{"id":111801,"date":"2026-07-09T08:03:46","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T08:03:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.red-gate.com\/simple-talk\/?post_type=podcast&#038;p=111801"},"modified":"2026-07-09T11:10:18","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T11:10:18","slug":"is-sql-server-really-too-legacy-to-love","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/www.red-gate.com\/simple-talk\/podcasts\/is-sql-server-really-too-legacy-to-love\/","title":{"rendered":"Is SQL Server really \u201ctoo legacy to love&#8221;?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"mb-2xl\">\n            <button data-youtube-url=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/G6nzpcwjXr8?si=sddcL_zfovxtPK0B\" id=\"podcastModalButton\" class=\"relative aspect-[16\/9] bg-gray-900 flex items-center justify-center flex-col gap-md w-full p-md\">\n                            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.red-gate.com\/simple-talk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/ST-podcast-is-SQL-Server-too-legacy-to-love-YT-background-1024x576.png\" class=\"object-cover absolute inset-0 w-full h-full wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.red-gate.com\/simple-talk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/ST-podcast-is-SQL-Server-too-legacy-to-love-YT-background-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.red-gate.com\/simple-talk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/ST-podcast-is-SQL-Server-too-legacy-to-love-YT-background-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/www.red-gate.com\/simple-talk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/ST-podcast-is-SQL-Server-too-legacy-to-love-YT-background-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/www.red-gate.com\/simple-talk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/ST-podcast-is-SQL-Server-too-legacy-to-love-YT-background.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>                        <svg class=\"w-12 h-auto absolute m-auto text-base-white\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" viewBox=\"0 0 20 20\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\n                <path d=\"M10 0C3.5 0 0 3.5 0 10C0 16.5 3.5 20 10 20C16.5 20 20 16.5 20 10C20 3.5 16.5 0 10 0ZM11.47 12.71C10.08 13.51 8.64 14.11 7.25 14.5C7.06 13.13 6.95 11.61 6.95 10C6.95 8.39 7.06 6.87 7.25 5.5C8.64 5.89 10.08 6.49 11.47 7.29C12.86 8.09 14.06 9.02 15.05 10C14.07 10.98 12.87 11.9 11.47 12.71Z\" fill=\"currentColor\" \/>\n            <\/svg>\n\n        <\/button>\n    \n    <dialog id=\"podcastModal\" class=\"\">\n        <div class=\"bg-base-black bg-opacity-80 fixed inset-0 z-10 h-full w-full max-w-full max-h-full flex items-center justify-center\">\n            <div class=\"mx-auto relative w-full container\">\n                <div class=\"flex overflow-hidden rounded-xs bg-base-black\">\n                    <div class=\"relative aspect-[16\/9] w-full\">\n                        <iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"podcastYoutubeVideo\" class=\"absolute inset-0 w-full h-full\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n                    <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n                <button id=\"closeModalButton\" class=\"absolute -top-12 -right-0 w-auto h-12 flex items-center justify-center\">\n                    <svg class=\"w-8 h-8\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" viewBox=\"0 0 20 20\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\n                        <path d=\"M10 0C3.5 0 0 3.5 0 10C0 16.5 3.5 20 10 20C16.5 20 20 16.5 20 10C20 3.5 16.5 0 10 0ZM13.37 11.95C13.89 12.47 14.4 12.98 14.91 13.65C14.77 13.88 14.59 14.11 14.38 14.32C14.16 14.54 13.9 14.75 13.65 14.91C13.06 14.43 12.51 13.91 11.96 13.36L10.01 11.41L8.06 13.36C7.54 13.88 7.03 14.39 6.36 14.9C6.13 14.76 5.9 14.58 5.69 14.37C5.47 14.15 5.26 13.89 5.1 13.64C5.58 13.05 6.1 12.5 6.65 11.95L8.6 10L6.65 8.05C6.13 7.53 5.62 7.02 5.11 6.35C5.25 6.12 5.43 5.89 5.64 5.68C5.86 5.46 6.12 5.25 6.37 5.09C6.96 5.57 7.51 6.09 8.06 6.64L10.01 8.59L11.96 6.64C12.48 6.12 12.99 5.61 13.66 5.1C13.89 5.24 14.12 5.42 14.33 5.63C14.55 5.85 14.76 6.11 14.92 6.36C14.44 6.95 13.92 7.5 13.37 8.05L11.42 10L13.37 11.95Z\" fill=\"white\" \/>\n                    <\/svg>\n                <\/button>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/dialog>\n    \n            <div class=\"flex flex-wrap gap-4 items-center mt-3xl\">\n            <p class=\"mb-0 leading-tight font-bold\">Listen on:<\/p>\n            <div class=\"flex flex-wrap gap-xl\">\n                                    <a class=\"duration-200 hover:opacity-70\" href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/episode\/6Wgp7RVvYDBlULlimjrWSk\" target=\"_blank\">\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"h-10 w-auto max-w-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.red-gate.com\/simple-talk\/wp-content\/themes\/simple-talk-theme-2024\/assets\/images\/sharing\/spotify-podcast.png?v=2\" alt=\"Listen on Spotify\">\n                    <\/a>\n                                                    <a class=\"duration-200 hover:opacity-70\" href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/gb\/podcast\/is-sql-server-really-too-legacy-to-love\/id1773262159?i=1000776089144\" target=\"_blank\">\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"h-10 w-auto max-w-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.red-gate.com\/simple-talk\/wp-content\/themes\/simple-talk-theme-2024\/assets\/images\/sharing\/apple-podcast.png?v=2\" alt=\"Listen on Apple Podcasts\">\n                    <\/a>\n                                                    <a class=\"duration-200 hover:opacity-70\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.libsyn.com\/537157\/is-sql-server-really-too-legacy-to-love\" target=\"_blank\">\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"h-10 w-auto max-w-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.red-gate.com\/simple-talk\/wp-content\/themes\/simple-talk-theme-2024\/assets\/images\/sharing\/libsyn-podcast.png?v=2\" alt=\"Listen on Libsyn\">\n                    <\/a>\n                                                    <a class=\"duration-200 hover:opacity-70 flex-shrink-0\" href=\"https:\/\/music.amazon.com\/podcasts\/bb23354a-9850-428f-9cb3-83235ef279c6\/episodes\/d47e01e7-5e3d-4385-8998-07b006c40aaa\/simple-talks-is-sql-server-really-too-legacy-to-love\" target=\"_blank\">\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"h-10 w-auto max-w-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.red-gate.com\/simple-talk\/wp-content\/themes\/simple-talk-theme-2024\/assets\/images\/sharing\/amazon-podcast.png?v=2\" alt=\"Listen on Amazon Music\">\n                    <\/a>\n                            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    \n    <\/div>\n\n\n<p>In a recent article, The Register suggested that SQL Server is \u201ctoo lucrative to ditch, but too legacy to love\u201d &#8211; but is that&nbsp;actually&nbsp;true?&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With many years\u2019 SQL Server, PostgreSQL and Oracle experience between them,&nbsp;<strong>Steve Jones<\/strong>,&nbsp;<strong>Kellyn Gorman<\/strong>,&nbsp;<strong>Grant Fritchey<\/strong>, and&nbsp;<strong>Pat Wright<\/strong>&nbsp;offer their thoughts on the article, and the current state of SQL Server as a whole&nbsp;&#8211; including&nbsp;how it fares against other databases&nbsp;in 2026.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Read the full The Register article&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theregister.com\/databases\/2026\/06\/16\/sql-server-may-be-too-lucrative-for-microsoft-to-ditch-but-too-legacy-to-love\/5255735\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here.<\/a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>DB-Engines:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/db-engines.com\/en\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/db-engines.com\/en\/<\/a>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Listen or watch to every episode of the Redgate Simple Talk podcast at&nbsp;<br><a href=\"https:\/\/www.red-gate.com\/simple-talk\/podcasts\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/www.red-gate.com\/simple-talk\/podcasts\/<\/a>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Did you enjoy this episode and want to support us? Leave us a review or rating on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>To review us on Apple Podcasts<\/strong>, simply head to our main show page (The Simple Talk Podcast) and scroll down until you see &#8216;Ratings &amp; Reviews.&#8217; From here, you can simply tap the 5 stars to rate us, or click &#8216;Write a Review&#8217; to leave more detailed feedback!<br><br><strong>To rate us on Spotify<\/strong>, simply head to our main show page, hit the &#8216;About&#8217; tab (to the right of &#8216;Episodes&#8217;), and underneath the description you&#8217;ll see our current rating in the left-hand corner. Tap that to leave a rating of your own!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-is-sql-server-really-too-legacy-to-love-the-key-takeaways\">Is SQL Server really \u201ctoo legacy to love&#8221;? The key takeaways<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you don&#8217;t have time to watch or listen to the full episode, here&#8217;s what you need to know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-legacy-doesn-t-mean-irrelevant\">&#8220;Legacy&#8221; doesn&#8217;t mean irrelevant<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The Advocates &#8211; Steve, Kellyn, Grant, and Pat &#8211; pushed back hard on the framing that SQL Server and Oracle are simply &#8220;legacy&#8221; platforms. Many features developers wish existed in newer platforms already exist in these older ones, after all. The &#8220;legacy&#8221; label really undersells how much capability is still baked into the platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-sql-server-is-still-growing-just-not-as-fast-as-postgresql\">SQL Server is still growing \u2014 just not as fast as PostgreSQL<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite the narrative of decline, SQL Server usage is reportedly still growing at around 8%. The real story isn&#8217;t collapse, it&#8217;s that PostgreSQL is growing faster &#8211; and is on track to overtake SQL Server in the <a href=\"https:\/\/db-engines.com\/en\/ranking\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">DB-Engines rankings<\/a> by the end of the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"callout-block_cb0243667a262ec74d7382daf6950ffc\" class=\"callout alignnone\">\n    <div class=\"child-last:mb-0 child-first:mt-0 bg-gray-50 dark:bg-gray-950 p-4xl my-3xl\">\n\n<p><strong>You may also be interested in:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.red-gate.com\/simple-talk\/databases\/what-are-the-top-database-platforms-in-2026-a-look-at-the-latest-data\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">What are the top database platforms in 2026? A look at the latest data<\/a><\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div> \n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-history-has-seen-this-hype-cycle-before\">History has seen this hype cycle before<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>There are parallels to be drawn to previous eras. The MySQL\/LAMP stack boom in around 2000, for example, and predictions 15 years ago that Oracle was &#8220;finished&#8221;. Neither of them played out as expected. Hype around a &#8220;new&#8221; platform rarely translates into the wholesale abandonment of established ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-different-databases-still-serve-different-jobs\">Different databases still serve different jobs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The idea that just one database platform can replace <em>everything else<\/em> is a misunderstanding common outside the technical community. Transactional systems, data warehouses, and temporary\/throwaway databases all have different requirements, and picking the &#8220;right tool for the job&#8221; still matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-postgresql-has-real-enterprise-gaps-for-now\">PostgreSQL has real enterprise gaps \u2014 for now<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>PostgreSQL still has shortcomings at true enterprise scale, especially in banking and insurance context &#8211; failover behavior being just one example where Oracle&#8217;s rack clustering is more mature. That said, expect the gap to close within a year or two as PostgreSQL continues to improve rapidly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-oracle-is-stickier-than-sql-server\">Oracle is <em>stickier<\/em> than SQL Server<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>A notable prediction from the Advocates: Oracle&#8217;s install base will likely hold on for another 5\u201310 years, largely because of deeply embedded PL\/SQL packages and wrapped code that&#8217;s difficult (even for AI) to unpack and rewrite. SQL Server, by contrast, is seen as comparatively easier to migrate <em>away<\/em> from, toward PostgreSQL.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-migrations-are-far-harder-than-they-look-on-paper\">Migrations are far harder than they look on paper<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Moving the data is described as &#8220;the easiest part.&#8221; The much bigger challenges are migrating application code, and \u2014 critically \u2014 rebuilding disaster recovery, backup, and restore processes to match prior RPO\/RTO commitments. Teams often don&#8217;t realize how different recovery procedures are on a new platform until it&#8217;s too late.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-cloud-migrations-often-become-permanent-lift-and-shifts\">Cloud &#8220;migrations&#8221; often become permanent lift-and-shifts<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Full cloud migrations rarely happen as cleanly as planned. The panel shared examples of migrations that were expected to take a month stretching to 12\u201318 months, with many organizations settling into a long-term (sometimes permanent) lift-and-shift rather than a full platform refactor. This is explored more in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.red-gate.com\/solutions\/state-of-database-landscape\/2026\/cloud-migration-divide\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Cloud Migration Divide<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-business-incentives-drive-platform-decisions-not-just-technical-merit\">Business incentives drive platform decisions &#8211; not just technical merit<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Sales and marketing dynamics play a big role. It&#8217;s easier to sell an existing customer base a &#8220;new and improved&#8221; product than to win new customers. This even creates competition internally within Microsoft, where the teams behind Fabric, Databricks, SQL Server, and PostgreSQL effectively &#8220;compete&#8221; against each other for investment and attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-microsoft-s-recent-postgresql-hiring-signals-a-real-shift\">Microsoft&#8217;s recent PostgreSQL hiring signals a real shift<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Microsoft has been comparatively slow to invest in PostgreSQL compared to AWS and Google Cloud \u2014 but recent hires (including a well-known PostgreSQL community figure moving into a PM\/advocate role) suggest that may be starting to change, even if the long-term commitment from leadership is still uncertain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-bottom-line\">The bottom line<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>SQL Server isn&#8217;t necessarily &#8220;dying&#8221;, but Microsoft&#8217;s investment priorities are visibly shifting toward PostgreSQL and Fabric. Whether that translates into actual customer migration depends far less on technical superiority and far more on the practical difficulty of moving mission-critical systems, code, and disaster recovery processes off a platform that&#8217;s been running for decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<section id=\"my-first-block-block_7da26e89d45436cd0a7a858219b3f95f\" class=\"my-first-block alignwide\">\n    <div class=\"bg-brand-600 text-base-white py-5xl px-4xl rounded-sm bg-gradient-to-r from-brand-600 to-brand-500 red\">\n        <div class=\"gap-4xl items-start md:items-center flex flex-col md:flex-row justify-between\">\n            <div class=\"flex-1 col-span-10 lg:col-span-7\">\n                <h3 class=\"mt-0 font-display mb-2 text-display-sm\">Simple Talk is brought to you by Redgate Software<\/h3>\n                <div class=\"child:last-of-type:mb-0\">\n                                            Take control of your databases with the trusted Database DevOps solutions provider. Automate with confidence, scale securely, and unlock growth through AI.                                    <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                                            <a href=\"https:\/\/www.red-gate.com\/solutions\/overview\/\" class=\"btn btn--secondary btn--lg\" aria-label=\"Discover how Redgate can help you: Simple Talk is brought to you by Redgate Software\">Discover how Redgate can help you<\/a>\n                    <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SQL Server is \u201ctoo lucrative to ditch, but too legacy to love\u201d, according to a recent article. But is that actually true? The Advocates discuss.&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":111802,"template":"","tags":[4459,158978,4150,4151],"podcast_category":[159198],"podcast_season":[159361],"class_list":["post-111801","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-oracle","tag-postgresql","tag-sql","tag-sql-server","podcast_category-advochats","podcast_season-season-3"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.red-gate.com\/simple-talk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast\/111801","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.red-gate.com\/simple-talk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.red-gate.com\/simple-talk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/podcast"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.red-gate.com\/simple-talk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/111802"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.red-gate.com\/simple-talk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=111801"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.red-gate.com\/simple-talk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=111801"},{"taxonomy":"podcast_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.red-gate.com\/simple-talk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast_category?post=111801"},{"taxonomy":"podcast_season","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.red-gate.com\/simple-talk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast_season?post=111801"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}