Microsoft SQL Server

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Microsoft SQL Server
Score 8.7 out of 10
N/A
Microsoft SQL Server is a relational database.
$1,418
Per License
Pricing
Microsoft SQL Server
Editions & Modules
Subscription
$1,418.00
Per License
Enterprise
$13,748.00
Per License
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Microsoft SQL Server
Free Trial
No
Free/Freemium Version
No
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
No
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup fee
Additional Details—
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Microsoft SQL Server
Considered Both Products
Microsoft SQL Server
Chose Microsoft SQL Server
The first database application taught when I was in school was Microsoft SQL Server. Microsoft SQL Server was used where I first started, so I had the opportunity to improve myself in MySQL. SQL is also used in my current workplace. It is widely used in very large projects due …
Chose Microsoft SQL Server
We have a few different DB's in the organization, including: Pervasive, Oracle, Db2, MySQL. Many of them are of limited use for one specific application. These don't really compare to MS SQL server. Oracle is heavy and cumbersome and overkill for smaller apps. Pervasive - …
Chose Microsoft SQL Server
Microsoft SQL Server is a comprehensive solution as transactional database, data warehouse, analytics, reporting, and ETL. It also integrates with the cloud well (Azure). The ease of use and setup makes this better than Oracle Database because the query syntax is also different …
Chose Microsoft SQL Server
Microsoft SQL Server is one of the fastest RDBMS systems available in the market. Pricing is a bit on the higher side but all the features it provides pretty much justifies it. It can be integrated with a large number of frameworks thus enabling to work on multiple frameworks …
Chose Microsoft SQL Server
I think both tools are really powerful and close to each other but since I moved to Europe I realized that most of the companies have been using SQL Server which in my opinion means something. The support from Microsoft I also consider a bit better and you can also find more …
Chose Microsoft SQL Server
Microsoft was the original creator of the SQL database, and thus, they still rule the market and drive innovation when it comes to data warehousing systems. It's comparable in price and allows you to retain the structured datasets that you lose when you change to a NoSQL …
Chose Microsoft SQL Server
[Microsoft] SQL Server has a much better community and professional support and is overall just a more reliable system with Microsoft behind it. I've used MySQL in the past and SQL Server has just become more comfortable for me and is my go to RDBMS.
Chose Microsoft SQL Server
Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle are both extremely powerful and scalable enterprise relational database platforms. Microsoft SQL sets itself apart with its ease of use and licensing and support model. Microsoft is good company to work with and they provide clear and …
Chose Microsoft SQL Server
MS SQL Server is easier to use compared to other RDBMS which really speeds up development time and relatively easier to find a problem when it happens as well. It's also pretty quick to run a query, especially in a large table make it pretty convenient if we need to monitor the …
Chose Microsoft SQL Server
It just boils down to why learn anther product when you are going to run across it so seldom. Developers determine what database engine I am going to need so I just tend to pick products for implementation that use a well know product that has lots of support resources …
Chose Microsoft SQL Server
The most known and widely used competitor of Microsoft SQL is most probably the open-source MySQL. If given the choice I would personally choose MySQL over Microsoft's SQL Server, mainly because it is totally free and open source, but also because it integrates better with …
Chose Microsoft SQL Server
Microsoft SQL Server was our first choice as we are a Microsoft partner.
Chose Microsoft SQL Server
[Microsoft SQL Server] offers a full solution, Inhouse Applications and hosted application continue to use SQL as backend database. Allows easy creation of development environments and continuous feature release.
Chose Microsoft SQL Server
We stopped looking at alternatives to Microsoft SQL Server a long time ago simply because it meant only having one DBMS that we needed to learn and to support. If we were to implement other database solutions that don't run on SQL Server, we would have to spend more time moving …
Chose Microsoft SQL Server
All of the platforms have their own benefit. I was not the decision maker in selecting Microsoft SQL Server, as it was already being utilized when I joined the company, 7 years ago. I can say that I feel more comfortable with utilizing this platform as opposed to the other ones.
Chose Microsoft SQL Server
The free version is very powerfull and easy to install and use for small companies.
Going to Professional and Standard, gives you all the support and the flexibility needed. It is known within the Database Administrator crew, and you can get support very easily over the …
Chose Microsoft SQL Server
We use both Oracle and Microsoft SQL Server for our entire product line, using the best features of each of them to solve different business requirements and technical challenges. Microsoft SQL Server is simpler to install and use, but lacks some advanced features and has fewer …
Chose Microsoft SQL Server
On this one, I cannot fairly comment as I was not involved in the original decision making behind choosing SQL Server. I am aware that MySQL was a contender, and as mentioned I have some experience but not vast. I am pleased that we didn't go with MySQL at least as I think …
Chose Microsoft SQL Server
Native to Windows and being required for other MS apps puts it above others in terms of usage. If we were not heavily dependent on Microsoft applications or OS, we might have considered other database solutions. It's an expensive solutions but it is a solid reliable solution. …
Chose Microsoft SQL Server
I was not too impressed with Oracle. Following the manual prohibited installation. They did provide a phone number and explained the manual was wrong and provided me with the correct information with which I was able to install the product. This was awhile back and I do not …
Chose Microsoft SQL Server
Microsoft SQL Server is still the industry standard for the type of development we do, and the types of applications that we use. Almost every developer or analyst we hire has at least a reasonable grounding in the use of SQL servers, and it is almost universally compatible …
Chose Microsoft SQL Server
I have not used any other product similar to Microsoft SQL Server
Chose Microsoft SQL Server
Oracle DB and SQL Server are very much alike. They provide the same quality of service and applications. The difference is only the price and support from them. Development codes and almost similar and can be used either way, which is very favorable for users. They can adopt to …
Top Pros
Top Cons
Best Alternatives
Microsoft SQL Server
Small Businesses
SingleStore
SingleStore
Score 9.8 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
SingleStore
SingleStore
Score 9.8 out of 10
Enterprises
SingleStore
SingleStore
Score 9.8 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Microsoft SQL Server
Likelihood to Recommend
9.6
(96 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.0
(6 ratings)
Usability
9.9
(10 ratings)
Availability
10.0
(1 ratings)
Performance
9.0
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
7.9
(25 ratings)
In-Person Training
9.0
(1 ratings)
Online Training
9.0
(1 ratings)
Implementation Rating
9.0
(5 ratings)
Configurability
10.0
(1 ratings)
Ease of integration
9.0
(1 ratings)
Product Scalability
9.0
(1 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
9.0
(1 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
9.0
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
Microsoft SQL Server
Likelihood to Recommend
Microsoft
Microsoft SQL Server is a great RDBMS and meets all of our requirements. If you need a stable DB platform to support your line of a business application you'll be well served. Licensing costs are far cheaper, more portable and a lot more user friendly than Oracle. Product support and security patches from Microsoft are strong.
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Pros
Microsoft
  • Easy to configure and use with Visual Studio and Dot Net
  • Easy integration with MSBI to perform data analysis
  • Data Security
  • Easy to understand and use
  • Very easy to export database and tables in the form of SQL query or a script
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Cons
Microsoft
  • The import/export process can be tricky to follow with lots of steps and could be better for importing flat files
  • Obtaining help from Microsoft is cumbersome and often other internet sources are better and quicker
  • The documentation is not great and again it's generally better to obtain help elsewhere if needed
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Likelihood to Renew
Microsoft
We understand that the Microsoft SQL Server will continue to advance, offering the same robust and reliable platform while adding new features that enable us, as a software center, to create a superior product. That provides excellent performance while reducing the hardware requirements and the total cost of ownership of our solution.
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Usability
Microsoft
SQL Server mostly 'just works' or generates error messages to help you sort out the trouble. You can usually count on the product to get the job done and keep an eye on your potential mistakes. Interaction with other Microsoft products makes operating as a Windows user pretty straight forward. Digging through the multitude of dialogs and wizards can be a pain, but the answer is usually there somewhere.
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Reliability and Availability
Microsoft
Its does not have outages.
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Performance
Microsoft
SSAS data cubes may some time slow down your Excel reports.
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Support Rating
Microsoft
We managed to handle most of our problems by looking into Microsoft's official documentation that has everything explained and almost every function has an example that illustrates in detail how a particular functionality works. Just like PowerShell has the ability to show you an example of how some cmdlet works, that is the case also here, and in my opinion, it is a very good practice and I like it.
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In-Person Training
Microsoft
It was good
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Online Training
Microsoft
very hands on and detailed training
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Implementation Rating
Microsoft
Other than SQL taking quite a bit of time to actually install there are no problems with installation. Even on hardware that has good performance SQL can still take close to an hour to install a typical server with management and reporting services.
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Alternatives Considered
Microsoft
[Microsoft] SQL Server has a much better community and professional support and is overall just a more reliable system with Microsoft behind it. I've used MySQL in the past and SQL Server has just become more comfortable for me and is my go to RDBMS.
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Scalability
Microsoft
SQL server does handle growing demands of a mid sized company.
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Return on Investment
Microsoft
  • Increased accuracy - We went from multiple users having different versions of an Excel spreadsheet to a single source of truth for our reporting.
  • Increased Efficiency - We can now generate reports at any time from a single source rather than multiple users spending their time collating data and generating reports.
  • Improved Security - Enterprise level security on a dedicated server rather than financial files on multiple laptop hard drives.
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