The following discussion is my point of view, and although it no doubt differs from that of
others, the basis of the discussion holds true. SQL Server faces competition from other databases,
not only from other Microsoft products such as Microsoft Access and Microsoft Visual
FoxPro, but also from competitors like Oracle, Sybase, DB2, and Informix, to name a few.
Microsoft Access is found on a very large number of PCs. The fact that it is packaged with
some editions of Office and has been around for a number of years in different versions of
Office has helped make this database ubiquitous; however, a great number of people actually
do use the software. Unfortunately, it does have its limitations when it comes to scalability,
speed, and flexibility, but for many small, in-house systems, these areas of concern are not an
issue as such systems do not require major database functionality.
Now we come to the serious competition: Oracle and Sybase. Oracle is seen as perhaps the
market leader in the database community, and has an extremely large user base. There is no
denying it is a great product to work with, if somewhat more complex to install and administer
than SQL Server; it fits well with large companies that require large solutions. There are many
parts to Oracle, which make it a powerful tool, including scalability and performance. It also
provides flexibility in that you can add on tools as you need them, making Oracle more accommodating
in that area than SQL Server. For example, SQL Server 2005 forces you to install the
.NET Framework on your server whether you use the new .NET functionality or not. However,
Oracle isn’t as user friendly from a developer’s point of view in areas like its ad hoc SQL Query
tool and its XML and web technology tools, as well as in how you build up a complete database
solution; other drawbacks include its cost and the complexity involved in installing and running it
effectively. However, you will find that it is used extensively by web search engines, although
SQL Server could work just as effectively. With the new functionality in SQL Server 2005, Oracle
will be under pressure to expand its existing functionality to meet this challenge. SQL Server
has always been a one-purchase solution, such that (providing you buy the correct version)
tools that allow you to analyze your data or to copy data from one data source such as Excel
into SQL Server will all be “in the box.” With Oracle, on the other hand, for every additional
feature you want, you have to purchase more options.
Then there is Sybase. Yes, it is very much like SQL Server with one major exception: it has
no GUI front end. Sybase Adaptive Server Anywhere, which is mainly used for small installations,
does have a front end, but the top-of-the-range Sybase does not. To purists, there is no need for
one, as GUI front ends are for those who don’t know how to code in the first place—well, that’s
their argument, of course, but why use 60+ keystrokes when a point, click, and drag is all that is
required?
Sybase is also mainly found on Unix, although there is a Windows 2000 version around.
You can get to Sybase on a Unix machine via a Windows 2000/XP machine using tools to connect
to it, but you still need to use code purely to build your database solution. It is very fast and very
robust, and it is only rebooted about once, maybe twice, a year. Another thing about Sybase is
that it isn’t as command-and-feature rich as SQL Server. SQL Server has a more powerful
programming language and functionality that is more powerful than Sybase.
Each database has its own SQL syntax, although they all will have the same basic SQL syntax,
known as the ANSI-92 standard. This means that the syntax for retrieving data, and so on, is the
same from one database to another. However, each database has its own special syntax to
maintain it, and trying to use a feature from this SQL syntax in one database may not work, or
work differently, in another.
So SQL Server seems to be the best choice in the database market place, and in many
scenarios it is. It can be small enough for a handful of users, or large enough for the largest
corporations. It doesn’t need to cost as much as Oracle or Sybase, but does have the ability to
scale up and deal with terabytes of data without many concerns. As you will see, it is easy to
install, as it comes as one complete package for most of its functionality, with a simple install
to be performed for the remaining areas if required.
Now that you know the reasons behind choosing SQL Server, you need to know which
versions of SQL Server are out there to purchase, what market each version is aimed at, and
which version will be best for you, including which version can run on your machine.
