By default, Access operates without a database server. Each user runs a separate copy of the program, which directly accesses the data file. When a database server is introduced, the users’ machines stop doing the hard work – they simply query the server, which returns the results.
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The Right Database Server for Your Business
Choosing the right database server is critical for businesses that want to improve their efficiency and reliability. But selecting the right database server for your business can be a daunting task. At Blueberry, we help businesses navigate through the various options and recommend the best-suited server for their needs.
Choosing a Database Server
Database Servers
Why Use a Database Server?
The big advantage of the server approach is speed: all the heavy work happens on the same machine that actually holds the data file, so it’s much faster. The second advantage is reliability: database server software is designed to protect the database against crashes and power failures.
There are many different types of database server software available. Oracle Database and IBM Db2 are still in use, especially in legacy enterprise systems, but the market has shifted strongly toward cloud-native databases (such as AWS Aurora, Google Cloud Spanner, and Azure Cosmos DB) and open-source options like PostgreSQL, MySQL, and MongoDB. These modern solutions are scalable, cost-effective, and better suited to today’s distributed and cloud-first architectures.
Older names such as SyBase have declined significantly in relevance, and while Microsoft Access still exists, it is no longer a widely used option even for small-scale applications. Instead, small and medium businesses now often adopt cloud-hosted databases (like Azure SQL Database, Firebase, or Airtable) or lightweight open-source systems such as SQLite.
The idea of “upsizing from Access” was important in the early 2000s, but today most new applications are built directly on modern databases from the start — whether open-source, cloud-native, or platform-managed services.
Microsoft SQL Server
Microsoft SQL Server remains a popular choice for database applications, particularly in enterprise and mid-size environments, but its position as the clear market leader has been challenged by the rise of cloud-native solutions and open-source alternatives such as PostgreSQL and MySQL.
SQL Server continues to offer a rich collection of features, with strong integration into the Microsoft ecosystem. However, modern deployments increasingly take advantage of managed cloud services such as Azure SQL Managed Instance, Azure SQL Edge, and serverless SQL databases, which provide flexible scaling and consumption-based pricing models. These platforms have also introduced AI-driven tuning and automation tools (such as Microsoft’s Azure Automanage for SQL), which reduce the need for manual configuration by in-house specialists.
Older licensing models that charged separately for "web connections" are largely obsolete. Today, costs depend on deployment model (on-premises vs. cloud), scalability needs, and usage levels — making SQL Server accessible to a broad range of organisations while aligning better with cloud-first strategies.
Microsoft Data Engine/SQL Server Express
MSDE was once Microsoft’s recommended upgrade route from Access for companies with five users or fewer. It was essentially a cut-down version of SQL Server that developers could distribute for free with their solutions. However, support for MSDE officially ended in 2008, and Microsoft directed users to SQL Server Express as the successor.
While SQL Server Express is still available and continues to serve as a lightweight, no-cost option for small-scale deployments, in 2025 the recommendation is often to use the latest SQL Server Express version or consider cloud-based alternatives such as Azure SQL Database. These cloud services provide scalability, security, and simplified management that go beyond the limitations of Express, making them a stronger long-term choice for modern applications.
MySQL
MySQL remains a widely used open-source database and continues to be a reliable, well-tested option for many applications. Its community edition is free, while commercial options are available through subscription-based pricing, with MySQL Enterprise Edition licensed per year, per server, rather than a flat license fee.
While MySQL is a solid choice, the database landscape has evolved. Newer technologies such as PostgreSQL, MongoDB, CockroachDB, and cloud-native databases like Amazon Aurora have gained significant traction, offering advanced features, scalability, and flexibility for modern applications.
MySQL continues to perform well for web and enterprise applications and remains a viable competitor to mainstream products, particularly for users who prefer an established, open-source solution with broad community support.
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