Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio vs PostGIS

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Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio

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Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio vs PostGIS: What are the differences?

Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio vs. PostGIS

  1. Spatial Data Support: Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio primarily focuses on traditional relational database management, with limited support for spatial data through its Spatial Data Types and functions. In contrast, PostGIS is an extension for PostgreSQL that adds support for geographic objects, allowing for advanced spatial analysis and querying capabilities.

  2. Open Source vs. Proprietary: Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio is a proprietary tool developed by Microsoft and is part of the Microsoft SQL Server ecosystem, which is a paid product. On the other hand, PostGIS is an open-source project that extends the capabilities of the PostgreSQL database, providing users with a free and community-supported solution for managing spatial data.

  3. User Community and Documentation: PostGIS has a large and active user community that contributes to its development and provides extensive documentation and support resources. Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio, while being widely used in enterprise environments, may have a more limited user community and documentation due to its proprietary nature.

  4. Performance and Scalability: Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio is optimized for performance and scalability in traditional relational database scenarios, offering features such as data partitioning and indexing. PostGIS, being an extension of PostgreSQL, benefits from the scalability and performance enhancements of the underlying PostgreSQL database system, which is known for its handling of large datasets and complex queries.

  5. Geospatial Functions and Queries: PostGIS offers a wide range of geospatial functions and queries that allow users to perform sophisticated spatial analysis, such as proximity searches, geometric operations, and spatial joins. While Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio has some spatial functions, the capabilities are more limited compared to the comprehensive set provided by PostGIS.

  6. Compatibility and Integration: Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio is tightly integrated with the Microsoft ecosystem, including tools like Visual Studio and Azure services, making it a preferred choice for organizations already using Microsoft technologies. PostGIS, being based on PostgreSQL, can seamlessly integrate with a variety of open-source tools and frameworks, offering flexibility and compatibility with different software environments.

In Summary, Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio and PostGIS differ in terms of spatial data support, licensing, user community, performance, geospatial functions, and compatibility.

Advice on Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio and PostGIS

I am looking to build an azure database that connects to my power bi application. Initially, I attempted to create an Azure SQL database, then realized I needed to have SQL Server Management Service in order to manage and connect between Azure SQL <=> Power BI, but since I am on a Mac, I had to use the complex installation as a workaround.

If MySQL Workbench can solve this (as the product is available on Mac), I am more than happy to proceed with this approach if it can achieve the same goal of connecting an azure database with my Power BI application

What I am trying to achieve is fairly simple: have an online cloud database that connects to my Power BI application

I am open to any other solutions as well

Thank you

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Replies (5)
Oded Arbel
Recommends
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MySQL WorkBenchMySQL WorkBench

As others have noted, MySQL Workbench cannot be used instead of Microsoft SQL Manager to manage Azure SQL (MS-SQL Server, I hate that Microsoft uses generic category names for their products).

If you're considering switching to MySQL (Possibly using Azure MySQL managed database), then please not that unlike MS-SQL Server, you do not need the MySQL Workbench to connect your application to MysQL: just use the correct driver for your stack, and you're all set (if your stack is using the .Net platform, use MySQL Connector/NET from: https://dev.mysql.com/downloads/connector/net/ ).

If you do want to use a graphical interface to maintain your MySQL database, then MySQL Workbench is a great choice, but you are not limited to it - as others have mentioned, there is a plethora of competing graphical database management tools that would work just as well with MySQL - one of the advantages of choosing MySQL for your stack is the huge eco-system that is built around it.

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Lawrence Fernandes
Data Engineer at B2W Digital · | 1 upvotes · 193.9K views
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DBeaverDBeaver

Hello Could you give us a better idea of what Data Base Management System (DBMS) you are using at Azure? MySQL Workbench and Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) are tools developed to exclusively manage MySQL and SQL Server, respectively. If you need to manage multiple DBMS's from a single tool, I sugget you try DBeaver. There are also another alternatives: HeidiSQL, phpMyAdmin, etc. Regarding the DBMS itself, I suggest you stick with SQL Server. In my opinion it's more stable and has more features than MySQL - especially in the Standard and Enterprise editions. Regards, Lawrence

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Povilas Brilius
PHP Web Developer at GroundIn Software · | 1 upvotes · 194.3K views

As far as I know, MySQL Workbench doesn't handle Microsoft connections, including Azure, you should try Microsoft solutions such as MS VS Code.

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Julien DeFrance
Principal Software Engineer at Tophatter · | 1 upvotes · 193.7K views

Hi Aashwiin, Looking at your stack (https://stackshare.io/aashwiin82347/my-stack), it seems you are using Azure SQL Databases. I'll infer this is Microsoft SQL Server. Therefore, it certainly makes sense you stick with some of the official Microsoft Tooling to connect to it, query and administer it. You'd only be looking at MySQL Query Workbench, if you were running and connecting to a MySQL Database. - That said, could Azure MySQL (https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/mysql/overview) be an option for you a this point? MySQL offers great performance. I have been running it at various companies (under AWS/RDS and AWS/Aurora) and have no reason to switch over to anything else. - Decision making-wise, how much do your want your local sql/mysql client to influence/weigh in your architecture/technology decisions, though? This can be a slippery slope. - Alternatively, other clients exist, such as "Table Plus" and allow you to connect, on Mac, to a variety of database servers, including SQL Server. It might be worth giving it a try.

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Erica Rowe
Tech Lead at eComEngine LLC · | 1 upvotes · 193.9K views
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AzureDataStudioAzureDataStudio

Microsoft provides an application known as Azure Data Studio that runs on Windows, Mac and Linux machines. It provides the ability to manage an Azure SQL database, as well as connecting to standard SQL Server databases. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/azure-data-studio/what-is?view=sql-server-ver15

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Pros of Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio
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      De facto GIS in SQL
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    What is Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio?

    It is an integrated environment for managing any SQL infrastructure, from SQL Server to Azure SQL Database. It provides tools to configure, monitor, and administer instances of SQL Server and databases. Use it to deploy, monitor, and upgrade the data-tier components used by your applications, as well as build queries and scripts.

    What is PostGIS?

    PostGIS is a spatial database extender for PostgreSQL object-relational database. It adds support for geographic objects allowing location queries to be run in SQL.

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    What are some alternatives to Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio and PostGIS?
    Microsoft SQL Server
    Microsoft® SQL Server is a database management and analysis system for e-commerce, line-of-business, and data warehousing solutions.
    MySQL WorkBench
    It enables a DBA, developer, or data architect to visually design, model, generate, and manage databases. It includes everything a data modeler needs for creating complex ER models, forward and reverse engineering, and also delivers key features for performing difficult change management and documentation tasks that normally require much time and effort.
    Microsoft Access
    It is an easy-to-use tool for creating business applications, from templates or from scratch. With its rich and intuitive design tools, it can help you create appealing and highly functional applications in a minimal amount of time.
    AzureDataStudio
    It is a cross-platform database tool for data professionals using the Microsoft family of on-premises and cloud data platforms on Windows, MacOS, and Linux.
    PostgreSQL
    PostgreSQL is an advanced object-relational database management system that supports an extended subset of the SQL standard, including transactions, foreign keys, subqueries, triggers, user-defined types and functions.
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