SQL Server Performance Consulting
Find out exactly why your SQL Server is slow, then get it fixed by US-based specialists. Free 30-minute consultation, no obligation.
US-based SQL Server specialists since 2015. No cost, no obligation.
Sound familiar?
These are the problems clients bring to us most often.
Slow queries and timeouts
Screens that used to be instant now spin, and users have learned to click twice.
High CPU or memory pressure
The server runs hot all day and nobody can say which workload is responsible.
Blocking and deadlocks
Transactions wait on each other, and the application logs deadlock errors at the busiest time of day.
Nightly jobs that run into the morning
Maintenance, ETL or reports no longer finish inside the window.
Reports that take minutes
The same report that took seconds a year ago now takes long enough to get a coffee.
More data, same hardware
Growth has outpaced the indexes and settings the system was built with.
If any of these sound like your server, a free 30-minute consultation is the fastest way to find out why.
How we can help
Every engagement starts with a free 30-minute consultation. From there we recommend the lightest option that fixes the problem.
Rapid SQL Server Performance Tuning
Best for: a server that is slow right now.
A focused engagement to find and fix the worst bottlenecks fast: wait statistics, the heaviest queries, missing and unused indexes, and the configuration settings that hold the server back.
Database Health and Performance Assessment
Best for: understanding the whole environment before changing it.
A monitoring baseline, a prioritised findings presentation and hands-on remediation in about three weeks, covering performance, backups and maintenance.
Managed Services
Best for: keeping it fast after the fix.
Monitoring several times a day, ongoing tuning, patching and DBA coverage for a single flat fee per server, with a US-based team watching the server so your staff do not have to.
How it works
Tell us what you are seeing
A free 30-minute consultation with a senior SQL Server specialist. You describe the symptoms; we ask the questions that narrow down the cause and tell you honestly whether we can help.
We find the real bottleneck
With your approval we gather wait statistics, query plans, index usage and configuration from your server, using Database Health Monitor and the scripts we have refined since 2015.
We fix it and show you the numbers
Query rewrites, index changes and setting corrections are made with you, measured before and after, and written up so your team knows what changed and why.
Not sure where to start?
Thirty minutes with a senior SQL Server specialist is usually enough to know what is wrong and what it will take to fix it.
2015
Founded
6
Team members
20+ years
Average experience of our US-based DBAs
24/7
Monitoring
What clients say about our performance work
… unlike a typical consultant, they did not just make recommendations, present them and leave; they worked with us to implement the recommendations … and followed up to make sure they had the desired effects.
Scott Effler, Director of Software Engineering
It is clear that Steve and Derrick are in the top 1% in their market. … Our database performs as good or better now than it did before the corruption. They are worth every penny.
Robert Rohr, Senior Analyst, E-Hounds Inc.
Steve and Derrick were very responsive and checked in multiple times post migration to ensure everything was running as expected. … We really appreciate having SQL experts in our corner for our SQL problems.
Bryan Miedzinski, Manager, iCONECT Assist
Trusted by E-Hounds Inc., iCONECT, Skagit Radiology, Paystream and Unity Care Northwest
Who you will be working with
Steve Stedman has worked with SQL Server since 1990 and founded Stedman Solutions, which has tuned SQL Servers for clients since 2015. He created Database Health Monitor, the monitoring tool our team uses, teaches the SQL Server Performance Tuning course and hosts the Stedman SQL Server Podcast. He works with a US-based team of six.
Questions we hear before the first call
How quickly can you start?
Most engagements begin with the free 30-minute consultation within a few business days of booking, and tuning work is scheduled from there. If your server is unusable right now, call (360) 610-7833 and we will tell you straight away what we can do.
What access do you need to my server?
For the diagnosis we usually connect with a login that can read performance data and run Database Health Monitor from a workstation; it uses lightweight queries designed not to interfere with normal operations. Changes to queries, indexes or settings are made with you, in a test environment first wherever one exists.
Do you work with Azure SQL, AWS or on-premises SQL Server?
Yes. We work with SQL Server on premises and on virtual machines in Azure, AWS and other clouds, and the same diagnosis applies to Azure SQL Managed Instance. Ask about Azure SQL Database in the free consultation.
Which SQL Server versions do you support?
SQL Server 2008 through the current release, all editions. Older versions still in production come up often; if you are on one, say so in the consultation and we will plan around it.
What happens in the free 30-minute consultation?
You talk directly with a senior SQL Server specialist. We ask about the symptoms, the environment and what has already been tried, review the key aspects of your database setup, and you leave with a clearer picture of what is going on and actionable next steps. No cost, no obligation.
What if the problem is the hardware, not the database?
We will tell you. Part of the diagnosis is separating SQL Server problems from storage, memory, virtualisation and network limits. If the hardware is the bottleneck, you get that in writing before you spend anything on tuning.
Keep reading
SQL Server Performance Tuning course
Learn the method we use, module by module, at your own pace.
Performance tuning whitepaper
A free PDF on indexing, query tuning and the settings that matter most.
Performance FAQ
Common questions about monitoring SQL Server with Database Health Monitor.
Stedman SQL Server Podcast
Performance tuning, corruption repair and monitoring, one episode at a time.
Ready to make your SQL Server fast again?
Book a free 30-minute consultation, call us, or email [email protected].