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# InterSystems IRIS vs Microsoft SQL Server Comparison - What are their main differences?

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InterSystems IRISMS SQL[+ Add Product](#)

Reviews

**InterSystems IRIS** [

4.6/5(73)

](https://www.g2.com/products/intersystems-iris/reviews#reviews)

**Microsoft SQL Server** [

4.4/5(2,289)

](https://www.g2.com/products/microsoft-sql-server/reviews#reviews)

Pricing

**InterSystems IRIS**
Free Trial

No pricing available

**Microsoft SQL Server**
No pricing available

**Pricing Insights**
from reviews

Time to Implement

**InterSystems IRIS**
Not enough reviews yet

**Microsoft SQL Server**
3 months

Based on 39 responses

Return on Investment

**InterSystems IRIS**
Not enough reviews yet

**Microsoft SQL Server**
17 months

Based on 30 responses

Perceived Cost

**InterSystems IRIS**
$$$$$

**Microsoft SQL Server**
$$$$$

Average Discount

**InterSystems IRIS**
Not enough reviews yet

**Microsoft SQL Server**
14%

Pros & Cons

**InterSystems IRIS**
[
Features (9)
](https://www.g2.com/products/intersystems-iris/reviews?filters%5Bsentiment_snippet%5D=2258246&qs=pros-and-cons#reviews)[
Ease of Use (8)
](https://www.g2.com/products/intersystems-iris/reviews?filters%5Bsentiment_snippet%5D=2257974&qs=pros-and-cons#reviews)[
Difficult Learning (6)
](https://www.g2.com/products/intersystems-iris/reviews?filters%5Bsentiment_snippet%5D=2258343&qs=pros-and-cons#reviews)[
Expensive (5)
](https://www.g2.com/products/intersystems-iris/reviews?filters%5Bsentiment_snippet%5D=2257937&qs=pros-and-cons#reviews)

**Microsoft SQL Server**
[
Ease of Use (29)
](https://www.g2.com/products/microsoft-sql-server/reviews?filters%5Bsentiment_snippet%5D=1422587&qs=pros-and-cons#reviews)[
Database Management (24)
](https://www.g2.com/products/microsoft-sql-server/reviews?filters%5Bsentiment_snippet%5D=1422948&qs=pros-and-cons#reviews)[
Expensive (21)
](https://www.g2.com/products/microsoft-sql-server/reviews?filters%5Bsentiment_snippet%5D=1421552&qs=pros-and-cons#reviews)[
High Licensing Cost (12)
](https://www.g2.com/products/microsoft-sql-server/reviews?filters%5Bsentiment_snippet%5D=1422329&qs=pros-and-cons#reviews)

Integrations

**InterSystems IRIS**
[

 ![Product Avatar Image](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/image/large_detail/large_detail_e13b4b28c3774e3e5d721220034ed9bb/aspose-aspose.jpg "Product Avatar Image")

Aspose

](https://www.g2.com/products/aspose-aspose/reviews)[

 ![Product Avatar Image](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/image/large_detail/large_detail_b3390b4cc3d92e87d570895f7358c003/aws-lambda.jpg "Product Avatar Image")

AWS Lambda

](https://www.g2.com/products/aws-lambda/reviews)[

 ![Product Avatar Image](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/image/large_detail/large_detail_d20584aae28e7a36c33465b06918a4db/grafana.jpg "Product Avatar Image")

Grafana Labs

](https://www.g2.com/products/grafana-labs/reviews)[

 ![Product Avatar Image](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/image/large_detail/large_detail_7e2cc37d808a91c442ce32a77004fd0f/libreoffice.png "Product Avatar Image")

LibreOffice

](https://www.g2.com/products/libreoffice/reviews)[
View all
](https://www.g2.com/products/intersystems-iris/integrations)

**Microsoft SQL Server**
[

 ![Product Avatar Image](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/image/large_detail/large_detail_f176b4154a751d10150daa67a57b7dc5/azure-data-factory.jpg "Product Avatar Image")

Azure Data Factory

](https://www.g2.com/products/azure-data-factory/reviews)[

 ![Product Avatar Image](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/image/large_detail/large_detail_13aba37ae908d9cf29a2452925257ccc/azure-databricks.jpeg "Product Avatar Image")

Azure Databricks

](https://www.g2.com/products/azure-databricks/reviews)[

 ![Product Avatar Image](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/image/large_detail/large_detail_f176b4154a751d10150daa67a57b7dc5/azure-sql-database.jpg "Product Avatar Image")

Azure SQL Database

](https://www.g2.com/products/azure-sql-database/reviews)[

 ![Product Avatar Image](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/image/large_detail/large_detail_a6c205d533dba77b318af96d91beb2ac/databricks.jpeg "Product Avatar Image")

Databricks

](https://www.g2.com/products/databricks/reviews)[
View all
](https://www.g2.com/products/microsoft-sql-server/integrations)

Screenshots

**InterSystems IRIS**
No screenshot available

**Microsoft SQL Server**
 ![Microsoft SQL Server screenshot](https://images.g2crowd.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=600,height=600,fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,/https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/attachment/file/79420/screenshot.png)

Ratings

Meets Requirements

**InterSystems IRIS**

9.0

9.049

**Microsoft SQL Server**

9.0

9.01,877

Ease of Use

**InterSystems IRIS**

7.9

7.950

**Microsoft SQL Server**

8.6

8.61,895

Ease of Setup

**InterSystems IRIS**

7.6

7.629

**Microsoft SQL Server**

8.2

8.21,018

Ease of Admin

**InterSystems IRIS**

7.8

7.820

**Microsoft SQL Server**

8.3

8.3955

Quality of Support

**InterSystems IRIS**

8.7

8.749

**Microsoft SQL Server**

8.3

8.31,669

Has the product been a good partner in doing business?

**InterSystems IRIS**

8.6

8.618

**Microsoft SQL Server**

8.4

8.4904

Product Direction (% positive)

**InterSystems IRIS**

9.0

9.046

**Microsoft SQL Server**

8.4

8.41,846

Features

Database Management Systems (DBMS)[Hide 48 FeaturesShow 48 Features](javascript:void(0);)

9.1

17

9.0

180

Management

Data dictionary

8.8

13

8.9(won by 0.1)

156

Data Replication

9.3(won by 0.5)

12

 (There is a greater than 0.5 difference between this product's rating and its competitors)

8.8

154

Query Language

8.9

14

9.2(won by 0.3)

162

Data Modeling

8.9(tied score)

12

8.9(tied score)

156

Performance Analysis

9.3(won by 0.3)

12

9.0

161

Data Synchronization

Not enough data

Not enough data

Real-Time Data

Not enough data

Not enough data

Data Storage Management

Not enough data

Not enough data

Maintenance

Data Migration

9.3(won by 0.4)

12

8.9

159

Backup and Recovery

9.3(won by 0.2)

12

9.1

165

Multi-User Environment

8.7

13

9.1(won by 0.4)

156

Automatic Backup

Not enough data

Not enough data

Database Conversion

Not enough data

Not enough data

Security

Data Encryption

8.9(tied score)

11

8.9(tied score)

154

User Access Control

9.2(won by 0.1)

13

9.1

157

Mobile Access

Not enough data

Not enough data

Additional Functionality

Workflow Management

Not enough data

Not enough data

Third-Party Integrations

Not enough data

Not enough data

Data Extraction

Not enough data

Not enough data

Relational Database Management

Not enough data

Not enough data

SSL Security

Not enough data

Not enough data

API

Not enough data

Not enough data

Data Connectors

Not enough data

Not enough data

Search/Filter

Not enough data

Not enough data

Reporting & Statistics

Not enough data

Not enough data

Customizable Templates

Not enough data

Not enough data

AI Copilot

Not enough data

Not enough data

Full Text Search

Not enough data

Not enough data

Data Virtualization

Not enough data

Not enough data

Data Import/Export

Not enough data

Not enough data

Generative AI

Not enough data

Not enough data

Drag & Drop

Not enough data

Not enough data

Customizable Fields

Not enough data

Not enough data

Authentication

Not enough data

Not enough data

Data Visualization

Not enough data

Not enough data

Secure Data Storage

Not enough data

Not enough data

Activity Dashboard

Not enough data

Not enough data

Data Mapping

Not enough data

Not enough data

Multiple Programming Languages Supported

Not enough data

Not enough data

Data Capture and Transfer

Not enough data

Not enough data

User Management

Not enough data

Not enough data

NOSQL Database Management

Not enough data

Not enough data

Access Controls/Permissions

Not enough data

Not enough data

Calendar Management

Not enough data

Not enough data

Real-Time Monitoring

Not enough data

Not enough data

Document Storage

Not enough data

Not enough data

Audit Management

Not enough data

Not enough data

Charting

Not enough data

Not enough data

Relational Databases[Hide 24 FeaturesShow 24 Features](javascript:void(0);)

9.2

47

8.8

1,472

Management 

Data Schema

9.3(won by 0.2)

17

9.1

154

Query Language

8.9

19

9.2(won by 0.3)

158

ACID - Complaint

9.1(won by 0.3)

13

8.8

142

Data Replication

9.6(won by 0.8)

16

 (There is a greater than 0.5 difference between this product's rating and its competitors)

8.8

143

Support 

Text Search

8.6(tied score)

16

8.6(tied score)

145

Data Types

8.6

20

9.0(won by 0.4)

152

Languages

8.3

19

8.6(won by 0.3)

145

Operating Systems

9.3(won by 1.0)

17

 (There is a greater than 0.5 difference between this product's rating and its competitors)

8.3

155

Security

Database Locking

9.3(won by 0.5)

14

 (There is a greater than 0.5 difference between this product's rating and its competitors)

8.8

151

Access Control

9.5(won by 0.5)

17

 (There is a greater than 0.5 difference between this product's rating and its competitors)

9.0

152

Encryption

9.5(won by 0.7)

17

 (There is a greater than 0.5 difference between this product's rating and its competitors)

8.8

148

Authentication

9.0(tied score)

17

9.0(tied score)

150

Performance 

Disaster Recovery

8.9(won by 0.2)

16

8.7

151

Data Concurrency

9.1(won by 0.3)

15

8.8

143

Workload Management

9.1(won by 0.4)

17

8.7

155

Advanced Indexing

9.6(won by 1.0)

16

 (There is a greater than 0.5 difference between this product's rating and its competitors)

8.6

150

Query Optimizer

9.3(won by 0.5)

15

 (There is a greater than 0.5 difference between this product's rating and its competitors)

8.8

152

Database Features

Storage

9.2(won by 0.3)

32

8.9

1300

Availability

9.2(won by 0.2)

30

9.0

1303

Stability

9.4(won by 0.5)

32

 (There is a greater than 0.5 difference between this product's rating and its competitors)

8.9

1317

Scalability

9.1(won by 0.4)

34

8.7

1283

Security

9.1(won by 0.3)

31

8.8

1281

Data Manipulation

8.9(won by 0.1)

31

8.8

1283

Query Language

9.1(tied score)

32

9.1(tied score)

1302

Key Value Databases[Hide 12 FeaturesShow 12 Features](javascript:void(0);)

9.2

7

Not enough data

Data Management

Data Model

9.4(won by default)

6

|

Verified

Not enough data

Data Types

9.2(won by default)

6

|

Verified

Not enough data

Availability

Auto Sharding

8.9(won by default)

6

|

Verified

Not enough data

Auto Recovery

9.2(won by default)

6

|

Verified

Not enough data

Data Replication

9.2(won by default)

6

|

Verified

Not enough data

Performance 

Integrated Cache

9.4(won by default)

6

|

Verified

Not enough data

Security

Role-Based Authorization

9.2(won by default)

6

|

Verified

Not enough data

Authentication

8.6(won by default)

6

|

Verified

Not enough data

Encryption

9.2(won by default)

6

|

Verified

Not enough data

Audit Logs

Feature Not Available

Not enough data

Support

Operating Systems

9.4(won by default)

6

|

Verified

Not enough data

Multi-Model

Feature Not Available

Not enough data

Document Databases[Hide 54 FeaturesShow 54 Features](javascript:void(0);)

9.1

7

Not enough data

Data Management

Data Model

9.4(won by default)

6

Not enough data

Data Types

8.9(won by default)

6

Not enough data

Built - In Search

8.6(won by default)

6

Not enough data

Event Triggers

9.3(won by default)

5

Not enough data

Semantic Search

Not enough data

Not enough data

Availability

Auto Recovery

9.0(won by default)

5

Not enough data

Data Replication

9.4(won by default)

6

Not enough data

Auto Sharding

Not enough data

Not enough data

Backup and Recovery

Not enough data

Not enough data

Real-Time Data

Not enough data

Not enough data

Performance

Query Optimization

9.7(won by default)

5

Not enough data

Ad hoc Query

Not enough data

Not enough data

Security

Role-Based Authorization

9.2(won by default)

6

Not enough data

Authentication

9.4(won by default)

6

Not enough data

Audit Logs

9.7(won by default)

6

Not enough data

Encryption

8.6(won by default)

6

Not enough data

Support

Multi-Model

9.0(won by default)

5

Not enough data

Operating Systems

8.9(won by default)

6

Not enough data

BI Connectors

8.6(won by default)

6

Not enough data

Data Connectors

Not enough data

Not enough data

Additional Functionality

Database Conversion

Not enough data

Not enough data

Monitoring

Not enough data

Not enough data

Activity Dashboard

Not enough data

Not enough data

Data Extraction

Not enough data

Not enough data

Reporting/Analytics

Not enough data

Not enough data

Automatic Backup

Not enough data

Not enough data

Real-Time Monitoring

Not enough data

Not enough data

Audit Management

Not enough data

Not enough data

Data Visualization

Not enough data

Not enough data

Ad hoc Reporting

Not enough data

Not enough data

Compliance Management

Not enough data

Not enough data

Indexing

Not enough data

Not enough data

Search/Filter

Not enough data

Not enough data

Alerts/Notifications

Not enough data

Not enough data

Data Verification

Not enough data

Not enough data

Performance Testing

Not enough data

Not enough data

Data Capture and Transfer

Not enough data

Not enough data

Security Auditing

Not enough data

Not enough data

Access Controls/Permissions

Not enough data

Not enough data

Role-Based Permissions

Not enough data

Not enough data

Data Mapping

Not enough data

Not enough data

Data Retrieval

Not enough data

Not enough data

AI Copilot

Not enough data

Not enough data

Third-Party Integrations

Not enough data

Not enough data

Generative AI

Not enough data

Not enough data

Configuration Management

Not enough data

Not enough data

Audit Trail

Not enough data

Not enough data

For NoSQL Databases

Not enough data

Not enough data

Data Import/Export

Not enough data

Not enough data

Data Migration

Not enough data

Not enough data

Data Synchronization

Not enough data

Not enough data

API

Not enough data

Not enough data

Serverless Accessibility

Not enough data

Not enough data

Multiple Data Sources

Not enough data

Not enough data

Big Data Processing and Distribution[Hide 10 FeaturesShow 10 Features](javascript:void(0);)

Not enough data

8.4

62

Database

Real-Time Data Collection

Not enough data

8.6(won by default)

58

Data Distribution

Not enough data

8.8(won by default)

57

Data Lake

Not enough data

8.4(won by default)

54

Integrations

Hadoop Integration

Not enough data

7.8(won by default)

45

Spark Integration

Not enough data

8.2(won by default)

46

Platform

Machine Scaling

Not enough data

8.2(won by default)

50

Data Preparation

Not enough data

8.5(won by default)

54

Spark Integration

Not enough data

8.2(won by default)

46

Processing

Cloud Processing

Not enough data

8.6(won by default)

53

Workload Processing

Not enough data

8.5(won by default)

56

NoSQL Databases[Hide 7 FeaturesShow 7 Features](javascript:void(0);)

9.0

45

Not enough data

Database Features

Storage

9.2(won by 0.3)

32

8.9

1300

Availability

9.2(won by 0.2)

30

9.0

1303

Stability

9.4(won by 0.5)

32

 (There is a greater than 0.5 difference between this product's rating and its competitors)

8.9

1317

Scalability

9.1(won by 0.4)

34

8.7

1283

Security

9.1(won by 0.3)

31

8.8

1281

Data Manipulation

8.9(won by 0.1)

31

8.8

1283

Query Language

9.1(tied score)

32

9.1(tied score)

1302

Show 2 feature categories with incomplete data

Data Fabric[Hide 15 FeaturesShow 15 Features](javascript:void(0);)

Not enough data

Not enough data

Data Management

Data Integration

Not enough data

Not enough data

Data Discovery

Not enough data

Not enough data

Multi - Platform

Not enough data

Not enough data

Metadata

Not enough data

Not enough data

Analytics

Data Analytics

Not enough data

Not enough data

Security

Compliance

Not enough data

Not enough data

Governance

Not enough data

Not enough data

Data Protection

Not enough data

Not enough data

Generative AI

AI Text Generation

Not enough data

Not enough data

AI Text Summarization

Not enough data

Not enough data

Agentic AI - Data Fabric

Autonomous Task Execution

Not enough data

Not enough data

Multi-step Planning

Not enough data

Not enough data

Cross-system Integration

Not enough data

Not enough data

Adaptive Learning

Not enough data

Not enough data

Decision Making

Not enough data

Not enough data

Big Data[Hide 17 FeaturesShow 17 Features](javascript:void(0);)

Not enough data

Not enough data

Building Reports

Data Transformation

Not enough data

Not enough data

Data Modeling

Not enough data

Not enough data

WYSIWYG Report Design

Not enough data

Not enough data

Integration APIs

Not enough data

Not enough data

Real-Time Data

Not enough data

Not enough data

Real-Time Data

Not enough data

Not enough data

Third-Party Integrations

Not enough data

Not enough data

Third-Party Integrations

Not enough data

Not enough data

Platform

Mobile User Support

Not enough data

Not enough data

Customization 

Not enough data

Not enough data

User, Role, and Access Management

Not enough data

Not enough data

Internationalization

Not enough data

Not enough data

Sandbox / Test Environments

Not enough data

Not enough data

Performance and Reliability

Not enough data

Not enough data

Breadth of Partner Applications

Not enough data

Not enough data

Mobile Access

Not enough data

Not enough data

Metadata Management

Not enough data

Not enough data

User Insights

Reviewers' Company Size

[![InterSystems IRIS](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/hd_favicon/80bb0c5305b30ded5d2e0b6340deed91/intersystems-iris.svg "InterSystems IRIS")](https://www.g2.com/products/intersystems-iris/reviews)

InterSystems IRIS

Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)

45.8%

Mid-Market(51-1000 emp.)

35.6%

Enterprise(\> 1000 emp.)

18.6%

[![Microsoft SQL Server](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/hd_favicon/a8a99a96fda235658139f710592f8a53/microsoft-sql-server.svg "Microsoft SQL Server")](https://www.g2.com/products/microsoft-sql-server/reviews)

Microsoft SQL Server

Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)

18.3%

Mid-Market(51-1000 emp.)

36.6%

Enterprise(\> 1000 emp.)

45.2%

Small-Business

(50 or fewer emp.)

45.8%

18.3%

Mid-Market

(51-1000 emp.)

35.6%

36.6%

Enterprise

(\> 1000 emp.)

18.6%

45.2%

Reviewers' Industry

[![InterSystems IRIS](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/hd_favicon/80bb0c5305b30ded5d2e0b6340deed91/intersystems-iris.svg "InterSystems IRIS")](https://www.g2.com/products/intersystems-iris/reviews)
InterSystems IRIS

Computer Software

27.1%

Hospital & Health Care

25.4%

Information Technology and Services

15.3%

Health, Wellness and Fitness

8.5%

Information Services

6.8%

Other

16.9%

[![Microsoft SQL Server](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/hd_favicon/a8a99a96fda235658139f710592f8a53/microsoft-sql-server.svg "Microsoft SQL Server")](https://www.g2.com/products/microsoft-sql-server/reviews)
Microsoft SQL Server

Information Technology and Services

24.1%

Computer Software

13.7%

Hospital & Health Care

5.4%

Financial Services

4.3%

Higher Education

2.9%

Other

49.7%

Alternatives

**InterSystems IRIS Alternatives**

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**Microsoft SQL Server Alternatives**

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