The dream team of ERP and SQL Server can deliver a number of impressive advantages to the organizations that make use of them. To understand a little more about why they work so well together, here is a brief exploration of these key benefits that should help convince the uninitiated of the appeal.

Unlimited expandability

As the data needs of your business grow, SQL Server is ready and able to scale to accommodate them. This kind of functionality has been baked into the platform for over a decade, and it means that it is easier to distribute workloads across multiple SQL Server instances according to need, and also add more servers over time without creating conflicts or encountering other obstacles to adoption.

Automated optimization

Database performance needs to be well optimized to ensure that the apps and services which rely on the server are not hobbled by any artificial or avoidable sluggishness. Thankfully SQL Server is once again able to ride to the rescue with its ability to implement automatic performance tuning, making full use of the hardware resources that are at its disposal and balancing loads so that all queries get an equal crack of the whip. Of course, it is important to go a step further with SQL server performance tuning, and you can learn more on this page about the combination of manual changes and automated third-party monitoring software packages that are available to deliver additional enhancements.

Excellent reliability

Avoiding costly downtime is easier with SQL Server, as it is a tried and tested database solution that has plenty of availability-focused features as standard which might otherwise be an optional extra in other contexts.

Unshakeable data integrity

In an enterprise environment, being able to rely on the perpetual preservation of data integrity is clearly a major selling point of any storage and management system, and SQL Server ticks all the boxes in this respect. It is not just the manner in which concurrency is handled that gives it the edge, but also the fact that it is able to cope with dilemmas such as network connectivity issues and client crashes which might otherwise put data in jeopardy of becoming corrupted or remaining incomplete. This consistency does come with certain compromises, such as the potential for deadlocking to occur between processes, but these are a small price to pay for data integrity over time.

Chronological sequencing

SQL Server is well suited to making sure that databases stand up to the kind of scrutiny that will be regularly applied to them in a business environment. This includes the ability to timestamp table entries so that changes are recorded chronologically, thus allowing transactions to be easily monitored and rendered transparently trackable, which is ideal for purposes such as invoicing.

Efficient compression

Even if data seems ephemeral and intangible, it still needs physical storage on which to exist, and of course, this can fill up fast, especially if it is used sub-optimally. SQL Server addresses this with compression capabilities that reduce the size of elements like pages without making any compromises. Once again, this can be automated to allow administrators to focus their attention on other things.

Interoperability

As SQL Server is a proponent of the Open Database Connectivity interface, apps of all kinds can make use of the data found in the systems you run. With interoperability comes flexibility, which is one of the reasons that SQL Server is so widely used across every industry and market.

Affordability

Most importantly of all, ERP and SQL Server make a good pairing because of the cost-effectiveness they bring to the table. From the plethora of included features to the efficiency and optimizations that drive down ownership costs over time, it is simple to justify financially. By: José Luis, Guest Blogger