Amazon ElastiCache vs Microsoft SQL Server

Overview

Amazon ElastiCache

Stacks1.3K

Followers1.0K

Votes151

Microsoft SQL Server

Stacks21.3K

Followers15.5K

Votes540

Amazon ElastiCache vs Microsoft SQL Server: What are the differences?

Introduction:

In this article, we will discuss the key differences between Amazon ElastiCache and Microsoft SQL Server. Both services offer distinct features and capabilities in the field of data management and storage. Understanding these differences can help users make informed decisions when choosing the appropriate technology for their specific requirements.

Scalability and Performance: Amazon ElastiCache is primarily a caching service that provides in-memory storage for improving application performance. It supports scalable and high-performance use cases by utilizing the power of Redis or Memcached. On the other hand, Microsoft SQL Server is a comprehensive relational database management system that offers robust scalability and performance capabilities for storing and managing structured data.
Data Modeling and Querying: Amazon ElastiCache does not provide structured data storage and querying capabilities like Microsoft SQL Server does. It focuses on caching frequently accessed data with the help of Redis or Memcached, reducing the load on the primary data stores. Microsoft SQL Server, as a relational database, allows the creation of complex data models and supports powerful querying capabilities using SQL language.
Data Persistence: While Amazon ElastiCache uses in-memory caching, it does not offer built-in disk persistence for data durability. This means that if the cache node fails or gets restarted, the data stored in the cache will be lost. In contrast, Microsoft SQL Server offers durable storage by persisting data on disk, ensuring data integrity and availability even in the event of failures.
Replication and High Availability: Amazon ElastiCache supports replication and high availability through features like Redis Cluster, Multi-AZ deployments, and automatic failover. This ensures data availability and fault tolerance. Microsoft SQL Server also offers replication and high availability options through features like database mirroring, Always On Availability Groups, and failover clustering.
Data Types and Advanced Functionality: Microsoft SQL Server provides a wide range of built-in data types and supports advanced functionality such as triggers, stored procedures, and user-defined functions, allowing for custom data processing. Amazon ElastiCache, being a caching service, does not have the same level of data type support and advanced functionality.
Integration and Ecosystem: Microsoft SQL Server has a deep integration with other Microsoft products and services like Azure, .NET Framework, and Microsoft Power BI. It also provides comprehensive tooling support and a wide ecosystem of third-party applications and integrations. Amazon ElastiCache, being a part of the broader AWS ecosystem, integrates well with other AWS services such as EC2, Lambda, and CloudFormation.

In Summary, Amazon ElastiCache focuses on caching data in-memory to improve application performance, while Microsoft SQL Server offers a comprehensive relational database management system with structured data storage and querying capabilities, data persistence, replication, high availability, advanced functionality, and a deep integration ecosystem.

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Advice on Amazon ElastiCache, Microsoft SQL Server

Erin

IT Specialist

Mar 10, 2020

Needs adviceon

Microsoft SQL Server

MySQL

PostgreSQL

I am a Microsoft SQL Server programmer who is a bit out of practice. I have been asked to assist on a new project. The overall purpose is to organize a large number of recordings so that they can be searched. I have an enormous music library but my songs are several hours long. I need to include things like time, date and location of the recording. I don't have a problem with the general database design. I have two primary questions:

I need to use either @{MySQL}|tool:1025| or @{PostgreSQL}|tool:1028| on a @{Linux}|tool:10483| based OS. Which would be better for this application?
I have not dealt with a sound based data type before. How do I store that and put it in a table? Thank you.

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Detailed Comparison

Amazon ElastiCache	Microsoft SQL Server
ElastiCache improves the performance of web applications by allowing you to retrieve information from fast, managed, in-memory caches, instead of relying entirely on slower disk-based databases. ElastiCache supports Memcached and Redis.	Microsoft® SQL Server is a database management and analysis system for e-commerce, line-of-business, and data warehousing solutions.
Support for two engines: Memcached and Redis;Ease of management via the AWS Management Console. With a few clicks you can configure and launch instances for the engine you wish to use.;Compatibility with the specific engine protocol. This means most of the client libraries will work with the respective engines they were built for - no additional changes or tweaking required.;Detailed monitoring statistics for the engine nodes at no extra cost via Amazon CloudWatch;Pay only for the resources you consume based on node hours used	-
Statistics
Stacks 1.3K	Stacks 21.3K
Followers 1.0K	Followers 15.5K
Votes 151	Votes 540
Pros & Cons
Pros 58 Redis 32 High-performance 26 Backed by amazon 21 Memcached 14 Elastic	Pros 139 Reliable and easy to use 101 High performance 95 Great with .net 65 Works well with .net 56 Easy to maintain Cons 4 Expensive Licensing 2 Microsoft 1 Replication can loose the data 1 Allwayon can loose data in asycronious mode 1 The maximum number of connections is only 14000 connect

What are some alternatives to Amazon ElastiCache, Microsoft SQL Server?

MongoDB

MongoDB stores data in JSON-like documents that can vary in structure, offering a dynamic, flexible schema. MongoDB was also designed for high availability and scalability, with built-in replication and auto-sharding.

MySQL

The MySQL software delivers a very fast, multi-threaded, multi-user, and robust SQL (Structured Query Language) database server. MySQL Server is intended for mission-critical, heavy-load production systems as well as for embedding into mass-deployed software.

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.

SQLite

SQLite is an embedded SQL database engine. Unlike most other SQL databases, SQLite does not have a separate server process. SQLite reads and writes directly to ordinary disk files. A complete SQL database with multiple tables, indices, triggers, and views, is contained in a single disk file.

Cassandra

Partitioning means that Cassandra can distribute your data across multiple machines in an application-transparent matter. Cassandra will automatically repartition as machines are added and removed from the cluster. Row store means that like relational databases, Cassandra organizes data by rows and columns. The Cassandra Query Language (CQL) is a close relative of SQL.

Memcached

Memcached is an in-memory key-value store for small chunks of arbitrary data (strings, objects) from results of database calls, API calls, or page rendering.

MariaDB

Started by core members of the original MySQL team, MariaDB actively works with outside developers to deliver the most featureful, stable, and sanely licensed open SQL server in the industry. MariaDB is designed as a drop-in replacement of MySQL(R) with more features, new storage engines, fewer bugs, and better performance.

RethinkDB

RethinkDB is built to store JSON documents, and scale to multiple machines with very little effort. It has a pleasant query language that supports really useful queries like table joins and group by, and is easy to setup and learn.

ArangoDB

A distributed free and open-source database with a flexible data model for documents, graphs, and key-values. Build high performance applications using a convenient SQL-like query language or JavaScript extensions.

InfluxDB

InfluxDB is a scalable datastore for metrics, events, and real-time analytics. It has a built-in HTTP API so you don't have to write any server side code to get up and running. InfluxDB is designed to be scalable, simple to install and manage, and fast to get data in and out.

Related Comparisons

Amazon ElastiCache vs Microsoft SQL Server: What are the differences?

Introduction:

Scalability and Performance: Amazon ElastiCache is primarily a caching service that provides in-memory storage for improving application performance. It supports scalable and high-performance use cases by utilizing the power of Redis or Memcached. On the other hand, Microsoft SQL Server is a comprehensive relational database management system that offers robust scalability and performance capabilities for storing and managing structured data.
Data Modeling and Querying: Amazon ElastiCache does not provide structured data storage and querying capabilities like Microsoft SQL Server does. It focuses on caching frequently accessed data with the help of Redis or Memcached, reducing the load on the primary data stores. Microsoft SQL Server, as a relational database, allows the creation of complex data models and supports powerful querying capabilities using SQL language.
Data Persistence: While Amazon ElastiCache uses in-memory caching, it does not offer built-in disk persistence for data durability. This means that if the cache node fails or gets restarted, the data stored in the cache will be lost. In contrast, Microsoft SQL Server offers durable storage by persisting data on disk, ensuring data integrity and availability even in the event of failures.
Replication and High Availability: Amazon ElastiCache supports replication and high availability through features like Redis Cluster, Multi-AZ deployments, and automatic failover. This ensures data availability and fault tolerance. Microsoft SQL Server also offers replication and high availability options through features like database mirroring, Always On Availability Groups, and failover clustering.
Data Types and Advanced Functionality: Microsoft SQL Server provides a wide range of built-in data types and supports advanced functionality such as triggers, stored procedures, and user-defined functions, allowing for custom data processing. Amazon ElastiCache, being a caching service, does not have the same level of data type support and advanced functionality.
Integration and Ecosystem: Microsoft SQL Server has a deep integration with other Microsoft products and services like Azure, .NET Framework, and Microsoft Power BI. It also provides comprehensive tooling support and a wide ecosystem of third-party applications and integrations. Amazon ElastiCache, being a part of the broader AWS ecosystem, integrates well with other AWS services such as EC2, Lambda, and CloudFormation.

Amazon ElastiCache vs Microsoft SQL Server

Overview