Snowflake vs Microsoft SQL Server

by Gralio Feb 27, 2025

Snowflake and Microsoft SQL Server are powerful database solutions catering to different needs. Snowflake shines in cloud-based data warehousing and analytics for large datasets, while SQL Server provides a reliable and versatile solution, particularly beneficial for businesses heavily invested in the Microsoft ecosystem.

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This comparison was created by analysing 4645 reviews and 50 websites, saving 1 day, 2 hours, 13 minutes of reading.

Logo of Snowflake
Logo of Microsoft SQL Server

About

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.
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
Snowflake excels in handling large datasets with scalability and speed, ideal for cloud-based data warehousing and analytics. Microsoft SQL Server offers a robust and reliable on-premise or cloud solution, deeply integrated with the Microsoft ecosystem, suitable for diverse data management needs.

Relative strengths of Snowflake (compared to Microsoft SQL Server)

  • Superior scalability and performance for large datasets.

  • Cloud-native architecture with flexible pricing.

  • Strong data sharing and collaboration capabilities.

Relative weaknesses of Snowflake (compared to Microsoft SQL Server)

  • Can be more expensive than SQL Server for smaller workloads.

  • Steeper learning curve for users unfamiliar with cloud data platforms.

  • Less extensive integration with Microsoft-centric environments.

Who should use Snowflake VS. Microsoft SQL Server

Snowflake is a scalable, cloud-based data platform ideal for data-driven businesses of all sizes. Users praise its easy scaling and seamless integration with various data tools. However, some find the new UI confusing and desire better unstructured data support. It's suitable for industries like finance, technology, and healthcare, offering efficient data storage, management, and analytics for improved decision-making.

Microsoft SQL Server is a reliable database management system praised for its robust data storage, powerful querying, and seamless integration with other Microsoft products. However, some users find the licensing costs high and the interface resource-intensive. Ideal for businesses needing to analyze diverse data, from small firms to large enterprises.

  • Ideal for small businesses, medium businesses, and large enterprises.

  • A good fit for Software, IT & Telecommunications, suitable for various other industries.

  • Ideal for businesses of all sizes needing robust data analysis.

  • Strong fit for software, IT, and telecommunications; suitable for various other industries.

Snowflake 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

    Snowflake fully supports querying data via SQL.

    Supported

    SQL Server supports querying data using SQL.

  • SQL Support
    Supported

    Snowflake supports SQL queries for data management and analysis.

    Supported

    Microsoft SQL Server supports executing SQL queries.

  • T-SQL support
    Not supported

    Snowflake does not support T-SQL, but it can connect to SQL Server via data pipelines.

    Supported

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

  • SQL data transformation
    Supported

    Snowflake supports data transformation using SQL queries, including filtering, aggregating, joining, and manipulating data. It also supports views, stored procedures, and UDFs for this purpose.

    Supported

    SQL Server supports data transformations using SQL queries within Integration Services.

  • Standard SQL support
    Supported

    Snowflake supports standard SQL syntax for writing queries.

    Supported

    Microsoft SQL Server supports queries written in standard SQL syntax.

Qualities

  • Value and Pricing Transparency
    -0.13
    Neutral sentiment
    -0.33
    Rather negative sentiment
  • Customer Service
    +0.33
    Rather positive sentiment
    +0.8
    Strongly positive sentiment
  • Ease of Use
    +0.64
    Rather positive sentiment
    +0.71
    Strongly positive sentiment
  • Reliability and Performance
    +0.73
    Strongly positive sentiment
    +0.55
    Rather positive sentiment
  • Ease of Implementation
    +0.47
    Rather positive sentiment
    +0
    Neutral sentiment
  • Scalability
    +1
    Strongly positive sentiment
    +0.47
    Rather positive sentiment

Snowflake and Microsoft SQL Server Pricing

No data

See full Pricing page

No data
We couldn't find a pricing page for Microsoft SQL Server.

Snowflake and Microsoft SQL Server review insights

Users love

  • The ability to easily scale warehouses based on requirements
  • Query profile is a very useful feature
  • The user interface is easy to implement and navigate
  • Seamless integration with various data tools
  • 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

  • Limited machine learning features
  • Data migration efforts are large to transfer everything from on premises to cloud
  • The new UI is too confusing
  • Unstructured data support is lacking
  • 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.

Snowflake and Microsoft SQL Server Ratings

  • G2
    4.5/5
    (538)
  • Capterra
    4.6/5
    (78)
  • Glassdoor
    4.0/5
    (749)
  • G2
    4.4/5
    (2187)
  • Capterra
    4.6/5
    (1852)

Company health

Employee growth

20% increase in the last year
3% increase in the last year

Web traffic

1% increase in the last quarter
11% decrease in the last quarter

Financing

March 2022 - $2B
No data

How does Snowflake's cloud-native architecture compare to SQL Server's on-premise and cloud options?

Snowflake's cloud-native architecture contrasts sharply with SQL Server's traditional on-premise focus, although SQL Server now offers cloud options (Azure SQL Database, SQL Server on Azure VMs). Snowflake's architecture allows for independent scaling of compute and storage, enabling greater flexibility and potentially lower costs compared to SQL Server's more tightly coupled approach. While SQL Server excels in traditional relational database workloads and integrations within the Microsoft ecosystem, Snowflake is designed for handling large-scale data warehousing, analytics, and data sharing in the cloud. Choosing between them depends on factors like existing infrastructure, data volume, performance requirements, and cloud strategy.

Which product better supports diverse data formats for my specific data warehouse needs?

Snowflake is better suited for diverse data formats for data warehousing. Snowflake's features explicitly mention support for semi-structured data and integration with NoSQL databases, along with traditional relational databases and cloud platforms. While SQL Server is a robust relational database, its focus is primarily on structured data. Therefore, for a data warehouse needing to handle diverse formats, Snowflake offers more flexibility and broader integration capabilities.

What are the advantages of Snowflake?

Snowflake's advantages include its cloud-based architecture, scalability, and ability to handle large datasets efficiently. Its columnar storage, SQL support, and robust data transformation capabilities make it well-suited for data warehousing and analytics. Snowflake's seamless integration with various data sources, including NoSQL databases, further enhances its versatility for diverse data management needs.

What are the disadvantages of Snowflake?

Snowflake's disadvantages include limited machine learning capabilities compared to some competitors, potentially extensive data migration efforts when transitioning from on-premise solutions, a user interface that some users find confusing, and a perceived lack of robust support for unstructured data. Additionally, while Snowflake's pricing model allows for scaling, it can be complex and potentially expensive depending on usage.

Alternatives to Snowflake and Microsoft SQL Server

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Page co-authored by
MK
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.

TT
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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