Rate
140 EUR / hour
Scoped SQL Server work with custom quotes for bigger or longer-term involvement.
MKservices / sql server consulting
SQL Server
consulting.
Stop babysitting your SQL Server. Get senior database judgment for systems that need to perform under pressure.
I help with installation, setup, configuration, tuning, system design, troubleshooting, and production review when the database is live, uncomfortable to own, or about to change.
Availability
Booking early May
I keep a limited number of active engagements so response quality stays high.
Best fit
Tuning, review, setup, stabilization
Useful when the database is already live, under pressure, or about to change.
Start with
Version, issue, urgency
A short technical summary is enough to tell whether the work is hourly or quote-based.
Fixed-scope entry
Health and stability audit.
Flat fee1,500 EUR
3-day deep dive into the SQL Server environment.
Read-only diagnostics first: no intrusive changes without explicit approval.
Prioritized fix list with the highest-value actions first.
Immediate sane-default corrections where they are clear and safe to make.
No long-term commitment required to start.
Default vs sane state
What usually changes after a serious review.
| Area | Default state | Sane state |
|---|---|---|
| TempDB | One file, default growth, no clear sizing logic. | File layout and growth settings aligned to the workload and operational reality. |
| Memory | Left dynamic until the OS starts fighting for resources. | Capped and reviewed for stability, workload fit, and host behavior. |
| Backups | Running somewhere, but restore confidence is unclear. | Backups, restore path, timing, and recovery expectations actually reviewed. |
| Maintenance | Jobs exist, but nobody fully trusts what they do. | Maintenance strategy checked against the system instead of assumed to be fine. |
Trusted by teams in environments like
KBC Global ServicesHellmann Worldwide LogisticsUnisysTranscomErste BankHPE
Current availability
Booking early May
Who you are talking to
Senior database engineer with enterprise operations background across banking, logistics, and other high-pressure environments.
Working style
Focused, low-noise, and built for environments where recovery, change control, and uptime matter more than presentation.
Experience
Enterprise database environments worked in.
This page comes out of enterprise database work where uptime, performance, recovery, and operational clarity had real consequences.
KBC Global ServicesHellmann Worldwide LogisticsUnisysTranscomErste BankHPE
Relevant roles
Roles closest to this service.
Shorter engineering stints, longer enterprise roles, and environments where database work had to hold up under real operational pressure.
KBC Global Services
Senior Database Engineer
Enterprise database reliability work in a banking environment where operational mistakes are expensive.
Supported stability and operational clarity in a banking environment where downtime and bad changes carry real cost.
Hellmann Worldwide Logistics
Database Engineer
Database performance, stability, and failure-handling work in logistics systems with real operational pressure.
Worked on database performance and stability for logistics systems that had to stay predictable under load.
Unisys
Senior Database Engineer
Longer enterprise database period focused on operability, stability, and disciplined production work.
Handled longer-running enterprise database work centered on operability, reliability, and disciplined change.
Earlier enterprise roles
DBA / system operations
Work across environments including Erste Bank, IBM, HPE, and IT Services Hungary that built the deeper operational base behind this page.
Built the operational base through database administration, support, and enterprise change work across multiple larger environments.
What this covers
Scope, fit, and the situations this is built for.
Installation and setup
New SQL Server installations, environment setup, baseline configuration, version selection, and getting a fresh deployment into a sane state instead of a default state.
Configuration and hardening
Memory, tempdb, agent, backups, maintenance direction, permissions, and the practical settings that usually decide whether the instance behaves well in production.
Performance tuning
Slow queries, missing indexes, plan instability, blocking, waits, I/O pressure, and the kind of database tuning work that needs real diagnosis instead of folklore.
System design and review
Architecture decisions, instance layout, high-level database design, workload fit, operational risk, and early-stage review before problems become expensive.
Troubleshooting and stabilization
Production issues, unhealthy servers, upgrade anxiety, patching questions, and practical incident support when the system is already hurting.
Ongoing advisory
Second opinions, review work, roadmap input, and practical database guidance when a team needs sharper SQL Server judgment without hiring full-time first.
Good fit
You need help before a new SQL Server deployment goes live.
The server is online, but configuration quality is uncertain.
Query performance, blocking, or general slowness is hurting real work.
You need a second opinion on SQL Server design or operational risk.
You want practical SQL Server help, not a vague architecture deck.
Common situations
Performance that degrades under real workload: Not synthetic benchmark problems. The usual production mix: slow queries, unstable plans, bad indexing decisions, blocking chains, and environments where complaints show up before the root cause is clear.
Configuration that was never fully finished: Instances that technically work but still run on weak memory settings, poor tempdb layout, uncertain backup direction, thin maintenance logic, or defaults that never matched the workload.
Operational risk before change: Environments preparing for upgrades, migrations, heavier usage, or handover where the main question is whether the SQL Server estate is actually ready for what comes next.
Production uncertainty during incidents: Cases where the system is already hurting and the team needs sharper triage: what is noise, what is real, what matters first, and what should not be touched under pressure.
Why this matters to the business
What you are buying is reduced risk, faster clarity, and better change decisions.
Downtime risk
Unclear configuration, fragile recovery paths, and slow diagnosis turn a short issue into a long outage with real business cost.
Change risk
Upgrades, migrations, and growth are where weak SQL Server foundations usually get exposed at the worst possible time.
Ownership risk
If nobody really trusts the server, every incident, release, and handover gets slower, more expensive, and harder to defend.
Why people usually reach out
When SQL Server needs senior input.
A lot of SQL Server environments are not obviously broken, but they are still uncomfortable to own. Performance is inconsistent. Configuration quality is uncertain. Maintenance exists, but nobody fully trusts it. A planned change is coming, and the team is not sure the instance is in a good place to absorb it.
That is usually where outside SQL Server help is useful. Not to replace the team, but to bring sharper diagnosis, cleaner prioritization, and a clearer read on what matters first.
Sometimes that means tuning. Sometimes it means setup review, workload fit, or calling out design choices that will keep causing pain. The useful part is narrowing the real problem instead of treating every symptom separately.
What you get
What you get back.
Clear findings instead of generic diagnostics.
A prioritized fix list with practical next steps.
Config and workload review grounded in the actual environment.
Direct input on design, stability, maintenance, and patching questions.
A working contact path if you need follow-up implementation or review.
Why work with me
Real production database work, plus public SQL Server reference work.
20+ years around enterprise databases and infrastructure.
Background across banking, logistics, and larger enterprise environments where failure has real cost.
Senior database engineering work shaped by operations, reliability, tuning, recovery, and production change.
Public SQL Server reference work already live on this site, including the updates tracker and guide set.
If you want the broader background behind that, open Whoami. If you want the public SQL Server reference work, use the SQL Server update guide and the updates tracker.
Mihaly Kertesz
How it usually works
How an engagement usually starts.
You send the rough problem, goal, or environment summary.
We narrow the real scope fast: setup, performance, design, review, or production troubleshooting.
I work toward findings and priorities that are actually usable by the team.
If needed, the work continues into follow-up review, implementation input, or deeper diagnosis.
Public work you can check
SQL Server work you can inspect.
SQL Server updates tracker
A live SQL Server reference page built from Microsoft's update source instead of thin recycled notes.
SQL Server update guide
A long-form guide on build lookup, patch planning, support usage, and version-history workflow.
Whoami
The broader background, role history, and database-heavy experience behind this service page.
Pricing
Straight hourly rate. Custom quote when the work stops being simple.
Senior advisory rate140 EURper hour
140 EUR per hour for scoped SQL Server work.
For larger or longer-term work, I will give a custom quote based on scope, depth, and expected involvement.
If the work starts with review or diagnosis, that can also be the basis for a broader follow-up quote.
Senior advisory rate
140 EUR / hour
Larger work
Custom quote
Starting point
Review, diagnosis, or scoped delivery
How quoting works
If the work is clearly bounded, the hourly rate is the simplest starting point.
If it grows into deeper review, ongoing support, or longer delivery, I will quote it based on the real scope instead of forcing it into a flat package.
Best use of the first contact
SQL Server version and environment type
Main problem, goal, or planned change
Whether it is production and how urgent it is
Any known findings: slow queries, blocking, waits, config concerns, or upgrade plans
After first contact
What happens after you reach out.
The first step is usually narrowing the shape of the work. Is this a one-off review, a tuning problem, a setup question, an unstable production situation, or something that is likely to turn into a broader piece of work?
I usually respond within 4 business hours to narrow the scope and tell you what the most useful next step looks like.
Once that is clear, I can usually tell whether the hourly rate is enough, whether the work needs a broader quote, and what the most useful next step is.
Contact path
If this sounds close to what you need, send the rough shape of the problem and I can tell you whether it fits an hourly start or needs a broader quote.
If you want more technical context first, the SQL Server update guide and the live updates tracker show the kind of SQL Server reference work already on the site.
FAQ
Common questions.
What kind of SQL Server work do you take on?
Installation, setup, configuration, performance tuning, system design, troubleshooting, review work, and broader SQL Server consulting where practical database judgment matters.
Can you help with an existing slow or unstable SQL Server environment?
Yes. That includes production review, tuning work, blocking and wait analysis, config problems, and general stabilization where the system is already under pressure.
Do you only help with performance tuning?
No. Performance is one part of it, but the work also includes setup, configuration, design review, maintenance direction, and earlier planning before performance problems show up.
What should I include when reaching out?
A short summary of the system, the main problem or goal, SQL Server version, rough workload size, and any urgency or production impact. Links, screenshots, and sample findings help too.
Next step
If you need SQL Server help, send the rough shape of the problem.
Version, environment type, main symptoms, urgency, and what you already know is usually enough to start. That is more useful than a polished intro.