Sound Familiar?
“Our product is so easy to install. It runs on SQL Server, that can be installed with just a few clicks. Set it and Forget It!”
Hopefully you haven’t heard those exact words but if you’ve been working in IT for any length of time you’ve probably heard something close. This is a pet peeve of mine that I’ve blogged about when giving DBAs tips on questions to ask vendors and when giving tips to software vendors on making a better experience for their customers.
I’ve been on the receiving end of products that didn’t follow this advice and it isn’t fun. Especially when you are just starting out in SQL Server or you don’t have a true dedicated DBA staff. You don’t have to suffer (knowingly or unknowingly) in your SQL Server Environment! I often encounter the same set of problems at customer sites, especially customers who have been “DBA-less” for much of their existence. In short time, I can help get you on your feet, and have things running as they should. If you like, I prefer to mentor you and your staff so you are able to keep the necessary skills in house and lessen your need for “outside” help, like me. My end goal is to see everyone having a more positive experience with the product I have specialized in my entire career, SQL Server.
How Can StraightPath Help You?
You can learn more about our origins here and see some client feedback here. We really just want to set out to help your team have a more enjoyable experience with SQL Server overall.
Perhaps one of our offerings below is just what you need. Our rates are affordable and we normally start off with a small time commitment audit/analysis project that leaves you with an actionable document – You can use us to complete the actions listed in the document or you can take this deliverable and work on the tasks yourself or with another consultancy.
Typical Services
While we are able to work with most of your SQL Server database performance, development or database administration needs, the few services listed below are typical engagement patterns we work in. If you see a service that interests you or want to talk about a need not listed, you can e-mail us or call mike at 603.203.9797.
Initial SQL Server Enterprise Audit & DBA Best Practice Analysis
If you don’t know what you don’t know about your environment, this service is for you. We will have some discussions with you to try and understand any pain points. Think of this as a talk with your primary care Doctor trying to understand how you are feeling about your health. We’ll then get to know your SQL Server environment. This can be done remotely (a preference as it saves costs for you and works best with most schedules) or on site. We will typically inventory your SQL Server instances or zero in on a particular need. The analysis looks for quicksand waiting for you – Backups not meeting expectations, Sub-Optimal Performance, Lack of Proper Database Maintenance (a common issue), Security Issues, and other areas of concern. We then document our findings with explanations, instructions and relevant links explaining necessary findings. You keep this document and get a walk through of it personally. You decide what, if any, items you wish to have resolved by StraightPath. If you want to try the fixes on your own, we are available for quick e-mails or calls offering further explanation. If you want to use another consultancy, that is fine – the document is yours. Depending on the environment this type of engagement can typically range in billable hours from 8-40, with most on the lower end of that range.
Remote Database Administration
Perhaps you have had that initial audit or already know what is not working well at your environment. Maybe you just want someone to be on “retainer” or connect to your systems once or twice a month to check things over. We can help through a Remote DBA arrangement that fits your budget and your needs.
Performance Issues
Maybe you are experiencing the woes of performance struggles. We often start out with a client for this very reason and we can bypass some of the more DBA best practices audit steps and delve into your specific performance issues. Often this includes many pieces of the initial audit that identifies issues from the hardware side and the database design and coding side but it goes further to help root out the bottlenecks with an aim towards quickly resolving the issue.
Vendor DBA Audit
I picked on vendors a bit in the earlier linked post reminding vendors to pay more attention to their databases, but I really don’t want to see any vendor in that situation. If you are selling a great product for your industry but need some outside SQL Server/Database expertise to look through your product and its documentation, I’d love to help you! We can go through your installation procedures, your maintenance suggestions and work to make sure you are giving your customers the best experience possible.
Mentoring
I truly believe that the best way to learn is to teach. To that end, I’ve always had a fascination with sharing knowledge and I love doing that for a client. I normally like to work mentoring into all service offerings if there is a person willing to receive that knowledge at the client site. I have also delivered, and really enjoy delivering custom SQL Server training classes to a company. I typically like to work this into an audit so the training is very relevant to any common areas with opportunity for improvement. Working a custom course into an audit also allows me to know the skill needs to tailor the training to and it allows the training to be relevant to your environment.
Where Are We?
We are located in southern New Hampshire. This puts us within a drive to Boston, MA; Portland, ME; Manchester or Concord, NH – really most anywhere in New England is within driving distance. We really can be wherever you need us, though. Much of the work we do (with the exception of classroom offerings) is done remotely, we can have initial face to face meetings, web chats or phone conversations and support your database team remotely, without ever having to incur a travel charge.
Check out out our blog to see tips and tricks from time to time. You can call Mike at 603.203.9797 to discuss your specific situation or contact us through e-mail.
