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Microsoft SQL VS AWS Database Migration Service

Compare Microsoft SQL VS AWS Database Migration Service 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.

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 Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-01-26
  • AWS Database Migration Service Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-01-30

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.

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

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Microsoft SQL Server is generally regarded as a good choice for database management, particularly for organizations that require high performance, reliability, and seamless integration with other Microsoft technologies.

Why this product is good

  • Microsoft SQL Server is considered a robust database management system because of its comprehensive features such as high scalability, strong security, and excellent integration with other Microsoft products. It provides tools for data mining, warehousing, and analytics, making it a popular choice for enterprises. Additionally, it offers high availability and disaster recovery solutions, and its active community provides extensive support and resources.

Recommended for

  • Enterprises
  • Businesses using Microsoft ecosystems
  • Organizations requiring robust data security
  • Users needing scalability for large datasets
  • Projects needing high availability and disaster recovery

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 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]

AWS Database Migration Service videos

AWS Database Migration Service (DMS)

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Microsoft SQL and AWS Database Migration Service)
Databases
100 100%
0% 0
Data Integration
49 49%
51% 51
Relational Databases
100 100%
0% 0
ETL
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

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

Microsoft SQL Reviews

We have no reviews of Microsoft SQL yet.
Be the first one to post

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 seems to be more popular. 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 mentions (0)

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

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 and AWS Database Migration Service, you can also consider the following products

MySQL - The world's most popular open source 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.

Oracle Database 12c - Simplify database management and automate the information lifecycle with maximum security.

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