Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Microsoft SQL Server VS AWS Database Migration Service

Compare Microsoft SQL Server VS AWS Database Migration Service and see what are their differences

Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

Microsoft SQL Server logo Microsoft SQL Server

Microsoft Azure is an open, flexible, enterprise-grade cloud computing platform. Move faster, do more, and save money with IaaS + PaaS. Try for FREE.

AWS Database Migration Service logo AWS Database Migration Service

AWS Database Migration Service allows you to migrate to AWS quickly and securely. Learn more about the benefits and the key use cases.
  • Microsoft SQL Server Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-01-17
  • AWS Database Migration Service Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-01-30

Microsoft SQL Server features and specs

  • Performance
    Microsoft SQL Server offers high performance and efficient database management capabilities, optimized for both OLTP (Online Transaction Processing) and OLAP (Online Analytical Processing).
  • Security Features
    SQL Server comes with advanced security features such as encryption, data masking, and advanced threat protection to ensure data integrity and privacy.
  • Scalability
    The server supports horizontal and vertical scaling to accommodate growing amounts of data and increasing number of users.
  • Integration with Microsoft Ecosystem
    Seamless integration with other Microsoft products such as Azure, Power BI, and Visual Studio, making it a versatile choice for businesses already using Microsoft services.
  • Ease of Use
    The server provides a user-friendly interface and helpful tools such as SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) for database maintenance and management.
  • Comprehensive Support
    Microsoft offers extensive support and documentation, along with a strong community that provides additional resources and insights.

Possible disadvantages of Microsoft SQL Server

  • Cost
    Licensing and operational costs can be high, especially for larger enterprises, making it a significant investment.
  • Complexity
    Initial setup and configuration can be complex, often requiring expert knowledge to deploy and maintain effectively.
  • Resource Intensive
    The server can be resource-heavy, requiring significant hardware and computational resources to run efficiently, especially for larger databases.
  • Limited Cross-Platform Support
    Although improvements have been made, SQL Server is primarily optimized for Windows environments, which can limit its use in cross-platform scenarios.
  • Proprietary Software
    Being a proprietary software solution, it lacks the flexibility and cost benefits that come with open-source alternatives.
  • Updates and Patches
    Frequent updates and patches can sometimes disrupt service, requiring periodic maintenance that could result in downtime.

AWS Database Migration Service features and specs

  • Minimal Downtime
    AWS Database Migration Service ensures minimal downtime during the database migration process, making it ideal for applications that require continuous availability.
  • Supports Multiple Database Engines
    It supports migration of data between a wide variety of database engines including Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, and more.
  • Cost-Effective
    With a pay-as-you-go pricing model, users only pay for the compute resources used during the migration process, making it a cost-effective solution.
  • Managed Service
    As a fully managed service, it reduces the administrative overhead associated with database migrations, including hardware provisioning, software patching, and monitoring.
  • Continuous Data Replication
    It supports continuous data replication with high availability, allowing for nearly real-time data synchronization between the source and target databases.

Possible disadvantages of AWS Database Migration Service

  • Complex Initial Setup
    The initial setup and configuration can be complex, especially for users who are not familiar with AWS services and database migration processes.
  • Limited Customization
    Being a managed service, it offers limited customization options compared to self-managed solutions, which might be a drawback for users with specific requirements.
  • Latency Issues
    For large datasets, there might be latency issues during migration, depending on the network conditions and the geographical locations of the source and target databases.
  • Dependency on AWS Ecosystem
    The service is tightly integrated with AWS, which means it may not be as effective or easy to use with non-AWS environments, creating potential vendor lock-in.
  • Performance Overheads
    There may be performance overheads associated with running the migration tasks, which could impact the performance of the source or target databases during the migration process.

Analysis of Microsoft SQL Server

Overall verdict

  • Microsoft SQL Server on Azure is a strong choice for enterprises looking for a reliable, feature-rich database system that can easily integrate with other Microsoft products and services. Its cloud capabilities make it a versatile option, especially for those already within the Microsoft ecosystem.

Why this product is good

  • Microsoft SQL Server, when hosted on Azure, offers robust performance, scalability, and integration with other Microsoft services. It provides features such as automated backups, advanced analytics, high availability, and security options. The Azure platform enhances these capabilities with added flexibility, allowing for easy scaling, managed services, and integration with cloud-native features.

Recommended for

  • Organizations using other Microsoft services and products.
  • Businesses requiring high scalability and performance for their database needs.
  • Companies needing a strong security infrastructure for their data.
  • Developers and IT teams interested in leveraging cloud-native features alongside traditional SQL capabilities.
  • Businesses looking for a fully managed database solution with minimal maintenance.

Analysis of AWS Database Migration Service

Overall verdict

  • Overall, AWS Database Migration Service is a reliable and efficient tool for migrating databases to the cloud, especially within the AWS ecosystem. Its flexibility, along with support for various database scenarios, makes it a worthwhile option for organizations looking to modernize their data infrastructure.

Why this product is good

  • AWS Database Migration Service (AWS DMS) is considered a good option for database migrations due to its ease of use, cost-effectiveness, and reliability. It supports a wide range of database engines and allows for seamless data migration with minimal downtime. The service enables continuous data replication, making it suitable for live migrations. Additionally, AWS DMS is fully managed, which means users don't need to worry about the underlying infrastructure, and it offers robust security features.

Recommended for

  • Organizations seeking to migrate their on-premises databases to AWS with minimal downtime.
  • Businesses looking to replicate their data across different regions or availability zones.
  • Users who require a scalable and managed database migration solution.
  • Enterprises wanting to transform their database infrastructure into a cloud-native architecture.
  • Teams that need to conduct continuous data replication from source to target databases.

Microsoft SQL Server videos

What is Microsoft SQL Server?

AWS Database Migration Service videos

AWS Database Migration Service (DMS)

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Microsoft SQL Server and AWS Database Migration Service)
Databases
100 100%
0% 0
Data Integration
0 0%
100% 100
NoSQL Databases
100 100%
0% 0
ETL
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using Microsoft SQL Server and AWS Database Migration Service. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Microsoft SQL Server and AWS Database Migration Service

Microsoft SQL Server Reviews

20 Best SQL Management Tools in 2020
It is a SQL management tool for analysing the differences in Microsoft SQL Server database structures. It allows comparing database objects like tables, columns, indexes, foreign keys, schemas, etc.
Source: www.guru99.com

AWS Database Migration Service Reviews

Best ETL Tools: A Curated List
Mostly Batch: Matillion ETL had some real-time CDC based on Amazon DMS that has been deprecated. The Data Loader does have some CDC, but overall, the Data Loader is limited in functionality, and if itโ€™s based on DMS, it will have the limitations of DMS as well.
Source: estuary.dev

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, AWS Database Migration Service should be more popular than Microsoft SQL Server. It has been mentiond 31 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Microsoft SQL Server mentions (6)

  • Deploying Your Angular App to Azure
    Imagine your Angular application, currently confined to your development environment, becoming instantly accessible to users across the globe with Azure. - Source: dev.to / 8 days ago
  • Cloud provider comparison 2024: VM Performance / Price
    Azure is the #2 overall Cloud provider and, as expected, it's the best choice for most Microsoft/Windows-based solutions. That said, it does offer many types of Linux VMs, with quite similar abilities as AWS/GCP. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • Amdocs, NVIDIA and Microsoft Azure build custom LLMs for telcos
    Amdocs has partnered with NVIDIA and Microsoft Azure to build custom Large Language Models (LLMs) for the $1.7 trillion global telecoms industry. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Windows Azure: Microsoft's crown jewel
    You can utilise various tools on the platform to significantly improve your IT performance. Due to its flexibility, even official recommendations for Azure might need to be clarified and easier to comprehend. Simply put, Azure (formerly Windows Azure) is Microsoft's cloud computing operating system. Source: over 2 years ago
  • From developer to (solutions) architect. A simple guide.
    This is not to say there aren't architects still working on premise in self managed environments, but if you're planning to join the forces, you probably want to have an idea of who are the 3 public cloud providers (AWS, Azure and GCP), and their offering and topology. - Source: dev.to / over 4 years ago
View more

AWS Database Migration Service mentions (31)

  • Choosing the right, real-time, Postgres CDC platform
    The major infrastructure providers offer CDC products that work within their ecosystem. Tools like AWS DMS, GCP Datastream, and Azure Data Factory can be configured to stream changes from Postgres to other infrastructure. - Source: dev.to / 10 months ago
  • 3 Proven Patterns for Reporting with Serverless
    The second big drawback is speed. There will be more latency in this scenario. How much latency depends upon the environment. If there is RDBMS in the source, AWS Data Migration Service will at worst take around 60 seconds to replicate. That cost needs to be accounted for. Secondarily, many triggering events are leveraged which happen fairly quickly but they do add up. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • RDS Database Migration Series - A horror story of using AWS DMS with a happy ending
    Amazon Database Migration Service might initially seem like a perfect tool for a smooth and straightforward migration to RDS. However, our overall experience using it turned out to be closer to an open beta product rather than a production-ready tool for dealing with a critical asset of any company, which is its data. Nevertheless, with the extra adjustments, we made it work for almost all our needs. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • Aurora serverless v1 to v2 upgrade pointers?
    Does AWS DMS make sense here? Doesn't the aforementioned "snapshot+restore to provisioned and upgrade" method suffice? I wanted to get some opinions before deep diving into the docs for yet another AWS service. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Using Amazon RDS Postgres as a read replica from an external Database
    One easy solution is AWS DMS. I use it for on-going CDC replication with custom transforms, but you can use it for simple replication too. Source: over 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Microsoft SQL Server and AWS Database Migration Service, you can also consider the following products

MongoDB - MongoDB (from "humongous") is a scalable, high-performance NoSQL database.

AWS Glue - Fully managed extract, transform, and load (ETL) service

PostgreSQL - PostgreSQL is a powerful, open source object-relational database system.

Xplenty - Xplenty is the #1 SecurETL - allowing you to build low-code data pipelines on the most secure and flexible data transformation platform. No longer worry about manual data transformations. Start your free 14-day trial now.

SQLite - SQLite Home Page

Skyvia - Free cloud data platform for data integration, backup & management