Amazon Athena vs Microsoft SQL Server

by Gralio Feb 20, 2025

Athena excels in cost-effectiveness and ease of use for querying data directly in S3. SQL Server offers more comprehensive data management features, broader SQL support, and better performance for complex queries, but comes with licensing costs and infrastructure management overhead.

At Gralio.ai we help to simplify your decision-making process by offering detailed, side-by-side software comparisons like this one, to help you confidently choose the tool that aligns with your business goals.

This comparison was created by analysing 4226 reviews and 60 websites, saving 23 hours, 58 minutes of reading.

Amazon Athena

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Microsoft SQL Server

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About

Amazon Athena is a service that lets you analyze large datasets stored in Amazon S3 using standard SQL queries. It's serverless, so there's no infrastructure to manage, and you pay only for the queries you run. This makes it a cost-effective way to get insights from your data without the complexity of traditional data warehousing.

Microsoft SQL Server is a database management system for businesses of all sizes. It helps you analyze various types of data and can be used in multiple environments, including on your servers and in the cloud. SQL Server offers high performance and strong security features. It allows developers to build applications using different programming languages and provides mobile business intelligence tools.

Summary

Main difference

Amazon Athena is a serverless, pay-per-query service ideal for analyzing data directly in S3 using standard SQL. Microsoft SQL Server is a comprehensive database management system suitable for various data types and environments, offering robust features but requiring infrastructure management.

Relative strengths of Amazon Athena (compared to Microsoft SQL Server)

Cost-effective, pay-per-query pricing model, especially for ad-hoc analysis.
Serverless architecture; no infrastructure management needed.
Directly queries data in S3 without requiring ETL.

Relative weaknesses of Amazon Athena (compared to Microsoft SQL Server)

Limited SQL syntax support compared to SQL Server.
Performance can lag for very large datasets.
Less robust data management features than SQL Server.

Who should use Amazon Athena VS. Microsoft SQL Server

Amazon Athena is a serverless query service that allows you to analyze data directly in Amazon S3 using standard SQL. Users love its ease of use and cost-effectiveness, as you only pay for the queries you run. Some users mention performance lags with very large datasets and limitations in SQL syntax support. It's ideal for anyone needing to analyze S3 data without the hassle of managing infrastructure.

Microsoft SQL Server is a robust and reliable database management system ideal for businesses of all sizes needing to analyze various types of data. Users praise its powerful querying capabilities and integration with other Microsoft products. However, some users note the high licensing costs and resource-intensive management studio. It’s a particularly strong fit for the software, IT, and telecommunications industries.

Ideal for small to enterprise-level companies seeking efficient data analysis.
Suitable for any industry leveraging large datasets in Amazon S3.

Ideal for small, medium, and large businesses.
Strong fit for software, IT, and telecommunications.

Amazon Athena and Microsoft SQL Server features

Supported

Partially supported

Not supported

Type in the name of the feature or in your own words tell us what you need

SQL Support

Supported

Athena allows executing SQL queries directly on data in S3 and other sources.

Supported

Microsoft SQL Server supports executing SQL queries.
SQL support

Supported

Athena supports standard SQL queries, including complex analyses like large joins and window functions.

Supported

SQL Server supports querying data using SQL.
SQL data transformation

Supported

Athena supports SQL data transformations using CTAS and INSERT INTO statements.

Supported

SQL Server supports data transformations using SQL queries within Integration Services.
T-SQL support

Not supported

Amazon Athena does not support T-SQL for querying SQL Server databases. It uses ANSI SQL.

Supported

Microsoft SQL Server fully supports T-SQL for database queries.
RDBMS integration

Supported

Athena integrates with RDBMS via federated queries and JDBC connectors.

Supported

SQL Server integrates with other RDBMS through standard SQL interfaces and tools like SSIS.
Standard SQL support

Supported

Athena supports writing queries using standard SQL syntax.

Supported

Microsoft SQL Server supports queries written in standard SQL syntax.

Qualities

Value and Pricing Transparency

+1

Strongly positive sentiment

-0.33

Rather negative sentiment
Customer Service

+0.33

Rather positive sentiment

+0.76

Strongly positive sentiment
Ease of Use

+0.64

Rather positive sentiment

+0.68

Rather positive sentiment
Reliability and Performance

+0.67

Rather positive sentiment

+0.6

Rather positive sentiment
Ease of Implementation

+0.6

Rather positive sentiment

+0.29

Neutral sentiment
Scalability

+1

Strongly positive sentiment

+0.27

Neutral sentiment

Amazon Athena and Microsoft SQL Server Pricing

No data

User sentiment

Strongly positive

See full Pricing page

No data

User sentiment

Rather negative

-0.33

We couldn't find a pricing page for Microsoft SQL Server.

Amazon Athena and Microsoft SQL Server review insights

4226 reviews analysed from and

Users love

Serverless architecture; no infrastructure management needed.
Cost-effective, pay-per-query pricing model.
Easy to use for users familiar with SQL.
Fast query execution for smaller datasets.
Directly queries data in S3 without requiring ETL.

Robust and reliable for data storage and management.
Powerful querying capabilities.
Easy integration with other Microsoft products and services (e.g., Azure, Power BI).
User-friendly interface with SQL Server Management Studio.
Large and supportive community.

Users dislike

Occasional performance lags, especially with large datasets.
Limited SQL syntax support; some standard features are missing.
Error messages could be more informative and precise.
UI/UX could be improved, particularly for query history and navigation.
Limited integration with other data sources besides S3.

High licensing costs for enterprise edition.
SQL Server Management Studio can be slow and resource intensive.
Limited JSON support in older versions.
Complex installation and configuration process.
Limited compatibility with non-Microsoft platforms.

Amazon Athena and Microsoft SQL Server Ratings

G2

4.4/5

(200)
Glassdoor

3.7/5

(206324)

G2

4.4/5

(2187)
Capterra

4.6/5

(1852)

Company health

Employee growth

11% increase in the last year

3% increase in the last year

Web traffic

10% increase in the last quarter

11% decrease in the last quarter

Financing

No data

How easily can each product integrate with my existing AWS services?

Amazon Athena is designed for seamless integration with other AWS services, especially S3 for data storage, Glue for data cataloging, and Lambda for custom data processing. It leverages the AWS ecosystem for security, access management, and scalability. Microsoft SQL Server can integrate with AWS, but it requires more configuration and might involve using AWS connectors or third-party tools to bridge the gap. While it can be hosted on AWS infrastructure (like EC2), it's not natively designed for the AWS ecosystem in the same way Athena is.

Which product offers better performance for ad-hoc, exploratory queries?

Amazon Athena is better for ad-hoc, exploratory queries due to its serverless nature and pay-per-query pricing model. This allows users to quickly execute queries against data in S3 without provisioning or managing any infrastructure, and only pay for the resources consumed by the query. While Microsoft SQL Server offers robust querying capabilities, its licensing costs and more complex setup make it less suitable for quick, exploratory analysis. Athena's direct integration with S3 also simplifies the process of querying data residing in a data lake, further enhancing its suitability for exploratory analysis.

What are the advantages of Amazon Athena?

Amazon Athena's serverless architecture eliminates infrastructure management and reduces costs with its pay-per-query pricing model. It's easy to use for SQL-savvy users and offers fast query execution, especially for smaller datasets, by directly querying data in S3 without requiring ETL.

What are the disadvantages of Amazon Athena?

Amazon Athena's disadvantages include occasional performance lags with large datasets, limited SQL syntax support compared to full-fledged SQL databases, sometimes unclear error messages, a user interface that could be improved, and limited direct integration with data sources other than S3.

Alternatives to Amazon Athena and Microsoft SQL Server

SingleStore

SingleStore is a database platform designed for speed and handling large amounts of data, making it suitable for applications requiring real-time analytics. It allows businesses to manage various data formats in one place, simplifying data infrastructure. SingleStore is used by companies of all sizes across various industries, notably in finance and technology.

Snowflake

Snowflake is a cloud-based data platform designed for businesses to store, manage, and analyze large amounts of data. It works like a giant, virtual warehouse for all your data, accessible from anywhere. Snowflake adapts to your needs, scaling its power and cost up or down on demand. This makes it suitable for tasks like analyzing customer trends, building data-driven applications, or sharing data securely with partners. Its strength lies in handling massive datasets with high speed and efficiency.

BoilingData

BoilingData is a cloud-based analytics tool that lets you analyze large datasets stored in Amazon S3 without moving or pre-processing them. It's designed for companies struggling with slow and expensive analytics from large datasets. BoilingData speeds up analysis by only loading the necessary data when needed, allowing for interactive exploration of your data. It's cost-effective because you only pay for the time your queries are running. BoilingData also offers data sharing features with secure access control for collaboration.

MongoDB Atlas

MongoDB Atlas is a cloud-based database service that's easy for developers to use. It allows you to store information in flexible formats that are like digital filing cabinets. It's designed for businesses of all sizes and can handle various data needs. MongoDB Atlas is reliable, adapts to changes easily, and can grow with your company's needs by spreading information across multiple servers.

Directus

Directus is a tool that makes it easier for your company to manage its data, even if you don't have a team of tech experts. It works directly with your existing databases and provides a user-friendly interface for non-technical staff to update and manage website content, product information, and more. Directus offers developers powerful tools to customize the platform while giving everyone in the company access to the information they need. This means Directus can be customized to your company's needs and can grow with your business.

SQL Server 2019

SQL Server 2019 is a database management system developed by Microsoft. It lets you store and manage data, analyze information, and perform business reporting. SQL Server 2019 is designed for businesses of all sizes, and offers high performance and scalability for even the most demanding workloads. Its strengths include data analytics and business intelligence features, making it a good choice for companies wanting to make data-driven decisions.

Page co-authored by

Michal Kaczor

CEO at Gralio

Michal has worked at startups for many years and writes about topics relating to software selection and IT management. As a former consultant for Bain, a business advisory company, he also knows how to understand needs of any business and find solutions to its problems.

Tymon Terlikiewicz

CTO at Gralio

Tymon is a seasoned CTO who loves finding the perfect tools for any task. He recently headed up the tech department at Batmaid, a well-known Swiss company, where he managed about 60 software purchases, including CX, HR, Payroll, Marketing automation and various developer tools.

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