Requirements
The client was referred to us by their key business software supplier, following a SQL Server database project we’d completed improve system performance of another client.
The client was experiencing significant performance issues that was severely affecting critical business operations. This was largely due to an ageing on-premises server infrastructure. They needed help migrating to a newer, faster server to resolve the performance bottlenecks. In addition to the migration, they required ongoing maintenance to keep the SQL Server database running smoothly and ensure they had the support available in case of serious performance issues.
Solution
Firstly, we took a backup of the existing database and migrated it to a new Azure Virtual Machine (VM) running SQL Server for testing. Once validated, we repeated the process for the Live switchover. Migrating to Azure VM allowed the client to provision new hardware, addressing key performance bottlenecks.
Following the migration, we provided (and continue to provide) Remote Database Administration (RDBA) services including maintenance, health checks, performance analysis and proactive tuning. This involved identifying expensive queries, monitoring load, and recommending optimisations such as indexing or query restructuring.
Results
The migration delivered significant performance improvements, enabling maximum throughput of transactions through the system. With regular tuning and monitoring, the database now runs efficiently, making better use of CPU resources, and reducing the need for future hardware upgrades.
