All our databases are using Microsoft SQL. It supports our application, such as HR and finance.
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?
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.
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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.
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February 2026
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Chief Technology Officer at KOLOK SA
Many licensing options, quick installation, and scalable
Pros and Cons
- "SQL Server is a very mature solution."
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."
- "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
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."
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.
Works at a financial services firm with 51-200 employees
User-friendly, easy to install, and has a straightforward syntax
Pros and Cons
- "For my business requirements, the performance is good."
- "In the next release, I would like to see a better user interface and a familiar syntax."
What is most valuable?
For my business requirements, the performance is good. If we use it on a larger scale, it will not fit our business needs.
It is easy to use.
It has simple syntax, but you must check your packet on a daily basis.
What needs improvement?
We occasionally face or encounter a problem with the database table itself. Some tables and their flyers, as well as the content's data, must be truncated. It was a major issue with my ERP system because it is a backbone database application. It hasn't happened often, but it was a bad experience. Regarding some table issues, I believe we will encounter them in many applications, but I believe the other vendor, such as Oracle, has more than tools to protect my data.
In the next release, I would like to see a better user interface and a familiar syntax.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with SQL Server since 2003. It's been more than 10 years.
We use a version component for each application. One is for 2014, and the other is for 2017.
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?
We have two users in my company. The ERP system has nearly two users. We have about five users for subsidies and the sister company.
I'm not going to increase our usage because I'm going to the cloud. We're going to the cloud, according to my plan. Oracle NetSuite, Microsoft cloud, or NetSuite. Because they are both cloud-based, I don't need to increase the number of SQL server users, either for administration or for users.
How are customer service and support?
I'm not opening a ticket with SQL about the issues we experienced, because it was opened by my partner, but it didn't solve the problem. For my table, it almost uses truncate comma syntax, and it flushes my table contact.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Approximately 10 years ago, I used Oracle Database.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward. I did not encounter any issues.
We have 12 technical teams with four admins to maintain the solutions in our companies.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I don't need a license for it as I will be migrating to Office 365.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution for small and medium-sized companies, but for enterprise businesses.
I know it's not the best, but this application meets our requirements.
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.
Technical Director/ Project Manager / Consultant at SC Iceberg Data Intelligence SR
User-friendly and cost effective Server for ETL and reporting
Pros and Cons
- "This solution is user-friendly and easy to understand."
- "The stability of the solution should be improved in the next release. Sometimes it is great, sometimes it is troublesome. I would also like data conversion and the code pages to be a bit more straightforward."
What is our primary use case?
I am an integrator of this solution and my customers use this for ETL and reporting.
What is most valuable?
This solution is user-friendly and easy to understand.
What needs improvement?
The stability of the solution should be improved in the next release. Sometimes it is great, sometimes it is troublesome. I would also like data conversion and the code pages to be a bit more straightforward.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with SQL Server for the past fifteen years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Stability can be shaky.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This is a scalable solution.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I use to work with Informatica via the Oracle package and switched to SQL because it is cheaper and a bit better than the others.
How was the initial setup?
This solution is pretty easy to deploy.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
SQL Server has the best licensing price.
What other advice do I have?
There is a lot to learn about this solution when first using it, as with any other tool.
I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Integrator
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