When does database performance matter?

08 Feb 2020 16203 views 0 minutes to read Contributors

When does database performance matter?

We understand. Data management is not your core business. You have many other priorities.  

After all, your databases are probably running okay most of the time. Your team may not have the time or specialist knowledge to get them running better. Maybe it’s fine to forget about them for now?

The truth is, even if your slow, sluggish databases aren’t causing big problems right now, performance always matters. Your marketing team has campaign deadlines, your ecommerce department has orders to fulfill and your customer services center has impatient customers on the phone. No-one is ever willing to wait; they all want the data to be there as soon as they press that button.

Many companies are suffering from lack of good database management and reliable data. Maybe the business has enjoyed significant growth, but not reviewed its database environment to ensure it’s still optimized and has the right managed services in place. If you’re relying on old databases and outdated machines and infrastructure, at some point you’re likely to experience a problem.

We’ll be happy to help you sort it out. But, we can also help you prevent the problems occurring in the first place.  Here are three areas to consider.

Make the correct diagnosis  

When customers call us in to run database health checks, it’s often because their databases are slow. They have attempted to resolve the issue with extra memory and disc space, but it’s still slow. It’s only when we start to investigate and dig down, we find the underlying database issue. 

For example, it could be missing indexes.  This is a frequently overlooked issue that significantly drains database performance. In fact, we have helped customers improve their database performance by up to 90% simply by identifying and resolving issues around missing indexes.

Don’t rely on quick fixes

Performance issues, such as slow data retrieval, have a heavy impact on usability. Sometimes, end- users get a bit desperate and invent their own workarounds to get the data they need. Hopefully, not with a hammer!

However, even more conventional workarounds can lead to problems. For example, if it takes too long to retrieve a new set of data, your end-users may simply work with old data. This leads to inaccurate reporting.

You can also end up with what we call ‘small islands’ of people with specific knowledge. The risk here is that if that person leaves your company, you lose the knowledge. In the long run, it’s much more efficient and cost effective to ensure your database environment is properly optimized.

Automate, automate, automate 

We advise all our customers to automate their database performance analysis as much as possible. There are a number of tools available so it’s a worthwhile investment to have an experienced Database Administrator (DBA) look at how your database environment is structured before you do this. For example, if you’re using MS Dynamics, you can’t always change everything you’d like to change. 

Here at SQLTreeo, we also take the time to understand your business and what you’re using your databases for. This in-depth, personalized approach means we can help you make the most of the automation opportunities available.  Contact us to find out more.

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