It is no doubt a common question in most organizations on what DB application to choose and what makes sense for your specific application workloads.

These are many advantages to using Microsoft SQL Server whether you are On-premise or in the cloud via Azure. It is true that many of the applications I have supported for organizations do depend and have requirements to run specifically on SQL Server.

But as a developer building apps I learned that the ecosystem supporting SQL Server was much larger than only CRM, SharePoint, GP and other applications.

It is also true I have personally used SQL Server for a very long time (as well as other platforms), Maria/MySQL, Oracle, Pervasive, Mongo, and others to name a few).

So you may say I am biased towards SQL, but I have had to build reporting across multiple of these technologies and supported apps in the past across them as well. So I know what has worked well and those that need a bunch of additional applications to perform many of the same tasks.

So, with all the options why would I personally choose SQL Server?

Here are 10 of the best reasons I can think of, where SQL Server provides a solution

1. Reliability and Scalability: SQL Server provides a reliable and scalable database platform, allowing organizations to handle large amounts of data and demanding workloads. The database is optimized for performance and scalability, with built-in features such as In-Memory OLTP and Always On Availability Groups.
2. Security: SQL Server provides a comprehensive security model, with features such as Always Encrypted and Transparent Data Encryption, which help protect sensitive data and ensure that it is secure both at rest and in transit. Not only that you can get your security patches, and updates automatically applied to the environment as security patching is built into the OS.
3. Advanced Analytics: SQL Server provides advanced analytics capabilities, with built-in support for data mining, predictive analytics, and business intelligence. The database provides a complete solution for advanced data analysis, with built-in tools for data visualization and reporting.
4. Cost-Effective: SQL Server provides a cost-effective solution for organizations, with flexible licensing options and the ability to run on-premises or in the cloud. The database is highly scalable and can be tailored to meet the specific needs of each organization, providing a cost-effective solution for both small and large organizations.
5. Licensing Flexibility: SQL Server provides flexible licensing options, allowing organizations to choose the right license for their needs and budget. This can help reduce costs and ensure that organizations are only paying for the features and capabilities they actually need.
6. Reduced Maintenance Cost: SQL Server provides automatic maintenance and tuning features that help reduce the amount of time and resources required for database maintenance, lowering overall maintenance costs.
7. Lower Hardware Costs: SQL Server is designed to run efficiently on modern hardware, reducing the amount of hardware required to run a database. This can help lower hardware costs and ensure that organizations are only paying for the hardware they actually need.
8. Integration with Other Technologies: SQL Server integrates seamlessly with other Microsoft technologies, such as Azure and Power Platform, making it easier for organizations to integrate their databases with other applications and tools.
9. Flexible Deployment Options: SQL Server 2022 can be deployed on-premises, in the cloud, or as a hybrid solution, providing organizations with the flexibility to choose the deployment option that best meets their needs.
10. Better Insights: SQL Server provides advanced business intelligence and reporting capabilities, allowing organizations to gain deeper insights into their data and make more informed decisions.

Overall, As far as total cost of ownership Microsoft SQL Server is a great choice that has advanced features and capabilities that can help organizations improve their bottom line, gain deeper insights into their data, and achieve their business goals.

Microsoft and SQL Server continually innovate on newer and better ways to store and optimize data, improve integrations with other platforms and technologies which bring even more built in capabilities to anything you build on top of the SQL platform.

Not all vendors are going that same route, so just some things to consider.