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As much as I love PostgreSQL, which is a lot, MS SQL still has some exceptional functionality around business intelligence and handles large reporting warehouse

As much as I love PostgreSQL, which is a lot, MS SQL still has some exceptional functionality around business intelligence and handles large reporting warehouses with ease. We just purchased three UCS blades for a new SQL Server deployment to consolidate our existing databases and handle the data warehousing project we are starting, here I am wasting days writing ansible modules and roles to set everything up when I could just be templating out a couple config files if all the SQL Server components ran on Linux. I'm incredibly happy Microsoft is bringing SQL Server to Linux as a DevOps person, I'm really hoping SSIS/SSAS/SSRS makes it in eventually because they're the only thing keeping me from saying we should be deploying the new cluster on Linux instead of Windows.

mmargerum 9y ago
I have been using sql server since 6.0, the standard edition is a steal for the price. Been running critical systems on it for two decades and it's been an absolute rock since the version 7 rewrite.
- snuxoll 9y ago
  To be fair, in comparison to DB2 or Oracle it's not hard to be a steal for the price.
- coverband 9y ago
  Indeed, version 7 came with the best improvements in features, scalability and stability I ever witnessed in a product. A bit later, SQL 2000 also broke new ground with its OLAP functionality.
- dspillett 9y ago
  > I have been using sql server since 6.0, the standard edition is a steal for the price. Especially since 2016sp1 when they unlocked a lot of previously enterprise edition only features in standard edition. The scalability is still locked down a bit but those limits have crept up over time also: there is a lot that you can do before 128Gb RAM & 24 cores spread between up to 4 CPUs becomes limiting (core engine only limits there, OLAP services, reporting services, and the mem-optimised engine parts have extra limits on SE compared to EE). Also a chunk of enterprise licensing is in support which if you are truly at that scale might be worth paying for. But if your company/product isn't there yet that is a cost worry to put off to the future, and as developer edition (which feature-wise is enterprise edition, you just can't use it in production) is essentially free you can test in advance to see when/if that expenditure is going to be worthwhile. Of course it doesn't beat Free on price, so if postgres has the features & support you need, which for many it has, then it is far from an open/shut case. But compared to the other commercial products in the same market... > it's been an absolute rock Agreed. I can't think of another product that I've used nearly as much which has caused us so little hassle over the time. It certainly hands MS's other products their arses in that respect.

mmargerum 9y ago

I have been using sql server since 6.0, the standard edition is a steal for the price. Been running critical systems on it for two decades and it's been an absolute rock since the version 7 rewrite.

snuxoll 9y ago
To be fair, in comparison to DB2 or Oracle it's not hard to be a steal for the price.
coverband 9y ago
Indeed, version 7 came with the best improvements in features, scalability and stability I ever witnessed in a product. A bit later, SQL 2000 also broke new ground with its OLAP functionality.
dspillett 9y ago
> I have been using sql server since 6.0, the standard edition is a steal for the price. Especially since 2016sp1 when they unlocked a lot of previously enterprise edition only features in standard edition. The scalability is still locked down a bit but those limits have crept up over time also: there is a lot that you can do before 128Gb RAM & 24 cores spread between up to 4 CPUs becomes limiting (core engine only limits there, OLAP services, reporting services, and the mem-optimised engine parts have extra limits on SE compared to EE). Also a chunk of enterprise licensing is in support which if you are truly at that scale might be worth paying for. But if your company/product isn't there yet that is a cost worry to put off to the future, and as developer edition (which feature-wise is enterprise edition, you just can't use it in production) is essentially free you can test in advance to see when/if that expenditure is going to be worthwhile. Of course it doesn't beat Free on price, so if postgres has the features & support you need, which for many it has, then it is far from an open/shut case. But compared to the other commercial products in the same market... > it's been an absolute rock Agreed. I can't think of another product that I've used nearly as much which has caused us so little hassle over the time. It certainly hands MS's other products their arses in that respect.