Looking for DB Recommendations

I've been using SQL Server Express as a database for several years now. I just downloaded SSMS 22, and I'd have to say that I'm distinctly unimpressed. Microsoft seems to have lost it's way with interfaces, of late. And then there's the thread I have over in Networking, which is related to some I've had in this section. Overall, SQL Server Express seems like a pretty good product that suits my needs, but it also seems to be declining in quality. Therefore, I figured I'd see what recommendations people would make.

What I need is a system that can be installed on one computer fairly easily (SQL Server isn't all THAT easy to install, though it can be automated), and which can then be used by a fairly small number of users (likely never to exceed half a dozen) over a local network. The users would be unlikely to work with the database directly, but would be using a program written in .NET Framework (or possibly Core, at some point) for all interactions.

What would people use for that?

We use and would use SQL Server Express and see no declining in quality - whatever that means.
A valid an proven alternative could be PostgreSQL, though it probably not would add advantages for your scenario.

I was going to recommend Postgres too. I use it a lot in web development with PHP but I haven't used it with Windows based applications, which is what I'm inferring by "... a program written in .NET Framework..."

A quick search shows that it works similarly to SQL Server Express in that you basically wire up an ADO.NET provider to interact with the database via Npgsql: https://www.npgsql.org/

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Originally Posted by GustavBrock

We use and would use SQL Server Express and see no declining in quality - whatever that means.
A valid an proven alternative could be PostgreSQL, though it probably not would add advantages for your scenario.

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I don't think that the database has declined in quality, but rather SSMS. Microsoft seems to be trying to consolidate their interfaces to some kind of DevOps like interface. That would be fine if the DevOps interface was good, but it's a cobbled together mess. You can do what you need to, it just isn't always very clear.

Most likely, I will stick with SQL Server because I've been using it for years, but I felt I ought to see what else was worth a look.

Well, there is still the "usual" suspect: MySQL Community Edition.
And instead of phpMyAdmin, which probably 90% of users use to admin MySQL, i had good User-Experience with MySQL Workbench.
Upside: Available for pretty much all platforms (Windows, *nix)
Downside: Learning curve coming from MS SQL
Alternative: MariaDB

A few years ago, i had a MySQL-Server running on a FreeBSD-Server, with Windows-Clients connecting to it without problems (incl. Administration via Workbench)

EDIT: If your PITA is just with SSMS, then DBeaver might be an alternative:
https://dbeaver.io/about/

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Originally Posted by Zvoni

EDIT: If your PITA is just with SSMS, then DBeaver might be an alternative:
https://dbeaver.io/about/

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Addendum:
Apparently, HeidiSQL is capable of connecting with MS-SQL
https://www.heidisql.com/

Howdy, SHAG. This is Gig (forgot long ago acct email). Long time no speak. I turned data/analytics/business intelligence guy. SQL Server Express is mucho value for what you get. 10GB max, but if need more for small time DBs, just create another DB? Cross db query. The DB engine is where the money is. You can go open source, sure. For the peeps who think about MS biz software being similar to their own views on their consumer spaces. Completely inaccurate.

In my exp, all open source is behind the times when compared to the SQL Server DB engine. (This in the structured space without multi TB sized DBs or large BLOB storages needed)

I've been pretty happy with SQL Server Express, but to be fair, I haven't tried anything else, so this was a fishing expedition to see if there was something else I should be looking at. I've now seen a bit more about the new SSMS and there is one feature that is looking better (though I haven't really tried it out, to be honest). SSMS and SQL Server were a pain to upgrade. That has gotten better and better over the years, and the new SSMS looks like a much more seamless upgrade path. I'll be trying it out more pretty soon.

I've worked w PostGres and MariaDB (MySQL fork), and both were sub-par from a performance perspective over Microsoft SQL Server / Express for performing typical query workloads for me, at least