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What is the actual problem?
Separate slow queries, rising bills, operational complexity, and licensing concerns. They may need different solutions. Record the current baseline so you can compare a proposed change fairly.
What does the business need?
Define the important queries, acceptable response times, data volume, recovery requirements, and support expectations. Include the everyday workload and the busy periods.
What belongs in the comparison?
Include engineering time, hosting, support, migration effort, and ongoing operations. Test candidates with representative data before making the decision.
A planning guide. The right implementation depends on your system and requirements.
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