Few tech-savvy people know what MS SQL is or what it is used for.
If you wish to find out what MS SQL is and what its uses are, you are in the right place.
In this post, we will be telling you all there is to know about this software.
What’s more, you will find the version that you need for the decision-making that suits your business requirements as we outline the differences between some of the editions.
Table of Contents
What is MS SQL?
MS SQL, which stands for Microsoft structured query language, is a relational database management system that is used to create, store, update, modify, process, organize, and retrieve data from a database or interlinked databases.
It is used by medium and large-sized business enterprises to enable communication among a wide variety of software capable of transaction processing and business analytics.
Its function is to store and retrieve data as requested by various software applications.
This is a highly sophisticated software because of its vast interconnection with other applications to perform a broad range of functions. It is easy to learn.
As businesses handle a vast amount of raw data, MS SQL is very handy for various enterprises in relational database management.
What is MS SQL Used for?
MS SQL comes with an intrinsic feature of storing and managing data on databases.
It also comes with various other functions that depend on your needs and workload.
MS SQL has various benefits:
- It is easy to install.
- It is compatible with other Microsoft products.
- It has a high-security track record.
- It is continuously updated for improved database security and durability.
- It has several editions tailored to meet your database management needs and functions.
- It can monitor transaction logs.
What is the Difference Between MS SQL Web vs. SQL Standard Edition?
There are different versions of MS SQL. Among these variations are the MS SQL web and SQL standard edition.
How do you know which of them is suitable for your needs? Let’s find out by looking at their differences.
| MS SQL Web | SQL Standard Edition | |
| Number of Cores and Sockets | MS SQL web has its sockets capped at four, with a maximum of 16 cores. | The standard edition has a limit of four sockets with a maximum of 24 cores. |
| Maximum Supported SQL Memory | With the web edition, users are limited to one controller for Distributed Display. This feature is vital to helping users assess the impact of future SQL server upgrades. | The SQL standard edition has more than one controller for Distributed Display to assess the SQL server for future upgrades. |
| Layers of Security | There is no row security level or data masking in the SQL web edition. This makes it prone to a data breach by unauthorized persons. | The standard edition comes with the row security level and data masking features. These features make it handy for well-layered protection of data stored on the database. |
| Maximum Memory | The maximum memory for SQL web is 64GB. This offers a vast amount of space to store and organize data for enterprises. | However, the SQL standard edition has more memory, as it is capped at 128GB. This huge amount of space makes it ideal for large-sized enterprises. |
| Backup Compression | The web edition does not have the backup compression feature. | The MS SQL standard edition has a backup compression feature. This offers users additional benefits without any drawbacks in terms of data or its integrity. The backup feature enables the increased backup speed of data stored in a database. |
| MSSQL Replication | Subscriber (database slave) | Publisher (database master) |
| Pricing (monthly) | RM 110 | RM 1,700 |
| Support | The MS SQL web edition does not have group support. This does not make it any easier to use than the standard edition. | The MS SQL standard edition has group support that is available to users whenever they need it. This makes MS SQL easier to use. |
All In All
MS SQL is a highly invaluable tool for businesses to create and manage their data efficiently.
You can use MS SQL web if your application runs smoothly capped to the lesser of four sockets or 16 cores and it needs a buffer pool of less than 64 GB for both Columnstore segment cache per instance and memory-optimized data size per database.
Moreover, to build a 2-node MSSQL cluster, SQL Standard Edition or above is required.
A company seeking MS SQL with additional and scalability features should go for the standard edition.
It’s rather expensive because of the higher number of core sockets but it delivers a higher level of data management.
Now that you have seen MS SQL and the differences between its web and standard editions, you can make a well-informed decision in choosing the edition that meets your requirements for your server or VPS.
