can Microsoft SQL Server handle it?

[Jassim Rahma]

I was thinking, can Microsoft SQL Server handle projects such as Facebook, Linkedin, etc? and if answer is Yes, then why they didn't go for it?

[Wendelius]

Don't quite understand the question. Those examples you gave are applications consisting of several different layers etc. If you mean that could Sql Server serve as the back-end for the data, why not? Sql Server is capable of data distribution between several server, workload balancing, distributed transactions etc. so I see no direct reason why it couldn't handle the data.

The need to optimize rises from a bad design.My articles[^]

[crocks256]

It can handle the data and workload, its just that these online companies and startups (as they were) opted for the cheapest option (ie free) back when they started up, to minimise startup costs. They carry on using these systems as it will be too costly to migrate onto another platform. Simple economics really.. JC

[Wendelius]

Yes, from the economics point of view the situation is different. For example Oracle has quite good concept now when MySql can be used when starting up and when performance etc problems arise, you can migrate to Oracle with a bit less work than to other database flavors.

The need to optimize rises from a bad design.My articles[^]

[Mehdi Gholam]

Services like Facebook etc. need to be massively parallel and fault tolerant, to get the same level of service from sql server would mean a heavy investment in licenses, also these sites are using unix servers and sql server is not supported on them.

Its the man, not the machine - Chuck Yeager If at first you don't succeed... get a better publicist

[Pete OHanlon]

The simple answer is, yes, SQL Server can handle the volume of data these sites catered for. The key thing to note about these sites, though, is that they tend to opt for NoSQL[^] databases - which is not what SQL Server is designed to do.

Forgive your enemies - it messes with their heads

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[Lost User]

As said before, it's a financial decision. The Amaren[^] Nuclear Plant, and MacLaren[^] are using Sql Server. To be fair; they're doing something more complex than putting some html-pages in there :)

Bastard Programmer from Hell :suss:

[Mycroft Holmes]

And I'm betting they have a serious investment in SQL Server licences. And they will almost certainly have had direct support from MS if they are pushing the edge of the tech. I know we were offered all sorts of incentives to use MS high volume framework including direct intervention from MS techs. Mind you the licences were $1m+.

Never underestimate the power of human stupidity RAH

[jschell]

Pretty sure most companies are more than willing to offer incentives and support for large contracts. And if one goes with a non-paid solution then of course one had also be prepared to provide ones own support for all possible problems.

[S Douglas]

if sql server can handle NASDAQ[^] then it could handle anything any of us could throw at it.

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