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Microsoft SQL Server Reviews & Product Details

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Value at a Glance

Averages based on real user reviews.

Time to Implement

3 months

Return on Investment

17 months

User Insights

Average based on 2290 real user reviews.

Implementation Time

3 months

Perceived Cost

$$$$$

Typical contract price

$0k - $0k

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Per Year

Microsoft SQL Server Reviews (2,290)

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Reviews

Microsoft SQL Server Reviews (2,290)

View 2 Video Reviews
4.4
2,290 reviews

What do users say?

Generated using AI from real user reviews
Users consistently praise Microsoft SQL Server for its reliability and strong integration with the Microsoft ecosystem, making it a preferred choice for managing large datasets and enterprise applications. The platform's robust performance and user-friendly tools simplify database management, allowing for efficient data handling and reporting. However, many reviews note that the licensing costs can be a significant drawback, especially for smaller organizations.

Pros & Cons

Generated from real user reviews
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YM
Yuvashree M.
Senior Data Engineer
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
"SQL Server: Reliable Performance, Strong Security, and Seamless Azure & Power BI Integration"
4/5
What do you like best about Microsoft SQL Server?

The best thing about SQL Server is its balance of performance, reliability, and ease of use. It offers features for handling large-scale data processing, strong security mechanisms, and integration tools with Azure, Power BI, and ETL platforms.

It also includes advanced functionality such as indexing, partitioning, and query optimization, along with solid backup and recovery options. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Microsoft SQL Server?

It requires significant system resources to handle high-performance workloads. As datasets grow or concurrency increases, tuning and query optimization can become complex, especially in large-scale systems. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Bansi V.
BV
Bansi V.
Database Administrator
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
"Easy-to-Use Database Management with Strong Error Handling and Debugging"
4.5/5
What do you like best about Microsoft SQL Server?

This app is used for storing databases and working with MS SQL language databases. Here, we can create a database, and then within the database we can create tables and do many more related tasks. It provides a very good interface, along with helpful troubleshooting, error handling, and clear support when issues come up. In my organization, we are storing our DB in the SSMS platform, and every day we are using this product. It's easy to use and understand. It gives the perfect error handling with line state number and how to solve this error and why it comes, and also gives SQL Server Profiler for debugging, and also provides backups and restores databases. when i am strating then i got some problem to understand but when i am using it day to day is it easy to handle. easy to intergrate. we can also perform try catch and transaction in ms sql for error handling .its gives the best performance some times when we are use this tools it will slow down our system and some times we got stucked and also takes too much timme to start .. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Microsoft SQL Server?

It takes too long to start, and sometimes using this product slows our system down. As an organization, we use this tool with Red Gate, and the Red Gate extensions are costly. Also, it doesn’t provide an AI interface like other tools do. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Stephen W.
SW
Stephen W.
Senior Systems Analyst: Digital Accessibility
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
"Top-Notch UI/UX, Fast Performance, and First-Class Support"
5/5
What do you like best about Microsoft SQL Server?

I've always liked the UI/UX far more than my experience with the alternatives, and I much prefer Microsoft's version of SQL. This has really helped when I've had to integrate with other systems, and I've been really happy by how quickly it performs. Pricing is always tricky, we'd all like to pay less than we do but thankfully I don't have to pay personally! Support has always been first class and I've never not been able to successfully develop. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Microsoft SQL Server?

Nothing really stands out and I cannot think of anything to suggest. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

HK
harivishwesh k.
AI/ML Solution Architect
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
"Ms SQL server - A solid system that just works!"
4/5
What do you like best about Microsoft SQL Server?

It can handle enterprise level capabilities and easy to use at the same time and as everyone know it is a very mature ecosystem for database management

I especially appreciate the database management, performance tuning, security, high availability, reporting etc., all available in a centralized environment with good support on both system and community level Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Microsoft SQL Server?

1. Cost around enterprise level scaling and licensing when compared to open source alternatives

2. Tightly Coupled around Microsoft products making it bit overhead for non native users Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Verified User in Consulting
CC
Verified User in Consulting
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
"Powerful Managed Instance for Enterprise-Scale Data"
4/5
What do you like best about Microsoft SQL Server?

I appreciate more about the managed instance offering. it provides SQL server capabilities in a cloud managed environment, allowing to perform a wide range of operations. The user interface is intuitive and easy to navigate, making day to day database management straight forward even for large scale environment. It handles large volumes of enterprise data efficiently, making it a reliable choice for data warehousing and analytics workload. The performance remains consistent as the data grows. The built-in row level security allows to control data access at granular level ensuring users only see the data they are authorized to view. The ability to manage access through active directory group simplifies permissions management across teams. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Microsoft SQL Server?

One area that I dislike is the azure synapse analytics dedicated SQL pool. It is powerful for large scale analytics, but it lacks support for several commonly used SQL features such as cross apply, merge and certain data type functions that are readily available in traditional SQL server or managed instance. The straightforward approach we would normally take in a standard SQL server environment don't work in synapse. instead, we have to find work arounds rewriting logic using join, staging tables, multiple steps like insert, update, delete patterns which adds complexity, increases development time and makes code harder to maintain. It is particularly challenging while migrating the existing logic to synapse. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

VK
VIGNESHWAR K.
Senior Data Engineer
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
Business partner of the seller or seller's competitor, not included in G2 scores.
"Easy ETL Integrations and Helpful Built-In Transaction Monitoring"
4/5
What do you like best about Microsoft SQL Server?

We can easily integrate with ETL tools like ADF, Databricks, etc. We also have many inbuilt stored procedures available to monitor transactions. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Microsoft SQL Server?

The issue I faced on my last project came up during an update query. When there were multiple records in the source for a single record in the target, the target table would get updated randomly with one of the records from the source table. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Verified User in Financial Services
AF
Verified User in Financial Services
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
"MS SQL Server Data Platform"
4.5/5
What do you like best about Microsoft SQL Server?

Without a doubt, its simplicity in a large part of the tasks and operations on it. Robustness, the fact of supporting multiple workloads and types of data; constituting, along with Oracle, the best convergent databases. The family of advanced functionalities IQP (Intelligent Query Processing) has been introducing greater automation through the versions. Analytical functions for macro data environments and PSP (parameter-sensitive plans), which allows caching up to 3 plans per statement. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Microsoft SQL Server?

Your TCO, the licensing costs, or even as a service. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Sairam P.
SP
Sairam P.
Junior dot net developer
Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
"Reliable and powerful database for enterprise applications"
4.5/5
What do you like best about Microsoft SQL Server?

Microsoft SQL Server is stable, reliable, and well integrated with the .NET ecosystem. Query performance is strong when indexing and design are done correctly. The UI in SQL Server Management Studio makes it easy to manage databases, write queries, and debug issues. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Microsoft SQL Server?

License cost is high compared to open-source alternatives like PostgreSQL. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Verified User in Financial Services
UF
Verified User in Financial Services
Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)
"Satisfied with MSQL"
5/5
What do you like best about Microsoft SQL Server?

Overall experience with SQL server 2016 is very nice and excited in my perceptions due to Better support for memory optimzed tables, Built in JSON support, Stretch DB concepts, Query Store and dynamic temp db according to size and presence of CPU in the databases Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Microsoft SQL Server?

Only I know very least number of disadvantages this MS SQL server 2016 is having:

1. Enterprise pricing may be costly as some of the organisation cant afford for the count of data they are having.

2 With the performance tuning, Microsoft SQL Server will be having some gobble resources Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

AC
Adrian C.
OPS Supervisor
Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)
"SQL Server: The Best Choice for High-Volume Data Query Development"
5/5
What do you like best about Microsoft SQL Server?

We handle data in very high volumes, which is why we rely on SQL Server to develop and test our queries. The results we get there can be replicated in our main automation tool, so SQL Server remains the best option for us. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Microsoft SQL Server?

The newest version feels a bit overcomplicated compared with previous versions, for example. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Questions about Microsoft SQL Server? Ask real users or explore answers from the community

Get practical answers, real workflows, and honest pros and cons from the G2 community or share your insights.

Shruti N.
SN
Shruti Nair
•
Last activity 6 months ago

Popular relational database services for app developers

AB
ayoub bigongiali
•
Last activity over 6 years ago

how did you import a MySQL database?

2 Upvotes
3
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Pricing Insights

Averages based on real user reviews.

Time to Implement

3 months

Return on Investment

17 months

Average Discount

14%

Perceived Cost

$$$$$
Microsoft SQL Server Comparisons
Microsoft SQL Server Features
Storage
Availability
Stability
Data Migration
Backup and Recovery
Multi-User Environment
Query Language
Data Modeling
Performance Analysis
User Access Control