When your SQL Server database becomes slow, unstable or difficult to maintain, you need someone who understands the technology and the business processes depending on it.
We’ve supported SQL Server since 1999. Ring ☎ and you’ll speak directly to an experienced consultant who can diagnose the problem, explain the options and sort it. No first-line script, no ticket queue.
What we support
[IMG-1] — Right-aligned. A query execution plan, or a before/after duration comparison on a real workload. Redacted. The people evaluating this page are technical and one real artefact is worth three paragraphs to them.
Alt: SQL Server query performance analysis
Existing SQL Server systems of all sizes, from small business databases through to business-critical applications.
- Troubleshooting and fault diagnosis
- Performance tuning and query optimisation
- Reporting and SSRS support
- Maintenance plans and job failures
- Upgrades and migrations
- Backup and disaster recovery reviews
- Data integrity investigations
- Integration with other business systems
- Security, permissions and access
- Ongoing support arrangements and ad-hoc consultancy
Whether your database was developed internally, by another supplier, or has been running for years with little documentation, we can help.
Systems somebody else built
Most of the SQL Server databases we support weren’t built by us. They came from a previous supplier, an in-house developer who’s since left, or an application vendor who’s stopped answering.
Typically they’ve become hard to maintain, have no documentation, need enhancements nobody will quote for, and are quietly critical.
The first job is understanding what’s actually there: schema, dependencies, jobs, what’s calling what, and what will cause trouble next. After that, supporting it day to day gets much easier. We specialise in extending the life of systems like that rather than replacing them.
Performance problems
Most organisations contact us because the system has gradually got slower.
- Reports taking too long to run
- Slow data entry screens
- Blocking and locking
- Timeouts and application crashes
- Excessive resource usage on the server
- Poorly performing queries
- Uncontrolled database growth
We look for the cause rather than treating symptoms: database design, indexing strategy, T-SQL, reporting workload and infrastructure. You get practical improvements with measurable results, and a straight answer about which ones are worth doing.
SQL Server performance tuning · T-SQL development
Ongoing maintenance and management
A healthy database needs more than occasional fixes. Outsource the regular checks and you stop finding out about problems from your users.
- Health checks and performance monitoring
- Maintenance plan reviews and job failure alerting
- Backup verification — restores actually tested, not just jobs running green
- Security and permissions reviews
- Capacity planning and growth tracking
- Upgrade and patching planning
- Proactive recommendations rather than reactive callouts
Installation and setup
Getting it right at the start is cheaper than fixing it later. We advise on best practice or handle the whole setup for you: new installations and versions, moving to new hardware or a new host, instance configuration, storage layout, memory and tempdb, maintenance and backup regimes from day one, and licensing sanity-checking before you buy.
SQL Server migration and upgrades · Azure SQL and cloud
Is it urgent?
If the server is down, the database won’t come online, or the business has stopped, ring rather than email: emergency SQL Server support
Corruption, failed restores or data loss: SQL Server repair and recovery
Not SQL Server? Microsoft Access support · MySQL support
Case studies
Aire Valley Catering: four mobile apps, an Access business system, and engineers with no signal
Engineers working on customer sites across the UK can't count on having a signal, and the job still has to be recorded. Four production apps across both app stores, an Access and SQL Server business system behind them, and a roadmap that keeps offline working rather than trading it away.
View case study →Recovering audit and customer data across multiple corrupt SQL databases
Several customer databases became damaged and wouldn't open, putting audit records, operational data and customer information at risk of permanent loss. A structured recovery programme rebuilt usable datasets from the corrupt files and returned multiple customer systems to service.
View case study →ACC Worldwide: a faster SQL Server platform, noticed on day one
A business-critical system was working but slow, and staff felt it every day. Work on the SQL Server environment behind it delivered an immediate speed increase, and left ACC's own IT team with the logging and monitoring tools to keep developing it.
View case study →
Speak directly to a SQL Server consultant
Tell us what the database is doing, which application sits on it and what's changed recently. You'll get an experienced consultant, not a first-line script.
Send us the details → How we work →