Gold Standard for Transactional Databases
August 13, 2021

Gold Standard for Transactional Databases

Gordon Lo | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Overall Satisfaction with Microsoft SQL Server

We use SQL server as a back-end for the vast majority of our software applications. This includes backends for web apps, data staging and SSIS/SSRS. As far as DB's go, SQL server is our first choice because it integrates easily with our Microsoft .net and .net core applications. Our SQL DB's are used across the entire organization.
  • high volume transactions
  • data staging and bulk data loads
  • integration to active directory
  • ease of setup
  • it's still a memory hog, but that's gotten better since 2016
  • it can be expensive to license
  • stability and reliability
  • performance
  • cost
  • ease of use
  • MS SQL costs more than open source items, but in the long run it's cheaper and easier to manage
  • integration with MS development tools improves overall time to market.
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 - at least the older version we're one - isn't a great performer and has it's own problems. None of them integrate as well with .net code when compared to MS SQL. DB2 on System i is quite good once you figure out which packages to use - it's very performant and is almost as easy to use as MS SQL. They all have ongoing costs, but MS SQL still comes out ahead with minimal maintenance and reliable performance.

Do you think Microsoft SQL Server delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Microsoft SQL Server's feature set?

Yes

Did Microsoft SQL Server live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of Microsoft SQL Server go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Microsoft SQL Server again?

Yes

If your organization builds a lot of Microsoft based applications using .net or .net core, then the use of SQL is a no-brainer. The integration with .net is second to none as a backend for web apps and APIs.

In general, SQL performs well for a multitude of tasks beyond web app backends. We use SQL for high volume transactions for our core ESB which has very high data volume and data churn.