--- title: "Microsoft SQL Server Reviews, Pros and Cons - 2026 Software Advice" description: "Reviews of Microsoft SQL Server. Learn how real users rate this software's ease-of-use, functionality, overall quality and customer support. Talk to our advisors to see if Microsoft SQL Server is a good fit for you!" source_url: "https://www.softwareadvice.com/bi/microsoft-sql-server-profile/reviews/" page_type: "reviews" language: "en" --- 1 million+ businesses helped. Get advice Get Free Advice [Home](https://www.softwareadvice.com/) / [Database Software](https://www.softwareadvice.com/database-management-systems/) / [Microsoft SQL Server](https://www.softwareadvice.com/bi/microsoft-sql-server-profile/) / Microsoft SQL Server Reviews Software Advice offers objective insights based on verified user reviews and independent product and market research. When our advisors match you to a software provider, we may earn a referral fee. [Overview](https://www.softwareadvice.com/bi/microsoft-sql-server-profile/) Reviews [Alternatives](https://www.softwareadvice.com/bi/microsoft-sql-server-profile/alternatives/) # Microsoft SQL Server User Reviews ## Reviews summary - Overall rating: 4.6/5 - Total reviews: 1,981 ### Secondary ratings - Ease of use: 4.3/5 - Customer support: 4.3/5 - Value for money: 4.3/5 - Functionality: 4.6/5 ### Rating distribution - 5 stars: 1,261 reviews (64%) - 4 stars: 661 reviews (33%) - 3 stars: 55 reviews (3%) - 2 stars: 3 reviews (0%) - 1 star: 1 reviews (0%) ### Most mentioned pros - It is a powerful, enterprise-grade RDBMS that offers high stability, advanced query optimization, and excellent data security features for professional workflows." - Microsoft SQL Server provides a stable, secure, and high-performance database platform for business-critical applications. - All databases stored in sql server can be easily accessed in other systems such as powerbi and excel with your existing account credentials and just by providing database and table names ### Most mentioned cons - The tricky part is some of the advanced stuff—it can get complicated if you’re diving into things like SSIS or Analysis Services. And yeah, licensing isn’t cheap if you’re running a full production setup. - I don't like how difficult it can be to update certain roles for specific ip addresses. - The other disadvantage is that it does not provide a path to identify which server you need to be on for the script to run. ## Microsoft SQL Server customer reviews Showing reviews 1-25 of 1,981 (page 1). ### Microsoft SQL Server Review - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Martha Leah N. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Entertainment - Company size: 2-10 employees - Product usage: Used daily for more than 2 years - Reviewed: May 2024 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by us to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. Seriously? This is not a question worth replying to. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 5/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros I have lived and breathed MS SQL Server for all my life in the IT Industry. I am still breathing SQL. #### Cons Seriously? Microsoft SQL Server is one of the best ever. ORACLE is still up there. #### Reasons for switching to Microsoft SQL Server Because one has to work with the most powerful tools in the trade. --- ### "A Robust and Scalable Database Solution for Enterprise Data Management" - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Verified Reviewer - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Computer Software - Company size: 2-10 employees - Product usage: Used daily for less than 2 years - Reviewed: February 2026 - Review source details: This review was submitted organically. No incentive was offered "My experience with Microsoft SQL Server has been very positive, especially for building and managing complex data architectures. It is a powerful, enterprise-grade RDBMS that offers high stability, advanced query optimization, and excellent data security features for professional workflows." #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 4/5 - Value for money: 3/5 - Customer support: 4/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros "Excellent performance with large datasets and highly reliable security features. I particularly like the seamless integration with other Microsoft tools and the robust SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) for database administration." #### Cons "The licensing costs can be quite high for smaller businesses. Additionally, it requires significant system resources to run smoothly compared to some lightweight alternatives." --- ### Worked with Sql Server over the years - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Verified Reviewer - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Retail - Company size: 1001-5000 employees - Product usage: Used daily for more than 2 years - Reviewed: November 2021 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by us to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 5/5 - Value for money: 5/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros The list of functions that makes easy to show the data is one of the features that makes me stay with SQL Server, Reporting Services and Analysis Services are a great value to the bundle that works great with other microsoft products. #### Cons The lack of features in lesser types of licences --- ### The Database That Keeps You on Your Toes - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Leo D. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Import and Export - Company size: 501-1000 employees - Product usage: Used daily for more than 2 years - Reviewed: April 2026 - Review source details: This review was submitted organically. No incentive was offered Using Microsoft SQL Server is like taming a dragon: infuriating at times, baffling at others, but oddly satisfying when it finally behaves. Powerful, feature-packed, and occasionally a proper headache. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 5/5 - Value for money: 3/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros What I liked most? The sense of accomplishment when a query actually runs without error. Nothing beats that sweet, sweet feeling of victory after wrestling SQL Server into submission. #### Cons nstallation feels like prepping for a NASA launch. Typos in SQL = database rage. Random performance swings: cheetah one day, sloth the next. Feature overload can confuse even seasoned DBAs. Cloud integrations are temperamental, like a cat during bath time. Documentation exists… mostly to make you cry. --- ### Reliable over time - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Daniel S. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Health, Wellness and Fitness - Company size: 11-50 employees - Product usage: Used daily for more than 2 years - Reviewed: April 2026 - Review source details: This review was submitted organically. No incentive was offered Overall, I really like Microsoft SQL Server because it's grown on me over the years of using it. Our company has learned to rely on it. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 4/5 - Value for money: 4/5 - Customer support: 1/5 - Functionality: 4/5 #### Pros We use Microsoft SQL Server (via Azure) for our database operations. It's excellent and reliable. My favorite flow is using migrations to do database updates. I've also really gotten used to the syntax compared to postgres. #### Cons I don't like how difficult it can be to update certain roles for specific ip addresses. Feels like the tools could be a little more helpful. --- ### Not the cheapest option but powerful - Overall rating: 4/5 - Reviewer: Verified Reviewer - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Mechanical or Industrial Engineering - Company size: 10000+ employees - Product usage: Used daily for more than 2 years - Reviewed: August 2025 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by us to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 4/5 - Value for money: 5/5 - Customer support: 4/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros What I like most about SQL Server is how reliable and stable it is. It handles large amounts of data without breaking a sweat, and features like stored procedures, indexing, and reporting make life a lot easier. The integration with other Microsoft tools (like Power BI and Azure) is also a big plus. #### Cons The pricing can be steep, especially for enterprise editions, and licensing feels complicated. It can also be resource-hungry, so you need good hardware to get the most out of it. --- ### SQL - The backbone of database management - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Tyler B. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Computer & Network Security - Company size: 11-50 employees - Product usage: Used monthly for more than 2 years - Reviewed: March 2026 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by us to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. My experience and work with SQL server is primarily administration and support. However, scheduled SQL backups are also very important and are easily managed. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 4/5 - Value for money: 4/5 - Customer support: 4/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros SQL is basically the backbone if you want to run any proper databases and host it across several platforms. It integrates quite seamlessly with cloud applications, can be easy to use and features many use cases across multiple fields #### Cons Schooling and training are definitely required in order to properly manage and administer SQL Serve and advanced databases. But it is an extremely powerful and necessary tool for self hosted platforms and databases --- ### A review on Microsoft SQL server - Overall rating: 4/5 - Reviewer: Verified Reviewer - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Business Supplies and Equipment - Company size: 11-50 employees - Product usage: Used daily for less than 2 years - Reviewed: September 2025 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by us to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. I use SQL Server pretty much every day, and honestly, it’s been solid for our mid-sized company. Queries run fast most of the time, and the tools make pulling reports or building dashboards really straightforward. I like that security is tight—we don’t have to stress about sensitive data getting out. It’s also super convenient if you’re already working with other Microsoft tools; everything connects nicely, which saves a lot of time. The tricky part is some of the advanced stuff—it can get complicated if you’re diving into things like SSIS or Analysis Services. And yeah, licensing isn’t cheap if you’re running a full production setup. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 4/5 - Value for money: 3/5 - Functionality: 4/5 #### Pros I like how it’s part of the Microsoft Ecosystem. It makes it easier to integrate into Power BI. The UI for writing queries in nice and clear, not over complicating things. Performance and speed is dependent on your queries and how you optimize your model. #### Cons The free version for my personal desktop doesn’t allow for very big databases. Complex g ewww turned like SSIS can start to become complicated. --- ### A Robust Platform for Business-Critical Data - Overall rating: 4/5 - Reviewer: Verified Reviewer - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Information Technology and Services - Company size: 11-50 employees - Product usage: Used monthly for less than 2 years - Reviewed: February 2026 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by us to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. Overall, it's reliable, powerful, and enterprise-focused,great BI ecosystem strong query capabilitie #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 4/5 - Value for money: 4/5 - Customer support: 4/5 - Functionality: 4/5 #### Pros stable enterprise environment ,Perfect for systems like finance, insurance, and reporting databases. #### Cons Enterprise edition can be expensive because of licensing, software assurance ,high ability features. --- ### Sometimes difficult to fault find but generally a stable and reliable product - Overall rating: 4/5 - Reviewer: Verified Reviewer - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Education Management - Company size: 201-500 employees - Product usage: Used daily for more than 2 years - Reviewed: February 2025 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by us to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. We couldn't live without it, it is the heart of all of our systems. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 4/5 - Value for money: 3/5 - Customer support: 4/5 - Functionality: 4/5 #### Pros SQL is the core for a lot of businesses, being widely support by third parties it is a very useful system to run. #### Cons It's not easy to fault find at times with limited tools due to the complexity of some databases. --- ### basic but powerful - Overall rating: 4/5 - Reviewer: Terry M. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Mining & Metals - Company size: 10000+ employees - Product usage: Used monthly for more than 2 years - Reviewed: May 2025 - Review source details: This review was submitted organically. No incentive was offered #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 4/5 - Functionality: 3/5 #### Pros easy for maintenance, standardized sql database with dedicated area for logging, most straight forward database #### Cons lack some sort of advanced sql commands other databases support such as upsert which is crucial for daily data management #### Reasons for choosing Microsoft SQL Server cost is significantly lower, we did not have huge data capacity requirement --- ### SQL Server: Your go-to SQL solution (if you can afford it) - Overall rating: 4/5 - Reviewer: Ville P. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Non-Profit Organization Management - Company size: 11-50 employees - Product usage: Used daily for more than 2 years - Reviewed: October 2024 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by us to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. Reliable and good product. I've been using it for over 20 years with great success. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 4/5 - Value for money: 4/5 - Customer support: 3/5 - Functionality: 4/5 #### Pros SQL Server is a product with a long-standing history and no end in sight. In today’s tumultuous world of constantly shifting product lineups, SQL Server stands out as a reliable foundation. With options ranging from on-premises installations to a wide array of cloud offerings, there’s a solution to suit everyone’s needs. #### Cons Licensing costs ramp up quickly, so plan accordingly. #### Reasons for choosing Microsoft SQL Server Although costly compared to some alternatives, functionality won me over. --- ### Successful data management and administration - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Humberto C. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Import and Export - Company size: 501-1000 employees - Product usage: Used daily for more than 2 years - Reviewed: December 2023 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by us to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. A great tool for database administration and management, the ability to perform easy tasks in terms of backups, restores and replications makes it one of the great options for productive environments where you work. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 5/5 - Value for money: 5/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros Its ease and versatility in administration tasks, its great integration with bi and bigdata environments, as well as its stability in production environments. #### Cons The biggest disadvantage I see is that it is not as mature in its implementation in unix environments. #### Reasons for choosing Microsoft SQL Server Its integration with Microsoft applications was a determining factor at the time of choice. --- ### SQL Server - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Hasan S. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Banking - Company size: 501-1000 employees - Product usage: Used daily for less than 2 years - Reviewed: June 2021 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by us to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. Overall experience is just amazing. I have been using it for almost 2 years and it helped my organization a lot during release upgrade and it made database migrations so smooth. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 5/5 - Value for money: 5/5 - Customer support: 4/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros Microsoft SQL is quite simple to install and configurations are also easy. As it is a relational database management system, it is a perfect tool for data analysts. As it enable users to filter and extract required data in a few seconds. The product comes with a lot of features like Query analyzer, Integration services, Job scheduler and Reporting services as well. Restoration and backup of multiple databases is a great advantage and I found this feature very useful because it helps a lot in restoring databases in case of any disaster. Also, one can easily schedule tasks in job tools section which is also a very helpful feature of this tool. #### Cons Well, it occupies more data storage in order to install database engine as compared to other SQL databases. Also, support is pretty much expensive and requires a lot of maintenance. It consumes too much resources to load and start. #### Reasons for switching to Microsoft SQL Server As Microsoft SQL Server is not an open source product it means it has more extra features that open source tools do not provide. I had to use some advance features in modern databases for better optimization of queries that is why I preferred to switch to Microsoft SQL Server. --- ### This server does what it needs to do. Muti-factor Authentication can be a pain though. - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Adashia F. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Health, Wellness and Fitness - Company size: Self-Employed - Product usage: Used monthly for free trial - Reviewed: February 2026 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by us to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. This server does what it needs to do. Muti-factor Authentication can be a pain, though. Once you get past that, this is a decent tool to use. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 5/5 - Value for money: 5/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros VALUE FOR MONEY - great CUSTOMER SUPPORT EASE OF USE - decent DATABASE MANAGEMENT - great DATA MANAGEMENT - great PERFORMANCE AND SPEED - decent LICENSE AND LICENSING #### Cons The Multi-factor Authentication on all Microsoft products can really be a pain more than a help. I would use Microsoft products more if that was not an issue. --- ### SQL Server User - Overall rating: 4/5 - Reviewer: Jennifer P. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Insurance - Company size: 501-1000 employees - Product usage: Used monthly for more than 2 years - Reviewed: February 2025 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by us to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 4/5 - Value for money: 4/5 - Customer support: 4/5 - Functionality: 4/5 #### Pros Easily able to generate reports for auditing data if there is a script readily available. You can also provide multiple users with access to the license and run the same reports at the same time. #### Cons There is no-real time processing to capture data at certain times and limits the number of line items when there are huge amounts of data. The software is also not easy to use for first time users and they have to take training courses to be able to write scripts and understand how to perform certain functions. The other disadvantage is that it does not provide a path to identify which server you need to be on for the script to run. --- ### The most suitable application for working with databases - Overall rating: 4/5 - Reviewer: Issac P. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Automotive - Company size: 10000+ employees - Product usage: Used weekly for more than 2 years - Reviewed: January 2025 - Review source details: This review was submitted organically. No incentive was offered SQL server is a critical tool for retrieving storing and editing databases and tables. The query editor is useful to write custom queries and preview the results #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 4/5 - Value for money: 4/5 - Customer support: 4/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros All databases stored in sql server can be easily accessed in other systems such as powerbi and excel with your existing account credentials and just by providing database and table names #### Cons The learning curve for complex query is quite high without basic knowledge of SQL language it is quite hard to write queries --- ### SQL Server - Overall rating: 4/5 - Reviewer: Cosmin C. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Insurance - Company size: 1001-5000 employees - Product usage: Used monthly for more than 2 years - Reviewed: January 2025 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by us to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. My experience is limited to running queries, looking at security tables. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 5/5 - Value for money: 5/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros Easiness to run queries needed for audit testing. #### Cons Can't really think of anything I don't like about SQL server --- ### Perfect for data storage - Overall rating: 4/5 - Reviewer: Sai R. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Internet - Company size: 51-200 employees - Product usage: Used daily for more than 2 years - Reviewed: July 2023 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by us to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. Experience using Microsoft SQL Server has been really good #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 5/5 - Value for money: 5/5 - Customer support: 4/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros Retrieving and accessing data is efficient through Microsoft SQL Server. It is very secure and it has really competent features and applications #### Cons Support with Microsoft SQL Server can be better, time to resolution takes longer than expected #### Reasons for switching to Microsoft SQL Server Pricing and features --- ### Easy to configure, difficult to master - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Verified Reviewer - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Information Technology and Services - Company size: 10000+ employees - Product usage: Used daily for more than 2 years - Reviewed: October 2018 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by us to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. Easily the most intuitive RDBMS software out of the box. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 3/5 - Value for money: 4/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 4/5 #### Pros The most noteworthy features of Microsoft SQL Server are the many tools and wizards that allow even novice users to get started by creating tables and views without extensive knowledge of relational databases. The query wizard can even assist with creating queries with its intuitive IDE. These features lower the intimidating barrier to entry that accompanies other relational database software such as Oracle or MySQL. There is even a free version call Express that allows anyone to dabble in the software before committing to the product. Aside from the user assisted features, the other appealing aspect of SQL Server is the integration with other Microsoft products that are probably already running in an organization. SQL Server interfaces with Active Directory allowing for easy user management so appropriate levels of database access can be allotted via group membership. This is useful because even something simple like user access management in another RDBMS may present a learning curve for anyone that is not a DBA. With SQL Server a general IT resource could manage user access with an existing knowledge of Active Directory providing more time to focus on core database design. #### Cons SQL Server carries a high cost subscription based licensing cost. The user assistance features provide a great introduction to relational databases, but there is still a significant and continuous learning curve. Databases continue to evolve with industry need. Anyone that interacts significantly with SQL Server during day to day database or application design may need to consider yearly training to keep up with all the changes. --- ### SQL Server a Building Block of Tech Stack - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Shawn B. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Legal Services - Company size: 1001-5000 employees - Product usage: Used daily for more than 2 years - Reviewed: December 2021 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by us to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. Good overall experience. We're addressing the need to store, transform, and retrieve data. Information has become the backbone of many technological and business operations, and almost everything I work on goes through a SQL database to accomplish the job. It's one tier of applications that is used almost everywhere. SQL Server allows us to query data for reporting to end users, and also provides options to move and transform the data to different environments. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 5/5 - Value for money: 4/5 - Customer support: 4/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros At our firm, we have a completely Microsoft tech stack; from servers, databases, middleware, peripheral applications, etc. When using all Microsoft products, it is extremely easy to connect and integrate between applications, servers, and databases. I am less sure about integrating with other providers (such as oracle), but I know its possible with a little more effort. Maintenance, backups, restores, disaster recovery plans all seem routine now. The product is very familiar and there is ample documentation and general SQL training. Get a good DBA and your servers will stay healthy as well; certain system settings are important, and monitoring those and adjusting for your business is prudent. SSMS is an easy IDE to use and perform any function. You can use SQL to automate many tasks, and I really like the SQL jobs. SSIS lets me automate so much, even to and from external vendors, using SFTP or some other mechanism. It extends SQL Server to use any script or basic Windows command. #### Cons When you run into an issue, it can be hard to resolve. An example would be when Microsoft data connectors aren't working. Understanding and getting the right supporting software installed is important; like OLE DB and ODBC connectors. Another difficulty can be performance. As data sets get larger, this is more important. While there are enough tools to investigate and troubleshoot, sometimes it's just a big effort to try to query tune, index, or adjust server settings to get the results in performance that you want. Queries seem to only get more complex, and data sets larger. I am pretty sure other databases will perform better with Big Data. --- ### My past with MS SQL - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Gábor T. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Automotive - Company size: 51-200 employees - Product usage: Used daily for more than 2 years - Reviewed: October 2022 - Review source details: This review was submitted organically. No incentive was offered I met firstly with MS SQL in the uni. The in one of my workplaces I became an admin of it, so as a "user".Its two sides-role widely different. Writing queries, retrieving data, manipulating the results (not the stored data) is a cool option. Easier, faster, more known then Oracle's PL/SQL I would say. The option it gives you are enormous, and how many things uses a DB nowadays are surprising. Knowing and being able to manage a DB, will be an asset in the future. Speed depends on your codes and on your machine. The memory is the enemy of the DBs, so as for MS SQL. Maybe other, non-relational DBs have better results, but on specific tasks. MS SQL is being better, has a lot of devs. behind its back and MS itself, you definitely worth considering it having as a primary database. 3rd party extensions can be used, that can take your productivity to the next level, like APEX.Having a free version up to 10 gigs per database, you would not believe how many company based its business on this "advantage". #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 4/5 - Value for money: 5/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros Can be integrated with a lot of MS and 3rd party tools.The query window is well formed.The speed of the DB is excellent, but bases heavily on your custom codes.Reports, ad-hoc table, integrations with other reporting tools, intranet websites are great. #### Cons Less training options available comparing it to other MS tools.Intergration, access management can be difficult.Sometimes not easy to track changes in your codes, mostly in big databases.Installation could be easier.It not recommended, but for IT personnel with solid knowledge. #### Reasons for choosing Microsoft SQL Server Can be used its free version up to 10 gigs.Taught in schools, easier, MS product so as Windows. --- ### SQL Server: The Reliable and Scalable Database Management System - Overall rating: 4/5 - Reviewer: Nikhil P. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Investment Banking - Company size: 10000+ employees - Product usage: Used daily for more than 2 years - Reviewed: February 2023 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by us to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. Overall, MS SQL server has a positive experience. It is widely used, reliable, and well-supported, with a large community of users and developers. The integration with Azure and other Microsoft products also makes it an attractive choice for organizations that use Microsoft technology. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 5/5 - Value for money: 4/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 4/5 #### Pros MSSQL server is designed to be scalable . It is also very secured and reliable . It has very good performance usually when used with correct hardware and optimised queries #### Cons MS SQL server cost can be very high for demanding needs . It has got very steep learning curve .Also the cloud offering of MS SQL server is not to the mark --- ### Microsoft SQL Server Review - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Carnisha F. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Computer Software - Company size: Self-Employed - Product usage: Used weekly for less than 12 months - Reviewed: April 2023 - Review source details: This review was submitted organically. No incentive was offered SQL server is perfect since I can utilize a similar language same application, and for little clients, it utilizes free choice, and just for best execution or greater information need to pay for it Can utilize it locally on the cloud #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 5/5 - Value for money: 5/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros "One of the most famous information base stages gives you the ideal permeability of the tables. Simple client association permits you to deal with your information base from any place...""Microsoft SQL Server is an extraordinary information the executives, dissecting, and revealing device which helps in the everyday running of a business. The extremely strong highlights it ...""I have had a decent involvement in SQL Server as it has shown how itself can be dependable, secure, and proficient." #### Cons "Permitting is confounding, at whatever point you have a permit by call or by central processor center, it's a digit hard to comprehend how they apply the costs.""The last thing I found about the product is blunder explanations, a few times an additional room can cause an enormous issue, and tossing the mistake which isn't like...""The absence of detailing administrations is a horrendous deficiency. It could have an option in Apache, or even permit combination with Windows servers for this demand...." --- ### My experience with sql Server has been satisfactory, I have done punctual work. - Overall rating: 4/5 - Reviewer: Aníbal M. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Product usage: Used weekly for more than 2 years - Reviewed: July 2018 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by us to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. I have worked several times with this software for different reasons I have been able to simplify developments thanks to the Transact-SQL so it has saved me programming time, the services that I have under my responsibility at work are stable, this gives confidence and tranquility for me and for my bosses, I made restorations in record time. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 3/5 - Value for money: 3/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros This software has as its first advantage that it is a Microsoft product and has the full support of the company and the stability of a well-tested product. At the basic level, I find it very efficient, the sql responses are fast and there are almost no service interruptions, which is a point in its favor when I use it, I find the Transact-SQL language that is used very powerful, I was able to assign commercial processes of the application in the database that allows multiple applications to use them and it is not necessary to program these functions in each application, the SQL server administration tools are very well thought to be all in a Microsoft environment, the integration is perfect, they are very intuitive to find new functions, they do not require prior knowledge, what is important to train new staff, another thing that I like about this software is the scalability that can start with a small database and grow, in A past project had transactional tables that inserted millions of records daily. I like security, it is possible to assign specific permissions to different users who perform different activities within the same database, this makes me trust the product. #### Cons The least I like is undoubtedly the cost SQL-Server does not have a good cost-benefit ratio, other brands offer better benefits in this regard, another point is the high consumption of RAM, it is necessary to allocate a large amount of resources for this And to guarantee the quality of the service, until now I have not found a hosting provider that offers me a PHP server with Sql-server. This stopped once a new development for a client was disappointing to me. It is difficult to learn in a particular way, the free versions of this software are very limited and the certifications are expensive, which reduces the interest when it is investigated. ## More reviews [Next reviews](https://www.softwareadvice.com/bi/microsoft-sql-server-profile/reviews/?page=2) --- Microsoft SQL Server Reviews, Pros and Cons - 2026 Software Advice