Raphael Haroun  Ikyagh - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Administrator at Letshego
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
A stable and straightforward solution that is easy to use and can be deployed quickly
Pros and Cons
  • "The product is easy to use."
  • "The pricing could be better."

What is most valuable?

The product enables us to grant access to users. The product is easy to use.

What needs improvement?

The pricing could be better.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for about four years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We did not have any issues with stability. The tool is stable.

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What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The tool is scalable. Four other users have access to the server. We are not planning to increase the usage.

How was the initial setup?

The setup is straightforward. The deployment does not take very long.

What about the implementation team?

We did not use an integrator for the deployment. Our in-house team has been able to deploy the tool well.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

We pay a yearly licensing fee.

What other advice do I have?

I recommend the solution to others. The solution is straightforward to work with. Overall, I rate the product a nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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EverVidal - PeerSpot reviewer
Architect of Solutions at Interbank
Real User
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: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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SQL Server
April 2024
Learn what your peers think about SQL Server. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: April 2024.
770,765 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Works at a financial services firm with 51-200 employees
Real User
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: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Senior Software Developer at a manufacturing company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Real User
User-friendly with a lot of tools
Pros and Cons
  • "SQL Server is quite user-friendly. I have experience with Oracle and PostgreSQL, so out of three, I like SQL Server a lot."
  • "It may be a licensing issue, but sometimes its operating speed becomes slow if we have multiple users. It's lacking some performance, but it's acceptable because we have a heavy load."

What is most valuable?

Out of all the tools in the complete SQL Server package, I'm mainly using Toolbox and SQL Profiler because I'm using SSIS packets, so we're using job scheduling a lot. And sometimes we are creating the SSIS packages, so I'm using SQL Server for MSD for maintenance purposes. SQL Server is quite user-friendly. I have experience with Oracle and PostgreSQL, so out of three, I like SQL Server a lot.

What needs improvement?

They could increase the intelligence of SQL Server. That would be good for us.  There are some good intelligent features in SQL Server. However, they need to increase the intelligence because people switching to SQL Server from other solutions are not so familiar with it. I've been working with SQL Server for the last six years, but people are coming from MySQL or Oracle, so it will take one or two months to adjust. Still, they could add some intelligent tools to convert Oracle into SQL Server something like that. 

And sometimes when I'm writing a function, there is already a predefined structure available. So if they defined their structure more precisely, that would be good for us. And the last thing I would like to add is that SQL Server should handle queries more like Oracle does. For example, you submit a query in Oracle, and the whole table comes up. In SQL Server, you go to the table, right-click, and it lets you see the first 200 rows. Then on top of that, you can add 200 more rows.

So in place of those 200 rows, if I can update all my table records or search my table record without a new search query, it'll be very beneficial. That functionality exists in Oracle, but this feature is not available everywhere in SQL Server. So if SQL Server had the feature, it'd be great because SQL Server is lacking only on this point. For example, one of my clients is a semi-technical person, so I have to train them to file a query in SQL. And they say that Oracle is much better. Say, for example, that I wanted to query a particular employee from a list of all staff. So the query output comes, and they can directly filter out the data by just applying the filter. They don't have to use the drop-down menu and search for all the employees with a given name. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using SQL Server for the last six years. I'm working with SSIS, SSRS, or MDS. These tools are part of SQL Server, and the back-end queries are developed in SQL Server. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

SQL Server is stable. SQL Server has crashed only two times in six years, but it wasn't a major system error. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It may be a licensing issue, but sometimes its operating speed becomes slow if we have multiple users. It's lacking some performance, but it's acceptable because we have a heavy load. And I would like to add that we're running SQL Server and SSIS at the same time. So while I've found that SQL Server is quite fast, SSIS is a part of SQL Server. It is just for data testing in India. But if a person knows SSIS, then they usually have very little knowledge about SQL and vice versa.

I know both of them. I found that maybe it's a bad habit, but I'm using SSIS packages. And in the SSIS package, I'm using Toolbox from SQL Server to improve the latency. Implementing both together takes a little time. And one more point is data handling. I am just forwarding the error names, and there are multiple errors in the SQL Server tool, but what if a person comes to work under me and has only one or two years of experience?  Sometimes it might be difficult for them to understand what the errors mean. For example, when joining data, it's easy to implement the inner joint. In the inner joint, there are two columns, so when there's an output error, someone who is inexperienced with SQL Server might not understand. Error messages should be a little more precise and defined, so it's easy to understand.

How was the initial setup?

Setting up an individual SQL Server is pretty straightforward, but when you are implementing multiple tools, it's more complicated. In terms of maintenance, for the DBA part, there are two based in my company because I am on a master device, so they don't allow me to maintain the server part. So one person is from South Korea, and the other is from China. They are handling my SQL Server. So maybe there are multiple teams, but I am contacting these two guys, the DBA. And I'm MDS, so I'm a single person. There are two people on my team, and I have one junior staff member. So I have a three-person team, and there are two DBA sites because I'm discussing my master team. I am deployed on the business side, and there are more than 80 people who are end-users of SQL.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

If you're using SQL Server along with SSIS and SSRS tools, it works pretty smoothly and all. When working with Oracle SQL, PostgreSQL, MySQL, etc, there are a few problems with the connection.

Overall, SQL Server is good, but sometimes, optimization becomes a little bit tricky when you're using SQL Servers in place of Oracle. For example, while I was implementing two queries one time, the SQL Server gave me the wrong results. This wasn't because of their internal modules. So there may have been some missing data, but SQL Server failed to identify those issues. SQL Server needs to improve there.

For example, say there is a line with a value of 136 or 137. The second value is a space, and the third value is null. And the last one is space. So a space means this is also null. So you are comparing these four values, and if you don't have any idea about data, it's a little problematic. So cases like this, we can deal with such queries using syntax, but if a person has no idea how to deal with this, they'll face an issue.

Here's another example. Say there's a team query that means we are erasing data from the teams, and some people are just analyzing the string. So I see data from it, which means the calling system is there. In the calling system, we receive the data to call anyone, and that type of wire call setup is there. So I am receiving a full-text format from the file I have to upload in the SSIS package. And some cells have a null value. It's a text file, so you can understand there are blanks in some places. I don't know the file type, so I am just trying to dump it into our SQL Server. But when I have time to get to that table, I realize that some values are null, space, and blank. So these four values make problems for me.

What other advice do I have?

I rate SQL Server nine out of 10. I would recommend SQL Server to anyone because you can use cloud-based services, so it's very beneficial. If you install SQL Server on-premise and on the Azure cloud, it is much more advantageous for you. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
VP Global Information Technology at a insurance company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
A scalable and stable solution with a flawless setup
Pros and Cons
  • "The initial setup is easy, flawless."
  • "I want to see one improvement and this involves the replication between the DC and DR."

What is our primary use case?

We are using the latest version.

We can use the solution for the same application. On the database side we have Microsoft SQL and on the operating system side we have 2019.

What needs improvement?

I want to see one improvement and this involves the replication between the DC and DR. We have limited options at the moment and it does not lend sufficient support for the number of databases. This means we have a huge number of databases, topping approximately 2,000. For the moment, this particular replication is not supported by SQL. 

The support number of databases needs to be increased, as well as the database number of databases that it supports. That support cannot be found when it comes to the replication between the DC and DR. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using SQL Server for ten years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is sufficiently stable. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable. 

How are customer service and technical support?

When it comes to the speed, knowledge and customer-friendliness of the technical support, we feel these to be good. 

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We did not use other solutions prior to SQL Server. 

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is easy, flawless. 

It lasts a single day. 

What about the implementation team?

We handed the implementation on our own. 

This involved a technical team of 15 people. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

There is a need to pay for the license for SQL Server. We have an enterprise license, which we consider to be fine. 

What other advice do I have?

We have 10,000 customers. 

I would recommend the solution to others. 

SQL Server is good and I rate it as a nine out of ten. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Solutions Architect at One Click
MSP
Knocks ROI out of the park
Pros and Cons
  • "Scalability, cluster ability, ease of use, ease of implementation — these are all great."
  • "In terms of exceptionally large databases, it doesn't scale as well as Oracle."

What is our primary use case?

SQL Server is enterprise database software. It provides the back end for any number of different applications, including web applications, and other types of internal applications, and software-based applications. It also provides a back end for enterprise backup tools. It's incredibly diverse in terms of its use case.

What is most valuable?

Scalability, cluster ability, ease of use, ease of implementation — these are all great. 

What needs improvement?

In terms of exceptionally large databases, it doesn't scale as well as Oracle. It scales excellently and it's flexible and it can provide a solution for exceptionally large databases, but it doesn't work as well as Oracle does for this particular use case. The performance starts to drag in the case of exceptionally large databases; especially where there's a lot more feature functionality. With Oracle, there's a lot more tunability.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with this product for 20 years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's exceptionally stable. The ease of implementation and the ease of use can't be beaten. I think it's outstanding overall.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scalability-wise, it's outstanding. The one limitation it has is that at the very, very high end of petabytes-sized databases, it doesn't scale as well as Oracle. Still, you're not going to run into very many exceptionally large databases. Almost 100% of the use cases for it scale very well.

How are customer service and technical support?

Technical support is available for a separate cost. If you don't have a subscription or a support contract, then you don't get support. You'll be stuck with online forums — that's how you'll have to get answers to questions. Assuming you have a support contract with Microsoft, it's outstanding.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was straightforward. 

What was our ROI?

This solution is available at a much lower price point than Oracle. Plus, it includes 99% of the same feature functionality. I'd say it knocks ROI out of the park.

What other advice do I have?

If you're interested in using this product, make sure that you have a good understanding of best practices for database implementation. Make sure to incorporate them in your deployment right off the bat. You won't want to have to go back and have to take production databases down because you have to change the configuration, post-implementation. Make sure you get all of these things done, pre-production implementation.

They've come a long, long way in the 20 years I've been working with them. Overall, on a scale from one to ten, I would give SQL Server a rating of nine.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Database Administrator at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Very scalable and stable, good support, and works well with Windows Server platforms
Pros and Cons
  • "Microsoft SQL Server is one of the better database administration software packages out there. It runs primarily on Windows Server platforms, but it can also run on Linux platforms."
  • "Primarily, the data replication and the backup areas can be improved. It should have data replication capabilities and uptime capabilities."

What is our primary use case?

It is used for everything under the sun. We're currently using it for a health pass for a medic aid information management system. It is also used by companies in banking and retail.

We are using SQL Server 2014 on Windows Server 2012 platform, and we also have SQL Server 2016 on Windows Server 2016 platform. I have primarily worked on the hardware, but I am now also working in the Amazon AWS cloud.

How has it helped my organization?

The entire solution that we're deploying is built on Microsoft SQL Server as a database engine. Our solution is completely engineered for that, and if we attempt to deploy it in any other database engine, it is going to be a huge nightmare.

What is most valuable?

Microsoft SQL Server is one of the better database administration software packages out there. It runs primarily on Windows Server platforms, but it can also run on Linux platforms.

What needs improvement?

Primarily, the data replication and the backup areas can be improved. It should have data replication capabilities and uptime capabilities.  The native SQL Server Backups take more time than do the backup processes from LiteSpeed, and the backup compression is a little less.  

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using SQL Server since version 6.5, which came out about 30 years ago.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is very stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is very scalable. You can run the database engine on the C drive, or you can run it on a large cloud array or a disk array. Currently, we just have developers and testers accessing it.

How are customer service and technical support?

Technical support from Microsoft is very good.

How was the initial setup?

If you know how to set it up, it is easy, but you have to learn that over time. For a new user, it is detailed. You need to have the right things in place at the right time before you actually install the software.

To create an instance, it takes about an hour overall. This includes deploying the basic system, applying the latest service pack, and then applying the latest cumulative update.

What about the implementation team?

It was an in-house job. In terms of maintenance, the number of staff members required would depend on the implementation. It requires coordination amongst teams. It is a team effort. The database administrator creates and runs the jobs that create the backup file. You need to have somebody for copying the backup files to offline storage. You also need to have system administrators for setting up the hardware.

What other advice do I have?

I would advise others to just be familiar with Windows concepts.

I would rate SQL Server a nine out of ten. If you're familiar with Windows concepts, it just works.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Balaji E - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Database Administrator at Torry Harris Integration Solutions
Real User
Top 20
Offers Always On Availability Groups setup, stable product and easy to setup
Pros and Cons
  • "We use it for our on-premises solutions, virtual servers and SSAS, SSRS packages. Also, our applications are .NET based, so it made to use it."
  • "We need it to support Linux for better troubleshooting flexibility."

What is our primary use case?

We use it for both development and administration purposes.  

How has it helped my organization?

It's serving our data solution needs okay. 

What is most valuable?

I like that it's the Always On Availability Groups setup. It ensures our servers are always running.

What needs improvement?

We need it to support Linux for better troubleshooting flexibility.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this product for five years. We currently use the older versions, SQL Server 2019 and 2017.

We will soon migrate to the 2022 version. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It works perfectly. No issues there. 

So, it is a stable product. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

There are around 300 to 500 end users using it. 

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We use it for our on-premises solutions, virtual servers and SSAS, SSRS packages. Also, our applications are .NET based, so it made sense to use it. 

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is very easy. It is easy to understand. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

It is an expensive product. 

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend using it , but it's best if you already know how it works.

Overall, I would rate the solution a six out of ten. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Updated: April 2024
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Download our free SQL Server Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.