We use this solution to store our data and for running queries, simple select queries that enable me to create the views I need and report from those views. I'm an ESM specialist and we are customers of SQL Server.
ESM Specialist at LetsCloudIT
Synchronization of nodes is very useful and there is no downtime for maintenance needs
Pros and Cons
- "It's great that the nodes are synchronized so if you lose one it automatically moves to another."
- "I like the stability of the solution, the fact that you have two, three, four nodes replicating at any given time at different locations, and they're all synchronized; if one is lost it automatically moves to another."
- "The solution could have additional security."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
I like the stability of the solution, the fact that you have two, three, four nodes replicating at any given time at different locations, and they're all synchronized; if one is lost it automatically moves to another. The other advantage here is that when it comes to application maintenance, you switch onto another node while you maintain another server and there's no downtime.
What needs improvement?
The solution could have additional security.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is easily scalable because of its flexibility.
Buyer's Guide
SQL Server
May 2026
Learn what your peers think about SQL Server. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: May 2026.
900,644 professionals have used our research since 2012.
How was the initial setup?
I don't do the installation, but it appears straightforward according to those who carried out the implementation. These days deployment takes about an hour. We have 1,200 or so users. With the onboarding of more customers, we'll be increasing our use of SQL Server. For now, we have one person dealing with maintenance.
What other advice do I have?
I rate this solution nine out of 10.
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.
Senior Systems Engineer at NTT DATA
Good usability, satisfactory performance, and easy setup
Pros and Cons
- "Its usability is very good. Its performance is satisfactory."
- "We are satisfied with the product in general."
- "Their support could be better. There should be more visibility on the progress of the ticket, and their last line of support should be more knowledgeable. Other than that, we have nothing to complain about."
What is our primary use case?
It is for supporting our custom applications. We have a number of custom applications that we use that have SQL embedded.
I am using the version before the latest one.
What is most valuable?
Its usability is very good. Its performance is satisfactory.
What needs improvement?
Their support could be better. There should be more visibility on the progress of the ticket, and their last line of support should be more knowledgeable. Other than that, we have nothing to complain about.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for seven to eight years.
How are customer service and support?
Their support could be better. Sometimes, you don't have much visibility of how your service request is progressing. There should be more visibility, and the last line of support should be more knowledgeable.
How was the initial setup?
It was straightforward. It took two to three hours.
What about the implementation team?
We have internal staff for its implementation. We have a team of about three or four people who are well-versed with SQL Server, and we have 30 to 40 users who use this solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
You need to pay for the license. It most probably has per-core licensing.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to others. We are satisfied with the product in general. Overall, I'd rate it 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
May 2026
Learn what your peers think about SQL Server. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: May 2026.
900,644 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Information Technology Security Officer at South African National Accreditation System (sanas)
Beneficial support system, highly scalable and reliable
Pros and Cons
- "SQL Server is very scalable because we use it across a couple of different types of applications, such as micro-infrastructure setup and server farm."
- "SQL Server could improve by being more user-friendly, it is still geared towards specialists. Additionally, the monitoring system is difficult to use, not everyone can use it well. The configuration should be able to be done through the GUI."
What is our primary use case?
All our databases are using Microsoft SQL. It supports our application, such as HR and finance.
What needs improvement?
SQL Server could improve by being more user-friendly, it is still geared towards specialists. Additionally, the monitoring system is difficult to use, not everyone can use it well. The configuration should be able to be done through the GUI.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using SQL Server for approximately 10 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
SQL Server is highly stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
SQL Server is very scalable because we use it across a couple of different types of applications, such as micro-infrastructure setup and server farm.
The solution is suitable for any environment, such as small, medium, and large enterprises.
How are customer service and support?
SQL Server support system is well-established. It's a Microsoft solution therefore you receive support very easily. It is the number one selling point of SQL Server. I have been highly satisfied with the support.
How was the initial setup?
SQL Server's initial setup is simple. However, you must be a specialist to do it. That's the unfriendliness that I see about the solution. It has to be done by an engineer and not any engineer can do it, you have to be a specific Microsoft engineer.
What other advice do I have?
My advice to others would be to create a standard for SQL Server to allow a high level of security. What we did is, we adopted CIS, which is the Center for Information Security, hardening standards and benchmarks to keep it secure. SQL Server out of the box comes with a lot of unnecessary services that can make you very vulnerable to any site attack.
I 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.
Easy to install, reliable, and reasonably priced
Pros and Cons
- "The license fee is very low."
- "We have no vision. We don't know when or how we have been hacked."
What is our primary use case?
SQL Server is only running in China, it is not connected to our site.
We have some PCs running on Windows 7, but it is not supported.
What needs improvement?
We have no vision. We don't know when or how we have been hacked.
We require expert support with it. That is why I am looking for CRMs.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using SQL Server for one year.
We use several versions such as 2008, 2012, and 2015.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
SQL Server is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We are not running more than 1%. Scalability needs improvement.
We have 415 users in our organization.
We have plans to increase our usage.
We have an Active Directory system, so we can install antivirus on the endpoints.
How are customer service and support?
Normally, we can check with the deployment person, and our IT team will respond to the message once my team has deployed it.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have some experience with McAfee MVISION Endpoint. We are focused on the MV1 edition. We have to blend into the EDR.
McAfee has three editions, MVISION 1, 2, and 6. We are still working with version 1.
We are also working with Endpoint Plan 1.
We have 15 servers, both Windows OS and Linux OS.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is not complex.
We have an in-house IT team that can deploy this solution.
What about the implementation team?
We have some people who have worked in IT and with endpoint software. I believe my team is capable of handling the new software, and solutions.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The licenses are purchased annually.
The license fee is very low.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I was looking into some solutions to meet our company's needs. Endpoint Protection for Business, McAfee, and Microsoft Defender for Endpoint was among the solutions I researched. For endpoint security, I prefer Microsoft Defender or McAfee Endpoint Security.
Now we're comparing the cost-effectiveness, and especially the features, and giving ourselves the ability to choose the solution, truly enabling a solution.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to others who are interested in using it.
I would rate SQL Server a nine 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.
CEO at Informula Ltd
Highly stable and secure, but stability could improve
Pros and Cons
- "The support from Microsoft has been good."
- "The stability of SQL Server is very important for us because we provide services for banks."
- "SQL Server has good performance, but it could be better."
What is our primary use case?
We developed a product for banks and we store the data in SQL Server.
What needs improvement?
SQL Server has good performance, but it could be better.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using SQL Server for a couple of years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of SQL Server is very important for us because we provide services for banks. The banks need a secure and stable solution from us and we have requested from the cloud provider to give us this level of service.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have approximately 10 developers and architects using SQL Server. Additionally, we have approximately four end-users using the solution.
How are customer service and support?
The support from Microsoft has been good.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have previously used Oracle.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of SQL Server is not complicated.
What about the implementation team?
We have four technicians that do the implementation and maintenance of the solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There is a license required to use the solution and I am satisfied.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to others.
I rate SQL Server a seven 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.
Chief Technology Officer at KOLOK SA
Many licensing options, quick installation, and scalable
Pros and Cons
- "SQL Server is a very mature solution."
- "We use SQL Server for storing all our company information, such as ERP, customer applications, and our wealth management systems."
What is our primary use case?
We use SQL Server for storing all our company information, such as ERP, customer applications, and our wealth management systems. All of our data is stored in SQL Servers.
What is most valuable?
SQL Server is a very mature solution.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using SQL Server for approximately 20 years.
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?
The scalability of SQL Server is good. It can scale up to thousands of times more data than I have.
We have approximately 250 people using this solution in my organization.
How are customer service and support?
I have not used the support from SQL Server.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is simple it takes approximately 10 minutes. You only need to run the setup and you have SQL installed.
What about the implementation team?
I have installed SQL databases and SQL Servers regularly. I did the implementation of this solution.
This solution requires one administrator for implementation and maintenance.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Some of the licensing are very expensive, such as the Enterprise license.
The Express version is free. There are a lot of licensing options.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to others.
I rate SQL Server a nine 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.
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: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
CEO at TMentors
Problem-free, easy to implement, and very reliable
Pros and Cons
- "The scalability is very good."
- "Overall, we've been satisfied with the capabilities of the product."
- "The remote access aspect needs to be improved in terms of security."
What is our primary use case?
We use the solution on FastAutomate, our core product, to store the aggregated data from different nodes. It resides on the server that's handling the agents. We also use it for different organizations for development. Therefore, we use it for development mainly.
What is most valuable?
Overall, we've been satisfied with the capabilities of the product.
The solution is stable. It works without issue - to the point you rarely need any technical support at all.
The scalability is very good.
It's got an easy initial setup.
What needs improvement?
The remote access aspect needs to be improved in terms of security. Right now, it's a little bit hard.
Also, they need to work on the user interface, as it's a little bit old. They need to improve it a little bit.
The pricing could be lowered a bit.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've used the solution for a while.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Its stability has been good. The solution performs well and is reliable. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have found the solution to be scalable. If a company needs to expand, it can do so.
How are customer service and support?
Techni al support is good. That said, it's hard to judge as you don't need support on SQL Server. It's working without trouble or issues. Therefore, it's rare to seek support for SQL Server. You rarely have to deal with them.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I've also used SQL Azure.
The recommendation is based on the use case. It depends on what use case the customer will need. If they don't have the capacity to manage their own Server, I would recommend Azure, as it's managed. Therefore, you don't have to worry about the management and administration.
The main difference between the two is, in some data types it is not available on SQL Azure while it's available on SQL Server or vice versa. There's a version of SQL Server with a little bit of limited functionality. That said, the difference is not huge. You can go back and forth between them if you want.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is very easy. It's even easier than before, in fact. A company shouldn't have any problems with the implementation.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price could be less.
What other advice do I have?
I'd rate the solution at an eight out of ten. If the price was a bit less or the remote access was better, I would rate it tighter.
In general, I've been happy with the product.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. partner
Manager Global Identity & Access Management at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees
Database management system that's easy to manage, query, and scale; has well-designed databases
Pros and Cons
- "Very stable relational database management system that offers ease of management, querying, and scaling. It has well-designed databases."
- "What I find most useful in SQL Server is that it's easier to manage and to query."
- "Sometimes the system hangs. Its databases should be able to deal with more data in a faster way. Its speed of processing larger amounts of information should be improved."
- "Sometimes, when you have a lot of information running on the SQL databases, the system hangs."
What is our primary use case?
SQL Server is our primary database for identity access management.
What is most valuable?
What I find most useful in SQL Server is that it's easier to manage and to query. Its databases are well-designed. It's easy to do any changes, and it's easy to query the database through reports and whatever information you need.
What needs improvement?
There is always room for improvements. In SQL Server, the databases should be able to deal with more data in a faster way. Sometimes, when you have a lot of information running on the SQL databases, the system hangs. Though there are always improvements being done to SQL Server, there's still a lack of speed in being able to process so much information, so the performance of this solution still needs to be improved.
Another area for improvement in SQL Server is its front end, in terms of running the queries, e.g. it would be better if it could give suggestions. For example: When you write something, this solution could have a feature similar to a dictionary's intelligence that will tell you what to write such as the one you have in Word, or in PowerPoint, for example, you'll have the design suggestions for it. An improvement I'd like to see in SQL Server is for it to suggest what you put next when you are writing SQL codes or queries.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've been dealing with SQL Server for four years now.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
SQL Server is a very stable product.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
SQL Server is a product you can scale. You can add and remove modules as needed.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
SQL Server is expensive if you use the advanced SQL version. If you use the standard version, it's not expensive, because it's included in Windows, in Microsoft. It's very expensive if you use the advanced version. We're using both. For IBM, we're using the advanced version, but then we use the basic SQL Server for the other platforms.
You just pay for the SQL Server license. There's no additional cost as everything's already included.
What other advice do I have?
We currently don't have any issues with SQL Server. There's nothing that we couldn't solve internally, so I haven't had the chance to contact their technical support team.
I'm giving SQL Server an eight out of ten rating.
I can recommend this solution for medium and large enterprises. For small enterprises, it depends: if they use the standard, free one on Windows, yes. If they don't, I wouldn't recommend the investment.
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
It's an inexpensive solution that integrates well with cloud-based tools
Pros and Cons
- "SQL Server is an inexpensive solution. I recommend it if the project isn't sensitive. SQL is similar to Oracle and integrates well with tools in the cloud environment. The difference is that Oracle is for data solutions where there is replication and moderation."
- "Our biggest problem with SQL Server is latency. The communication between the cloud and the on-premises environment is slow. The data needs to be encrypted for security, and you have to exchange data certificates between environments. You can adjust the configuration to improve performance, but it would be nice if SQL Server had some templates to resolve problems."
- "Our biggest problem with SQL Server is latency."
What is our primary use case?
I have SQL Server running in an on-premise environment, but we are testing it out on the cloud. We are trying out using APIs to access a database. SQL Server creates a lot of opportunities for us. While some of the larger companies have Oracle, SQL Server is more common in Peru. I'm responsible for administration and implementation, including configuration and data replication.
What needs improvement?
Our biggest problem with SQL Server is latency. The communication between the cloud and the on-premises environment is slow. The data needs to be encrypted for security, and you have to exchange data certificates between environments. You can adjust the configuration to improve performance, but it would be nice if SQL Server had some templates to resolve problems.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with SQL Server for 10 years.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I worked on Oracle Database for four years. In the last year, I have been working with various cloud databases, including Cosmos DB and DynamoDB in AWS and Azure.
What other advice do I have?
I rate SQL Server nine out of 10. SQL Server is an inexpensive solution. I recommend it if the project isn't sensitive. SQL is similar to Oracle and integrates well with tools in the cloud environment. The difference is that Oracle is for data solutions where there is replication and moderation.
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
Download our free SQL Server Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros
sharing their opinions.
Updated: May 2026
Popular Comparisons
Teradata
MySQL
Oracle Database
MongoDB Atlas
SAP HANA
MariaDB
IBM Db2 Database
CockroachDB
Google Cloud SQL
SAP IQ
Amazon Aurora
Oracle Database In-Memory
Actian Ingres
YugabyteDB
Citus Data
Buyer's Guide
Download our free SQL Server Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros
sharing their opinions.
Quick Links
Learn More: Questions:
- Microsoft sql2017 VS SAP Hana
- SQL Server 2005 vs. InfoBright - what are the pros and cons of these solutions?
- SQL Server 2012 - can I make OLTP transactions from my ERP run in memory?
- How does NuoDB compare to MySQL and SQL Server?
- What are the main architectural differences between Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle Multitenant?
- Would you say the price of SQL Server is high compared to that of similar products?
- Has using SQL Server helped your organization in any way?
- Which authentication mode is best for SQL Server?
- Which solution do you prefer: Microsoft SQL Server's enterprise edition or Oracle Database's enterprise edition?
- Which is better: SQL Server or SAP HANA?



















