a little faster."
What is our primary use case?
We set up SQL Servers for developers who develop applications for data mining. Our clients are generally small or medium-sized businesses. There's also a SQL Server Express that many software vendors use to support their applications. That gets installed often—usually as part of the application installation.
What is most valuable?
It is fairly easy to work with. I like the high-availability options, like mirroring for example, and the high-availability groups. It's quite an interesting feature that enables high availability for the SQL Server. I think it's important. So that's the feature that I'm particularly interested in and it works pretty well.
What needs improvement?
The Management Studio is a pretty heavy piece of software, and it's sometimes slow. I would recommend making an express version of the Management Studio, which is lighter and has fewer features but is a little faster.
For how long have I used the solution?
"Using" is the wrong word. We mostly set it up for others. The last time we set up an SQL Server for a client was about a year ago.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We haven't had any experiences. The software hasn't been unstable or glitchy in our environment so far.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
In terms of scalability, it would be closed to a high-availability group. So I would say it varies in scale.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate it nine out of 10. Nothing's perfect.
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
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Updated: January 2026
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