We are business consults. We use SQL Server to ensure that critical applications remain operational by performing BCM activities across application and database servers.
Deputy Manager at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees
Helpful support, scales to our requirements, and handles our critical applications
Pros and Cons
- "I have contacted technical support, and overall my experience with technical support was okay."
- "I would like to see improvements made to the stability of SQL Server, as well as more analytics requirements."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
SQL Server has scaled as per our requirements.
What needs improvement?
I would like to see improvements made to the stability of SQL Server, as well as more analytics requirements.
For how long have I used the solution?
From a restoration perspective, I have been working with SQL Server for a few years.
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of the SQL Server needs improvements.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have over 2,000 users in our organization.
How are customer service and support?
I have contacted technical support, and overall my experience with technical support was okay.
How was the initial setup?
The installation took a few days to complete.
We have a team of three or four admins to maintain this solution.
What about the implementation team?
We had assistance from an integrator.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Licensing fees are paid on a yearly basis.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We were evaluating other solutions for a specific requirement in our organization. The requirement is now complete.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to others who are interested in using it.
I would 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.

System Architect, SCRUM Product Owner at a tech company with 10,001+ employees
Easy to use, scalable, and reliable
Pros and Cons
- "I have found SQL Server easy to use."
- "SQL Server could improve by having better usability or user guidance."
What is our primary use case?
SQL Server is used for storing data.
What is most valuable?
I have found SQL Server easy to use.
What needs improvement?
SQL Server could improve by having better usability or user guidance.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using SQL Server for approximately five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable and the performance is good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
SQL Server is scalable.
How are customer service and support?
I have not needed to contact support.
How was the initial setup?
The implementation was done by our IT department.
What about the implementation team?
We did the implementation in-house.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price of the solution is fine.
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?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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.
861,490 professionals have used our research since 2012.
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: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Sr. Solution Architect at a computer software company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Easy-to-use interface for building queries
Pros and Cons
- "The interface for building the queries or writing the store procedures is good."
- "Additional interfaces would be an improvement."
What is our primary use case?
SQL Server is the database for the transactional database that is being used.
The solution can be used for the BI, the data warehouse part as well, but mostly I have seen it used for the transaction data being stored by the DBMS part of it.
What is most valuable?
The solution is very easy to use, because even the technical engineers that we get are able to use it more efficiently. I like the programming interface they have where they help us get the table names that we are dealing with, and the field names in that particular table.
The interface for building the queries or writing the store procedures is good.
What needs improvement?
If I compare the solution with current technology needs, like NoSQL, that have been prevailing now, they could improve it so there could be a single solution, where we could deal with a single database for both transactional as well as for the in-memory needs that we have.
For the integration part, additional interfaces would be an improvement. If SQL Server could expose certain APIs or certain interfaces which can be used for integration with the warehouse solution, then it would be great.
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 was the initial setup?
The team needed for implementing the solution depends on the project size and functionalities needed. But as far as the DB administrator, generally, we use a single resource for each project. One database engineer is sufficient for optimizing the query or indexes or building any database scripts.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate the solution an eight 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
CEO at netison
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.
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.
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.
Reliable and easy to use with good technical support
Pros and Cons
- "The solution is very common. It's easy to use."
- "The solution is expensive. The licensing costs are high."
What is our primary use case?
The solution is primarily used as a relational database. It's a great option for anyone who needs to still use a database.
What is most valuable?
The solution is very common. It's easy to use.
The product offers a lot of support. Technical support has been great.
It's a reliable solution currently in this space.
The solution doesn't take a long time to set up. It's pretty straightforward.
What needs improvement?
The solution is expensive. The licensing costs are high.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been dealing with the solution for 20 years or so. It's been two decades. I've used it for a while.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is pretty good. I find it to be reliable. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. The performance is good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have 150 users on the solution currently.
How are customer service and technical support?
I've contacted Microsoft technical support in the past and have been satisfied with the level of service I get. They're good.
How was the initial setup?
We have a special database team that is running. Except for the initial installation of the hardware, they are doing everything as it's an in-house solution.
It took a day or two to implement. It might have even taken less time.
What about the implementation team?
We have a team that can manage the implementation process.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The licensing is a bit expensive. We'd like them to be more flexible in terms of costs.
We pay a yearly licensing fee.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We did not evaluate other solutions before implementing this solution.
What other advice do I have?
I'm using either the 2018 or 2019 version of the solution. I don' know the exact number off-hand.
I'd rate the solution at an eight out of ten. It's a very good solution and I've been pretty happy with its capabilities.
I would recommend the solution to other users.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.

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