SQL Server database development
SQL Server is the database of the Microsoft estate, and in organisations already running .NET, Azure and Active Directory it is usually the path of least resistance and least risk.
Where we use SQL Server
SQL Server is part of the stack on these 2 services. Each page covers how we work, what you get and what it costs to start.
SQL Server in practice
SQL Server is the database of the Microsoft estate, and in organisations already running .NET, Azure and Active Directory it is usually the lowest-friction and lowest-risk option. Integrated authentication, first-class .NET drivers and Azure alignment remove several layers of adapter work that any other choice would add.
Its tooling is genuinely a differentiator. SQL Server Management Studio, execution plans and built-in profiling make performance work unusually tractable — you can see exactly what the optimiser decided and why. Licensing is the counterweight, and it is why greenfield projects outside Microsoft shops usually land on PostgreSQL instead.
What we build with SQL Server
Transactional backends for line-of-business systems, with the recovery and audit behaviour those environments require.
Data feeding Power BI and reporting layers, including the stored procedures that shape it.
Reading from and writing to existing SQL Server estates without disturbing the systems that depend on them.
Is SQL Server right for you?
Ask usA good fit when
- Organisations already standardised on Microsoft
- Line-of-business systems with strict recovery requirements
- Reporting and BI feeding Power BI
- Integration with existing SQL Server estates
Probably not when
- Greenfield projects with no Microsoft dependency — licensing is real money
- Small products where a managed Postgres is cheaper and sufficient
- Teams with no SQL Server operational experience
What we run alongside SQL Server
The rest of the setup, and why each piece is there. We keep this list short on purpose — every dependency is something someone has to maintain.
- Entity Framework Core
- The ORM for .NET applications, with migrations that fit the workflow.
- SSMS and Query Store
- Execution plans and regression tracking — the tooling advantage in practice.
- Always On availability groups
- High availability and readable secondaries.
- Azure SQL
- The managed option, which removes patching and backup operations.
Why SQL Server
Let’s talkExcellent tooling
SSMS, query plans and built-in profiling make performance work unusually tractable.
Fits the Microsoft stack
Integrated authentication, .NET drivers and Azure services align without adapter layers.
Serious recovery options
Point-in-time restore and availability groups are mature and well documented.
What we get called in to fix
Get a second opinionParameter sniffing
A cached plan optimal for one parameter and terrible for another, producing intermittent slowness that looks random.
Index fragmentation and gaps
Maintenance never configured, so performance degrades slowly enough that nobody notices until it is bad.
Stored procedures holding all the logic
Business rules in the database, untested and untrackable in version control.
Licensing surprises
Core-based licensing on oversized VMs, where right-sizing genuinely saves meaningful money.
SQL Server or the alternative
The comparisons we are actually asked to make, answered the way we would answer them on a call.
Postgres for new work without a Microsoft dependency. SQL Server when the estate, skills and identity are already Microsoft.
Azure SQL unless you need instance-level features. Running it yourself means owning patching and failover.
Application logic, mostly — it is testable and versioned. Procedures where set-based work genuinely belongs next to the data.
SQL Server works well with:
Angular
Django
JavaScript
Laravel
MongoDB
MySQL
Node.js
PHP
PostgreSQL
Python
ReactGot an idea? Let’s make it real.
Tell us the short version
This could be the first step towards a new and successful collaboration. A one-line idea and a finished spec are both fine — tell us the problem, the deadline you’re working to and what’s in your way.
Keep looking
Frequently asked questions
Yes, frequently as the integration target for a new product rather than as its own datastore.
PostgreSQL unless the organisation is already Microsoft-standardised, where licensing and skills usually settle it.
Yes — execution plan analysis, indexing and rewriting the queries that dominate the workload.
Yes, frequently as the integration target for a new product rather than as the datastore we would have chosen.
Sometimes — right-sizing cores, moving to Azure SQL tiers, or consolidating instances. It is worth reviewing; it is rarely reviewed.