What Is Microsoft SQL?
Advantages of MS SQL
Disadvantages of MS SQL
When To Use MS SQL

Microsoft SQL: A Scalable Power House

Then, Microsoft SQL, better known as MS SQL is what you are looking for. It is a feature packed powerful database and can adapt to most business requirements.

Microsoft SQL is a ‘complete’ relational database management system. It is ‘complete’ because supports all the major foreign keys and is great with transactions; an advantage over highly capable MySQL databases.

MS SQL was originally a collaborative project between Microsoft, Sybase and Ashton-Tate. Though the parties parted their ways, MS SQL kept growing from its earliest version, SQL server 1.0 (16 Bit), to more advanced and the latest version such as ‘SQL Server 2008 R2.’ Microsoft SQL uses T-SQL and ANSI SQL as its primary query language.

The real highlight of MS SQL is its diversification. You can get custom database configurations for your needs. From ‘SQL Server Compact Edition’ to ‘Workgroup Edition’, varied packages cater to the different needs of developers and business owners.

There is no doubt that MS SQL, with a well appointed research and development team, is a power house. It’s packed with all sorts of features. Some of its many advantages are:

• Stored procedures: These are lines of code, pre-compiled and placed on servers for quicker response time. This centralizes code so changes made at a single point get updated everywhere else; a big respite from the inline SQL commands.
• Scalability: While a database such as MS Access can choke under huge volumes, MS SQL with all its features can not only handle the volume with efficiency, but can be scaled up to be better equipped for higher volume.
• Security: MS SQL gives power to the administrators. Administrators can give access to users – even down to the table or row level. A huge advantage for databases where a lot of business critical information resides.
• Transaction Logs: MS SQL records transactions and lets you roll back to a previous version. This helps in case of wrong updates or data related accidents.

A few draw backs of using MS SQL are:

• High learning curve: As MS SQL is an advanced DBMS, common users require a lot of understanding of the SQL coding language to operate at its full capabilities
• Slow at Times: This is an offshoot of being a fully loaded database. Because there are many features and commands to be executed, MS SQL is slightly slower at bigger transaction.
• High cost for medium or small users: Unlike MySQL, you need to purchase a license for MS SQL. This may be a high cost drawback for smaller organizations. Although MS SQL comes with a ‘Free training Express’ edition, this version may not have all the features that you require.

As it comes with some of the most advanced features such as stored procedures and rollbacks, it is best suited for dynamic environments. So, if you have an application coming up with dynamic content, deploy MS SQL and forget about any issues. It’s really robust and reliable.