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Microsoft SQL VS Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL

Compare Microsoft SQL VS Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL and see what are their differences

Microsoft SQL logo Microsoft SQL

Microsoft SQL is a best in class relational database management software that facilitates the database server to provide you a primary function to store and retrieve data.

Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL logo Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL

PostgreSQL as a Service
  • Microsoft SQL Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-01-26
  • Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-29

Microsoft SQL features and specs

  • Comprehensive Feature Set
    SQL Server offers a wide range of features including advanced analytics, in-memory capabilities, robust security measures, and integration services.
  • High Performance
    With in-memory OLTP and support for persistent memory technologies, SQL Server provides high transaction and query performance.
  • Scalability
    SQL Server can scale from small installations on single machines to large, data-intensive applications requiring high throughput and storage.
  • Security
    SQL Server offers advanced security features like encryption, dynamic data masking, and advanced threat protection, ensuring data safety and compliance.
  • Integrations
    It easily integrates with other Microsoft products such as Azure, Power BI, and Active Directory, providing a cohesive ecosystem for enterprise solutions.
  • Developer Friendly
    It supports a wide range of development tools and languages including .NET, Python, Java, and more, making it highly versatile for developers.
  • High Availability
    Features like Always On availability groups and failover clustering provide high availability and disaster recovery options for critical applications.

Possible disadvantages of Microsoft SQL

  • Cost
    SQL Server can be expensive, particularly for the Enterprise edition. Licensing costs can add up quickly depending on the features and scale required.
  • Complexity
    Due to its comprehensive feature set, SQL Server can be complex to configure and manage, requiring skilled administrators and developers.
  • Resource Intensive
    SQL Server can be resource-intensive, requiring substantial hardware resources for optimal performance, which can increase overall operational costs.
  • Windows-Centric
    While SQL Server can run on Linux, it is primarily optimized for and tightly integrated with the Windows ecosystem, which may not suit all organizations.
  • Vendor Lock-In
    Being a proprietary solution, it can cause vendor lock-in, making it challenging to switch to alternative database systems without significant migration efforts.

Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL features and specs

  • Managed Service
    Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL is a fully managed service, meaning that AWS handles routine database tasks such as backups, patch management, and failover, reducing the operational burden on users.
  • Scalability
    The service allows for easy vertically scaling of database instances as application demands grow, without requiring downtime. This helps businesses to adapt to changing workloads efficiently.
  • High Availability
    With Multi-AZ deployments, Amazon RDS provides enhanced reliability and availability. It automatically creates a primary database instance and synchronously replicates data to a standby instance in a different Availability Zone.
  • Security Features
    Amazon RDS integrates with AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) for access control and offers encryption at rest and in transit capabilities, bolstering data security.
  • Backup and Recovery
    Automatic backups, snapshots, and point-in-time recovery simplify data recovery and help ensure that data can be restored to any given second during the retention period.

Possible disadvantages of Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL

  • Cost
    The cost of running a managed service like Amazon RDS can be higher than managing a database in-house, especially for smaller organizations or when optimal configurations are not utilized.
  • Limited Customization
    Since Amazon RDS is a managed service, there are certain limitations on access to the underlying operating system and database configurations, which may hinder some advanced customizations and optimizations.
  • Vendor Lock-In
    Using RDS for PostgreSQL can lead to vendor lock-in, making it difficult for businesses to move away from AWS without incurring data transfer costs or requiring significant re-engineering efforts.
  • Maintenance Windows
    Updates and patches are applied during scheduled maintenance windows, which might cause disruptions if the timing is not properly managed or if unexpected performance issues occur during these periods.
  • Limited Extension Support
    While RDS for PostgreSQL supports a wide range of extensions, not all PostgreSQL extensions are available, potentially limiting additional functionality that might be needed for specialized use cases.

Microsoft SQL videos

3.1 Microsoft SQL Server Review

More videos:

  • Review - What is Microsoft SQL Server?
  • Review - Querying Microsoft SQL Server (T-SQL) | Udemy Instructor, Phillip Burton [bestseller]

Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL videos

Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL/Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL Operational Best Practices | AWS Events

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Microsoft SQL and Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL)
Databases
93 93%
7% 7
Relational Databases
97 97%
3% 3
Cloud Hosting
0 0%
100% 100
Tool
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 16 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 mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Microsoft SQL yet. Tracking of Microsoft SQL recommendations started around Mar 2021.

Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL mentions (16)

  • Kubernetes and Container Portability: Navigating Multi-Cloud Flexibility
    Amazon RDS for MySQL (for managed MySQL) or Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL (for managed PostgreSQL). - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • Top 8 Managed Postgres Providers
    Amazon RDS is a managed service for relational databases that makes PostgreSQL setup, scaling, and management automatic. This lets developers concentrate on creating applications instead of handling database tasks. - Source: dev.to / 9 months ago
  • Deploying Django Application on AWS with Terraform - Part 1
    Yay! We have now deployed our Django web application with ECS Service + Fargate on AWS. But now it works with SQLite file database. This file will be recreated on every service restart. So, our app cannot persist any data for now. In the next article we’ll connect Django to AWS RDS PostgreSQL. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • gactive: Active-active Replication Extension for PostgreSQL on Amazon RDS
    Today, AWS announces the general availability of pgactive: Active-active Replication Extension for PostgreSQL, available for Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) for PostgreSQL. Pgactive lets you use asynchronous active-active replication for streaming data between database instances to provide additional resiliency and flexibility in moving data between database instances, including writers located in... Source: over 1 year ago
  • Hosting my Software
    Best practice would definitely be setting up a separately hosted database (I swear I'm not an AWS shill) for production as this ensures much better data integrity. Plus it manages backups etc. For you. Source: about 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Microsoft SQL and Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL, you can also consider the following products

MySQL - The world's most popular open source database

Application Load Balance - Automatically distribute incoming traffic across multiple targets using an Application Load Balancer.

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

Amazon Aurora - MySQL and PostgreSQL-compatible relational database built for the cloud. Performance and availability of commercial-grade databases at 1/10th the cost.

SQLite - SQLite Home Page

Amazon S3 - Amazon S3 is an object storage where users can store data from their business on a safe, cloud-based platform. Amazon S3 operates in 54 availability zones within 18 graphic regions and 1 local region.