# Microsoft SQL Server 2016 Express on Windows Server 2016 Reviews **Vendor:** Amazon Web Services (AWS) **Category:** [AWS Marketplace Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/aws-marketplace) **Average Rating:** 4.3/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 2 ## About Microsoft SQL Server 2016 Express on Windows Server 2016 SQL Server on AWS has lower TCO, higher performance, and the broadest and deepest capabilities. This SQL Server Amazon Machine Images (AMI) is built by Amazon Web Services (AWS) for use on Amazon EC2, the proven, reliable, and secure place for SQL Server. ## Microsoft SQL Server 2016 Express on Windows Server 2016 Reviews ### 1. Light version of a robust, reliable database engine on a secure, modern operating system **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** David W. | Head of Engineering - Data and Business Intelligence, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** March 15, 2022 **What do you like best about Microsoft SQL Server 2016 Express on Windows Server 2016?** I've always loved Microsoft SQL Server, and for .NET developers it is an excellent choice of database engine. The Express version is the lightest form but can still be managed through SSMS, however is more license-friendly and this combination - SQL Server 2016 Express on Windows Server 2016 - makes a lot of sense for a data-driven website platform, for example. You can host it outside your organisation and know your .NET apps will run reliably and robustly, your developers and DBAs can work with the data easily, and your licensing costs are reduced. SQL Server 2016 is where Microsoft added a lot of great features like query store and in-memory facilities. **What do you dislike about Microsoft SQL Server 2016 Express on Windows Server 2016?** On the downside, if you're hosting this product outside your environment and rely on a third-party provider there is, of course, a licensing fee for Windows Server 2016 and SQL Server 2016 Express, compared to open-source options like Linux and MySQL. Additionally, the way SQL Server Express installs itself can lead to some developers or administrators inadvertently creating database servers like hostname\sqlexpress instead of simply hostname. It's important to be careful when setting it up to ensure you do so in the way you really want. **What problems is Microsoft SQL Server 2016 Express on Windows Server 2016 solving and how is that benefiting you?** We used it for our externally-hosted public-facing website. Our website was an in-house app with many facilities to capture customer requests, provide services, etc., with a lot of API-driven components, content management for our marketing team, and other dynamic features. Being a Microsoft / .NET environment this combination of server and DB was ideal for us and for the team who had a lot of SQL Server experience and affection. ### 2. Great features out of the box **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Computer Software | Enterprise (> 1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** March 08, 2022 **What do you like best about Microsoft SQL Server 2016 Express on Windows Server 2016?** The installation process is very simple. Replication is easy to configure and understand unlike other flavours of SQL. The management tool SSMS is very mature and comes with functionality to help you administrate your clusters. **What do you dislike about Microsoft SQL Server 2016 Express on Windows Server 2016?** There is nothing to dislike about the product. The one thing to consider though is the pricing, which can be quite expensive for small to medium businesses. It's best to obtain using enterprise agreement with MS. **What problems is Microsoft SQL Server 2016 Express on Windows Server 2016 solving and how is that benefiting you?** On premises to cloud replication has been easier than anticipated using SQL Server 2016. We have found the replication to be very reliable thus far since being setup with not too much maintenance required. ## Microsoft SQL Server 2016 Express on Windows Server 2016 Discussions - [What is Microsoft SQL Server 2016 Express on Windows Server 2016 used for?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-is-microsoft-sql-server-2016-express-on-windows-server-2016-used-for) - [View Microsoft SQL Server 2016 Express on Windows Server 2016 pricing details and edition comparison](https://www.g2.com/products/microsoft-sql-server-2016-express-on-windows-server-2016/reviews?section=pricing&secure%5Bexpires_at%5D=2026-06-04+06%3A54%3A09+-0500&secure%5Bsession_id%5D=fdb917ac-f916-43ad-9244-a4c3e600f752&secure%5Btoken%5D=8ebb4a0b09fedf4ffba3e91f21b4fc32d3f49a7a5a97fdf97dc12dc82ed24f50&format=llm_user) ## Microsoft SQL Server 2016 Express on Windows Server 2016 Features **Agentic AI - AWS Marketplace** - Autonomous Task Execution - Multi-step Planning - Cross-system Integration