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I'll probably come across as a shill here, but there is a lot going on with SQL Server, all included in your license (Standard Edition has limitations on scalin

I'll probably come across as a shill here, but there is a lot going on with SQL Server, all included in your license (Standard Edition has limitations on scaling). Some of these things are merely passable, some are great, but it's all included. The key takeaway is that SQL Server is a full data platform, not just an RDBMS. - RDBMS: very solid, competitive in features - In-memory OLTP: (really a marketing name for a whole raft of algorithmic and architectural optimization) can support throughput that is an order of magnitude higher - OLAP: Columnstore index in RDBMS, can support pure DW style workload or OLAP on transactional data for near-real-time analytics - OLAP: SSAS: two different best-in-class OLAP engines: Multidimensional and Tabular for high-concurrency low-latency reporting/analytics query workloads - SSIS: passable only, but tightly integrated ETL tool; admittedly in maintenance mode - SSRS: dependable paginated / pixel-perfect reporting tool; similar to other offerings in this space - Native replication / HA / DR (one of the only things actually gated behind Enterprise) - Data virtualization: PolyBase If you're just looking for a standard RDBMS, then there's little to justify the price tag for SQL Server. If you want to get value for money, you take advantage of the tight integration of many features. There is value for having these things just work out of the box. How much value is up to you and your use cases.

stackskipton 2y ago
Yes, it has a ton going on but most of companies I've found using it are using primarily as RDBMS and thus MySQL/Postgres could replace it. Other stuff it did could be replaced by tools more geared towards specific function and most of time, at much lower cost. Licensing isn't cheap. For anyone wondering, before discount, it's 876/yr per core for Standard and 3288/yr per core for Enterprise. Also note that Standard is limited to 24 cores and 128GB of RAM, if you want to unlock more of that, you must move to Enterprise.
- codeulike 2y ago
  Theres still an express version thats free to use but limits database to 10gig, for what its worth
- greggyb 2y ago
  My point was just that there’s a lot going on there, and value for those who want more than an RDBMS. I have no disagreement that the RDBMS on its own is not worth paying for for most, and especially not for any techish organizations. I’d also note that most orgs and use cases probably don’t need more than 24 cores and 128GB RAM. I think for an organization that wants a near-trivial out of the box experience with RDBMS, reporting, and analytics, Standard Edition is not a bad deal. Especially for the many organizations that are already using Microsoft as their identity provider and productivity suite.
datadrivenangel 2y ago
Microsoft is a decent deal if you go 100% in on Microsoft, but it's important to budget for additional support because actually using microsoft products has quite the learning curve.

stackskipton 2y ago

Yes, it has a ton going on but most of companies I've found using it are using primarily as RDBMS and thus MySQL/Postgres could replace it. Other stuff it did could be replaced by tools more geared towards specific function and most of time, at much lower cost. Licensing isn't cheap. For anyone wondering, before discount, it's 876/yr per core for Standard and 3288/yr per core for Enterprise. Also note that Standard is limited to 24 cores and 128GB of RAM, if you want to unlock more of that, you must move to Enterprise.

codeulike 2y ago
Theres still an express version thats free to use but limits database to 10gig, for what its worth
greggyb 2y ago
My point was just that there’s a lot going on there, and value for those who want more than an RDBMS. I have no disagreement that the RDBMS on its own is not worth paying for for most, and especially not for any techish organizations. I’d also note that most orgs and use cases probably don’t need more than 24 cores and 128GB RAM. I think for an organization that wants a near-trivial out of the box experience with RDBMS, reporting, and analytics, Standard Edition is not a bad deal. Especially for the many organizations that are already using Microsoft as their identity provider and productivity suite.

datadrivenangel 2y ago

Microsoft is a decent deal if you go 100% in on Microsoft, but it's important to budget for additional support because actually using microsoft products has quite the learning curve.