Performance troubleshooting
SQL Server is slow and nobody knows why
Waits, blocking, deadlocks, query plans, indexes, workload timing, and recent releases need to be checked together.
SQL Server consulting services
Is your SQL Server slow, hard to recover or risky to change?
I look at the SQL Server details behind the symptom, separate the urgent production risk from cleanup work, and tell you what I would check or fix first. If you need to hire SQL Server expert help, the useful first step is a clear review of the logs, query plans, wait stats, backup history, job output, and recent changes.
Senior SQL Server DBA consultant
Mihaly Kertesz
Independent SQL Server consulting
My background includes database roles in banking, logistics, software, and enterprise infrastructure environments.
For production SQL Server questions, you work directly with the SQL Server consultant checking the details.
Who am I?20+ years experience
SQL Server 2005-2025
Production environments
HA/DR & recovery
Performance & upgrades
System design and automation
Previous database and infrastructure roles
Reasons companies need SQL Server consulting
Companies usually contact me when they do not have a SQL Server DBA, when SQL Server has started causing problems, or when planned work needs more database experience than they have internally.
The first goal is to understand the current issue, check what is actually happening, explain it clearly, and create a practical plan to solve it.
Typical areas
Performance troubleshootingBackup and recovery testingUpgrades and migrationsOwnership and documentationHigh availability and disaster recoveryOngoing DBA support
Backup and recovery testing
Backups exist, but no one did a restore test
Backup jobs may be running, but restore order, log chains, restore timing, and responsibilities are still unclear.
Upgrades and migrations
Upgrade or migration is coming up without a clear plan
Target version, compatibility level, test run quality, downtime, validation, and rollback need a second look.
Ownership and documentation
DBA left the company
Jobs, backups, monitoring, access, documentation, and current responsibilities need to be made clear enough to operate.
High availability and disaster recovery
Always On or failover setup needs review
Replica health, failover behavior, backup preference, listener routing, alerts, and the runbook may need checking.
Ongoing DBA support
You need ad-hoc DBA support
The company needs SQL Server checks, troubleshooting, or planned-change help, but not a full-time hire.
SQL Server consulting services
These SQL Server consultant services cover the usual routes: performance review, recovery readiness, upgrade support, health audit work, and monthly DBA support when the issue is recurring.
Performance review
For blocking, deadlocks, slow periods, and unexplained performance problems.
Outcome: Identify bottlenecks and prioritize improvements.
Recovery readiness
For restore testing, failover validation, and disaster recovery planning.
Outcome: Verify recovery procedures before they are needed.
Upgrade support
For version upgrades, migrations, and compatibility changes.
Outcome: Reduce upgrade risk and validate rollback planning.
Health audit
For handed-over environments, unclear ownership, and supportability concerns.
Outcome: Understand current risk and what should be addressed first.
Monthly DBA support
For ongoing SQL Server oversight without hiring a full-time DBA.
Outcome: Regular review, troubleshooting, and planned-change support.
Choosing help
How do I find a good SQL Server consultant?
A good SQL Server consultant should narrow the problem with real SQL Server inputs before recommending work. The first conversation should make the next check clearer, not just longer.
How do I find a good SQL Server consultant?
Look for someone who asks for the version, symptom, business impact, recent changes, logs, query plans, wait stats, backup history, job output, and monitoring data before jumping to a fix.
What should I look for in a SQL Server consultant?
Look for production SQL Server experience, clear written findings, comfort with backups and recovery, performance diagnosis, planned changes, access boundaries, and the ability to say when a larger managed-service setup is the better fit.
When should I hire a SQL Server consultant?
Hire a consultant when SQL Server is slow, recovery has not been tested, an upgrade or migration is coming, a DBA left, a handed-over setup is unclear, or recurring issues need senior review before they become normal.
When does remote SQL Server consulting work?
Remote consulting works when someone can share context, arrange controlled access or screen sharing, provide logs and monitoring data, and answer business-timing questions quickly.
How SQL Server consulting starts
The first goal is understanding the problem, confirming the scope, and deciding the fastest path to useful findings.
01
Send the situation
Describe the issue, planned change, urgency, version, and any logs or monitoring data you already have.
02
Confirm the fit
I reply with the service that fits, the details still needed, and whether a short call would help.
03
Agree the scope
We agree on the deliverables, access, boundaries, timing, and commercial terms before technical work starts.
04
Review and handoff
I review the SQL Server details and return the findings, recommended actions, and any follow-up work we agreed.
Related guides and documentation
Use these when you want to read more before contacting me or narrow the SQL Server problem yourself.
Performance issues
Use this when users report slow screens, blocked sessions, deadlocks, or repeated performance problems.
Open guide
Backups and recovery
Use this when backups exist but restore testing, log chains, recovery timing, or runbooks are unclear.
Open guide
Upgrade planning
Use this before a version upgrade, compatibility-level change, migration, or risky patch window.
Open guide
Monitoring
Use this when alerts, SQL Agent jobs, backups, error logs, and response paths need review.
Open guide
SQL Server guide library
Practical SQL Server pages for backups, monitoring, blocking, upgrades, recovery, and maintenance.
SQL Server health audit
A scoped review for backups, jobs, monitoring, configuration, tempdb, security, and what to fix first.
SQL Server performance review
For slow periods, blocking, waits, query plans, tempdb pressure, and workload timing.
SQL Server Consulting FAQ
What is included in SQL Server consulting?
+
SQL Server consulting services can include performance review, restore and recovery checks, upgrade planning, health audit work, monitoring review, job review, and ongoing DBA support planning.
What does a SQL Server consultant do?
+
A SQL Server consultant checks the symptoms, reads logs, query plans, wait stats, backup history, job output, and monitoring data, explains what is happening, and recommends what to fix or investigate next.
How is this different from hiring a larger SQL Server consulting firm?
+
You work directly with one senior consultant. Larger firms can make sense for 24/7 coverage, procurement-heavy work, or several people working in parallel.
Can you help if we do not have an internal DBA?
+
Yes. I can check the current setup, identify the SQL Server items that need attention first, and tell you whether monthly DBA support makes more sense.
Can you start from logs and query plans?
+
Often, yes. The first pass can start from logs, query plans, wait stats, job output, backup history, and monitoring data.
Do you implement fixes?
+
Both are possible. Some work ends with findings and recommendations; some continues into implementation or follow-up support.
What if the problem is urgent?
+
Send the version, symptom, production impact, and what changed recently. I will tell you whether I can help or whether another route is more sensible.
When is monthly DBA support a better fit than consulting?
+
Monthly DBA support fits when SQL Server needs regular checks, planned-change help, and recurring troubleshooting instead of a one-time review.
Can this start read-only?
+
Often, yes. Some reviews can start from shared logs, query plans, backup history, monitoring data, or read-only access.
Do you provide remote SQL Server consulting?
+
Yes. Most SQL Server review work can be done remotely if you can share access, logs, monitoring data, plans, and context.
What should I send first?
+
Send the version, environment type, urgency, production impact, recent change, and a short description of the issue or planned change.
Tell me what is going on with your SQL Server
Start with a short message. I will reply with what I would look at first and whether this is the right kind of work for me.