Service
Health audit
For running environments that need backups, jobs, configuration, monitoring, and ownership checked before the next change.
Services / SQL Server consulting
SQL Server consulting
I review SQL Server production issues and turn logs, plans, and monitoring data into clear next steps.
Use this for performance issues, upgrade risk, restore checks, unclear ownership, or an environment that needs a proper review.
How the work usually starts
Good SQL Server consulting starts with the symptom, the details, and what changed recently
Send the SQL Server version, topology, urgency, and any waits, plans, backup history, job output, monitoring, or error logs you already have.
SQL Server consultingProduction reviewWait statsUpgrade rehearsalRestore proofMonitoring gapsClear next actions
Performance issuesUnclear ownershipRecovery questionsPlanned changeRemote reviewSQL Server DBA support
Input
Symptoms, recent change, current deadline.
Review
Performance, recovery, upgrade, monitoring, or ownership risk.
Output
Findings, priorities, and what can wait.
Services
SQL Server consulting services
Start with the closest fit when the work is mainly performance, recovery, upgrades, or a health audit.
Service
Performance review
For blocking, waits, deadlocks, or slow workload periods where you need a clear diagnosis.
Service
Upgrade support
For version changes where compatibility, rehearsal, rollback, and validation need a second technical check.
Service
Recovery readiness
For restore paths, failover behavior, and disaster recovery plans that need testing before they are trusted.
When to book
When to book SQL Server consulting
Book SQL Server consulting when performance, recovery, upgrades, ownership, or supportability need to be checked together.
If the problem is clearly one thing, start with the matching service. If several risks overlap, send me the situation and I will help sort the first step.
SQL Server consulting for existing environments
Use this when you are now responsible for SQL Server and need backups, jobs, configuration, ownership, and supportability checked.
SQL Server consulting for performance problems
Use this when blocking, waits, deadlocks, slow periods, or workload changes still do not have a clear cause.
SQL Server consulting for planned changes
Use this before upgrades, migrations, rollouts, or infrastructure moves when rehearsal, rollback, or validation still look weak.
SQL Server consulting for recovery questions
Use this when backups exist, but restore testing, failover behavior, or recovery timing has not been proven.
Coverage
What SQL Server consulting can cover
I check the SQL Server areas that matter to the issue: performance, recovery, upgrades, monitoring, operations, and capacity.
Performance
Performance tuning and blocking
I check waits, blocking chains, deadlocks, plan changes, indexing, statistics, and workload timing before changing production settings.
WaitsBlockingPlans
Health
Health checks and existing environments
I check backups, restore confidence, maintenance jobs, tempdb, configuration, ownership, alerting, and documentation.
BackupsJobsTempdb
Change
Upgrade, migration, and compatibility review
I check version targets, compatibility level, deprecated behavior, rehearsal quality, rollback, downtime, and validation.
VersionRollbackValidation
Recovery
Recovery, HA, and disaster recovery
I check restore order, RPO and RTO targets, failover behavior, HA setup, backup chains, and recovery runbooks.
RestoreRPO/RTOFailover
Operations
Monitoring and operational DBA support
I check SQL Agent jobs, error logs, alert thresholds, failed maintenance, growth trends, security drift, and monitoring signals.
AgentErrorsAlerts
Capacity
Architecture and capacity decisions
I check whether the instance, storage, memory, CPU, edition, licensing, and topology still fit the workload.
StorageMemoryCPU
Process
How SQL Server consulting works
I start with the problem, check the logs and monitoring data, and give you the risks and next actions in priority order.
What to send
Version, topology, symptoms, logs.
What I check
Performance, recovery, upgrade, monitoring.
What you get
Findings, recommendations, priorities.
Step
1. Share the SQL Server context
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Step
1. Share the SQL Server context
Send the SQL Server version, topology, symptom, planned change, and any waits, plans, backup history, job output, monitoring, or error logs.
Step
2. I check the details
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Step
2. I check the details
I check the areas that match the problem: performance, recovery, upgrade readiness, monitoring, capacity, security, configuration, or ownership risk.
Step
3. I prioritize the work
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Step
3. I prioritize the work
I separate urgent production risk from cleanup work and put the next checks or fixes in priority order.
Step
4. You get clear findings
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Step
4. You get clear findings
You get findings, recommended changes, the reason for each change, and the items that can wait.
Remote DBA and consulting
Remote SQL Server consulting and DBA support
I can review performance issues, migration plans, restore testing, maintenance gaps, and production risk remotely.
If ongoing DBA support is the better fit, I will say that plainly.
Working style and pricing
I check the system, test the weak points, and give you findings in priority order. Most work can be done remotely if you can share access, logs, plans, and monitoring data.
My hourly rate starts at 140 EUR. Larger scopes can be quoted separately when the problem is already well defined. A short first message is enough.
Guides and proof
SQL Server consulting guides
Use these guides when you want to check a SQL Server problem before contacting me.
Guide
Existing SQL Server environment review
For weak documentation, unclear ownership, unverified backups, job history gaps, configuration drift, and supportability concerns.
Open guide
Guide
Remote SQL Server help
For remote performance checks, upgrade planning, recovery review, and production troubleshooting.
Open guide
Guide
Independent consultant or larger vendor
For companies comparing direct senior help with a larger vendor when speed, access, and ownership matter.
Open guide
Guide
SQL Server performance problems
For performance problems where waits, blocking, plan changes, and workload timing need to be checked together.
Open guide
Related page
Background and experience
My background, roles, and production SQL Server work.
Related page
Case studies and proof pages
Anonymized SQL Server audit, upgrade, monitoring, recovery, and cleanup examples.
Related page
SQL Server problems
Common SQL Server symptoms and the checks that help narrow them down.
When to bring in SQL Server help
I usually get involved when a SQL Server issue affects production, blocks a planned change, or needs a second review before someone changes settings.
That can mean checking wait stats, blocking, backup history, restore testing, SQL Agent jobs, upgrade notes, server configuration, or monitoring data.
You get a practical order: what to fix now, what to check next, and what can wait.
When not to book SQL Server consulting
Do not book me if the answer is already decided and you only need someone to approve it.
I am also not a good fit if every finding will be argued away before the logs, plans, waits, backups, or configuration have been checked.
Questions are fine. Replacing checks with opinions is not a useful use of time.
Book SQL Server consulting
Book SQL Server consulting before a small issue turns into downtime, a failed change or a bigger bill.
Send me what is happening, how urgent it is, and what access or logs you can share. I will tell you if consulting is the right next step.
Book SQL Server consulting
Version, urgency, symptom, planned change, or production impact is enough for the first message.
FAQ
What is included in SQL Server consulting?
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I can check performance issues, upgrade risk, restore confidence, unclear ownership, supportability, backups, jobs, monitoring, and configuration.
Do you provide remote SQL Server consulting?
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Yes. Most SQL Server review work can be done remotely if you can share access, logs, monitoring data, plans, and context.
Does SQL Server consulting include upgrades and migrations?
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Yes. I can check readiness, rehearsal quality, rollback planning, validation, and technical risk before the change window.
Does SQL Server consulting include performance problems?
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Yes. I check blocking, waits, deadlocks, slow workload periods, plan changes, and the details needed to narrow the bottleneck.
Is SQL Server consulting only for large companies?
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No. Any company running SQL Server in production can need help with ownership, recovery, performance, supportability, or change risk.
What should I send before SQL Server consulting starts?
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Send the version, environment type, urgency, production impact, and a short description of the issue or planned change.