Managed Database & DBA Services
Most business systems depend on a database that nobody is actively looking after. We provide the administration and review work that keeps it performing, recoverable and properly controlled, and we can work alongside an existing platform or hosting provider.
Who it helps
Where managed database & dba services tends to fit
If more than one of these sounds familiar, the solution is likely worth a conversation.
- Organisations running a business critical database without a dedicated administrator.
- Teams whose reporting or application has become noticeably slower over time.
- Businesses planning a platform upgrade, migration or version change.
- Operations that need evidence that backups actually restore.
Business problems
The problems this is usually brought in to solve
Performance has drifted
Reports and screens take longer each year, and nobody can say which query or change caused it.
Backups exist but are untested
Backups run on schedule, but a restore has not been attempted, so recovery remains an assumption.
Access has accumulated
Accounts and permissions have been added over years and no longer match who actually needs access.
An upgrade is overdue
The database version is approaching end of support and the migration path has not been planned.
Services and capabilities
Core capabilities and optional additions
Core capabilities are part of a typical build. Optional additions are included only when the agreed scope calls for them. What you receive in the end depends on the scope we agree together, so treat this as the menu rather than the order.
Core capabilities
- Database health checks covering configuration, growth and warning signs
- Query review and optimisation, including execution plans and indexes
- Index design and removal of redundant or unused indexes
- Monitoring for availability, resource pressure and long running work
- Access control review, with accounts and roles aligned to current staff
- Backup configuration and verification that jobs complete as intended
- Restore testing so recovery is proven rather than assumed
- Migrations between platforms, versions or hosting environments
- Version upgrades with a rollback plan and a rehearsed cutover
- Availability planning, including failover and maintenance windows
- Capacity planning against expected data growth
Optional additions
- Reporting read replicas to keep heavy queries away from the live system
- Data archiving for records that no longer need to be online
- Encryption at rest or column level encryption for sensitive fields
- Automated data quality checks on key tables
- Assistance with audit or assurance evidence requests
Anything listed as optional is quoted separately and only built if you decide it is worth having.
What an engagement can include
How a scoped project is put together
Not every project needs every step. This is the shape a typical engagement takes, and the scope you agree selects the parts that apply.
- 1Assessment of the current environment, including version, size and dependencies
- 2Written findings with a prioritised list of risks and recommended work
- 3Agreed scope covering the changes you want made and the review schedule
- 4Changes applied in a controlled way, with testing before production
- 5Documentation of the configuration, backup approach and recovery steps
- 6Ongoing monitoring and periodic review where that is agreed
Typical workflows
How it works day to day
These are the workflows this solution usually supports. Yours will be shaped during discovery.
Performance review
- 1Monitoring and query statistics are collected over a representative period
- 2The heaviest and slowest work is identified and traced to its source
- 3Indexes, queries or configuration are adjusted and measured against the baseline
- 4The improvement is documented so the cause is understood later
Recovery testing
- 1A restore is performed into an isolated environment from the current backups
- 2The restored data is checked for completeness and consistency
- 3Timings are recorded so recovery expectations reflect reality
- 4Any gaps in the backup approach are corrected and the test is repeated
Integration options
What it can connect to
Every system also has to allow the connection in the first place. Where a platform does not offer a supported way to integrate, we will tell you during discovery rather than work around it quietly.
Application and reporting layers
The systems that read and write the database, so changes are checked against real usage.
Monitoring and alerting
Health, resource and job failure alerts routed to whoever responds to them.
Backup and storage services
Snapshot and backup targets, including off site copies where required.
Identity and access tooling
Accounts and group membership, so database access follows your directory where it can.
Delivery and handover
What you receive, and what stays with you
- Assessment report listing findings, risks and recommended work in priority order
- Change records for anything applied, so the environment's history is traceable
- Documentation covering configuration, backup schedule and recovery procedure
- Handover session with your team, or an agreed ongoing arrangement
- A statement of which platforms and versions are in scope, confirmed with you before work begins
Security and operations
Security and operational considerations
These are the controls and habits that come with the solution. The detail is agreed for your environment during scoping.
- Least privilege accounts, with administrative access separated from application access
- Encryption in transit, and at rest where the platform and your requirements call for it
- Access reviews so accounts belonging to former staff are removed
- Audit logging of privileged actions and schema changes
- Credentials held in managed secret storage rather than application configuration files
Questions
Managed Database & DBA Services questions, answered
We confirm the platform and version in use before proposing any work, then tell you specifically what we can support. If your platform is outside our experience we will say so rather than learn at your expense.
Usually yes. Many of the review, tuning and recovery tasks can be done remotely with the right access. Where the hosting provider restricts what can be changed, we work within those limits and document them.
A regular restore test is the only way to know recovery will work. The interval depends on how much data you can afford to lose and how often the environment changes. We agree it with you and record the result of each test.
Changes are prepared and tested outside production where possible, applied in a controlled window, and measured against a baseline captured before the change so the effect is known.
We do not publish response time commitments or service level guarantees on this website. If you need a formal support arrangement, that is agreed in writing between us and documented in the contract.
Related solutions
Often considered alongside this
- Cloud & Application ModernisationAssess and improve existing applications: hosting, APIs, automation, observability, resilience and cost management.View solution
- Custom Web ApplicationsCustomer portals, staff systems, dashboards and workflow applications built to match how your organisation actually operates.View solution
- Financial Technology SolutionsFinance workflows, reconciliation, approvals, audit trails and cash flow reporting built on the systems your finance team uses.View solution
Next step
Discuss your managed database & dba services requirements
Tell us about your current systems, the people involved and what you need the outcome to be. We will suggest a scope, flag anything that needs checking first, and explain what the work involves.