Independent SQL Server DBA consultancy

Better performance.
Stronger resilience.
Expert SQL support.

Practical database expertise for businesses that depend on SQL Server. From a focused health check to ongoing remote DBA support, DBTECH helps you understand the risks and make the right improvements.

25+ years of hands-on experience · Based in Sheffield · Remote delivery

SQL Server specialistsAdministration, development and tuning
Established in 2011Independent, consultant-led delivery
Flexible engagementProjects, retainers and MSP partnerships
Services

The right expertise.
Where you need it.

Address an immediate issue, plan your next migration or put dependable database support in place. Each engagement starts with your systems, priorities and business requirements.

01 / ASSESS

SQL Server health checks

A structured review of your SQL Server estate, with findings explained in plain English and a prioritised improvement plan.

  • Configuration and capacity review
  • Backup, job and integrity checks
  • Performance and resilience risks
View health checks ↗
02 / OPTIMISE

Performance tuning

Investigate slow queries, blocking and resource pressure. Focus changes on the bottlenecks that affect your applications.

  • Execution plan and query analysis
  • Indexing and statistics review
  • Workload and instance configuration
View performance tuning ↗
03 / MODERNISE

Azure migrations & upgrades

Plan and deliver a move that fits your workload, from SQL Server version upgrades to Azure SQL and Azure virtual machines.

  • Compatibility and readiness assessment
  • Migration, validation and rollback planning
  • Cutover support and handover
Plan your migration ↗
SQL Server 2016 end of support ↗
04 / PROTECT

High availability & recovery

Build your recovery approach around how much downtime and data loss your business can tolerate.

  • AlwaysOn availability groups and clustering
  • Backup and restore strategy
  • Recovery testing and runbooks
Review your recovery readiness ↗
05 / SUPPORT

Remote DBA retainers

Ongoing SQL Server expertise without a full-time hire. Agree the scope, support hours and responsibilities around your needs.

  • Scheduled health and capacity reviews
  • Backups, jobs and maintenance oversight
  • Patching, troubleshooting and advice
Explore ongoing support ↗
06 / PARTNER

MSP partnerships

Extend your managed services offering with specialist SQL Server support for client projects and technical escalations.

  • Additional DBA capacity
  • Project and escalation support
  • Clear documentation and handover
Discuss a partnership ↗
For managed service providers

Your client relationship.
Our SQL Server expertise.

When a client needs deeper database expertise, DBTECH can work alongside your team. Agree the delivery model, communication and responsibilities before work begins.

Start a partner conversation ↗
  • Specialist help with complex SQL Server issues
  • Extra capacity for migrations and upgrades
  • Flexible project or ongoing arrangements
  • Practical recommendations your team can use
  • A clear scope and a documented handover
How we work

Clear steps. Practical outcomes.

01 / UNDERSTAND

Start with your priorities

Discuss the environment, symptoms and business impact. Agree access requirements and a scope before work starts.

02 / IMPROVE

Work from the evidence

Investigate the cause, explain the options and agree changes. Plan validation and rollback around your operating requirements.

03 / HAND OVER

Leave a clear next step

Document findings and changes, share recommendations and agree any follow-up support your team needs.

About DBTECH

Experienced hands.
A direct conversation.

DBTECH Solutions Ltd was founded by Richard Morrison in November 2011. Richard brings more than 25 years of SQL Server DBA and development experience across public and private sector environments.

Work directly with a consultant who understands database administration, query performance, data integration and the operational demands behind them.

Richard’s professional experience includes work with Hiscox, the NHS, Pearson, Royal Mail, British Gas, Unilever, Bet365 and Yorcard. These references describe professional experience, not endorsements or current client relationships.

Understand the environment, find the cause and leave the team with a clear way forward.DBTECH’s approach to consultancy

SQL Server · T-SQL · AlwaysOn · SSIS · SSRS · SSAS · Azure

Contact enquiries

Let’s talk about
your SQL Server.

Tell us what you’re working on, what’s causing concern and the timescale you have in mind. We can then discuss a suitable next step.

Connect with Richard on LinkedIn ↗

Richard Morrison · DBTECH Solutions Ltd
Sheffield, South Yorkshire · Remote consultancy
Company number 07448293

For MSP enquiries, include the type of support you need and whether the requirement is project-based or ongoing.

Add Heading

DBTECHSOLUTIONS LTD
Optimising SQL Server performance, one query at a time.

SQL SERVER PERFORMANCE TUNING

Find what’s slowing
SQL Server down.

Slow queries, blocking or unexplained CPU spikes? Investigate the workload, understand the cause and agree practical changes based on the evidence.

Query analysis

Review costly queries and execution plans.

Waits & blocking

Trace contention and resource pressure.

Indexing & statistics

Assess access paths and maintenance.

Configuration review

Check settings against your workload.

DBTS Monitor activity screen showing CPU, blocking and session investigation

Click the screen to read the original full-size activity view ↗

Evidence before changes

Understand the workload and context.

Focus on business impact

Prioritise the issues affecting users.

Test and validate

Check results against an agreed baseline.

Clear recommendations

Know what to change and why.

PERFORMANCE INVESTIGATION

Why was SQL Server
slow at 1 PM?

A spike is a starting point, not a diagnosis. Look at the same time window across sessions, CPU, waits and blocking to build a clearer picture.

  • Identify the workload active at the time
  • Trace blocking chains and waiting sessions
  • Review query text and execution plans
  • Separate symptoms from likely causes
Open the full-size activity view ↗
Existing activity investigation graphic with CPU timeline and blocking detail

Activity view: CPU, sessions, blocking and waits in one investigation window.

A PRACTICAL TUNING PROCESS

From symptoms
to a clear next step.

Scope the investigation around your environment, access and business priorities. Agree changes and validation before applying them.

01 / UNDERSTAND

Establish the baseline

Review symptoms, timings and workload patterns. Confirm what evidence is available through Query Store, DMVs, execution plans or Extended Events.

02 / INVESTIGATE

Find the constraint

Examine expensive queries, waits, blocking, indexing and configuration. Explain the likely causes and prioritise the options.

03 / VALIDATE

Test the improvement

Agree a controlled change, test it against comparable conditions and document the outcome, trade-offs and rollback plan.

WHAT WE CAN REVIEW

Focused SQL Server expertise.

Queries & execution plans

Plan choices, estimates, expensive operators and query patterns.

Blocking & concurrency

Long transactions, blocking chains, deadlocks and workload contention.

Indexes & statistics

Index suitability, statistics quality and the cost of changes.

Resource pressure

CPU, memory and storage evidence in the context of the workload.

Instance configuration

Memory, parallelism and tempdb settings against environment needs.

Handover & next steps

Prioritised recommendations, validation notes and a walkthrough.

LET’S FIND THE CAUSE

Tell me when it slows down.

Describe the symptoms, SQL Server version and business impact. I’ll reply personally to discuss a suitable investigation. Scope, access and delivery are agreed before work starts.

Discuss your SQL Server ↗