At WARDY IT Solutions, our SQL Server Consultants have the specialised knowledge to help you through every step of developing and implementing a database solution customised to your needs.
What do our SQL Server Consultants do?
We spoke with ten of our Brisbane-based SQL Server Consultants to find out what their roles involve. It wasn’t as easy as tying all their capabilities up into one sentence, we realised that their day to day really depends on their customers needs. Here are just some of the skillsets our consultants exhibit daily:
- System architecture
- Database design
- Performance optimisation
- Data migration
- Data protection
- Data Warehouse design
- Cloud setup and maintenance
- On-premise server maintenance
- Server security
- Business Intelligence
- SSIS, SSAS, SSRS and Power BI
- Writing PowerShell
Part of Darren Dawson’s role as a Data Platform Solution Architect, involves providing an architecture overview to the team for projects both in the cloud and on-premises. He also mentors and trains staff, audits server installations, manages database designs and monitors server security.
Business Intelligence Consultant and Microsoft Certified Trainer Shaun Baggett even delivers courses, mentoring, and database design across the full Microsoft BI stack of products.
Experienced in a wide range of projects
At WARDY IT, we design, build and maintain comprehensive data solutions across the Microsoft platforms. At any time, our consultants can be working on a range of platforms and at various points in the project lifecycle.
Currently some of the projects our consultants are working on include:
- A combined Oracle to SQL Server conversion and Azure cloud migration for a very large database supporting a major insurance service provider’s member and claims management system
- A Power BI, data-driven report to display the organisational chart of a council on daily basis. This will save them hours each month from their previous manual preparation process
- A massive project to modernise a major Australian airport using SQL Server 2017 and hybrid clusters across three datacentres including Azure
- Power BI reporting dashboard monitoring the up-time of Windows Server, SQL Server and Web Site services using PowerShell and SSIS to load the data into an SQL Server reporting database
- CRM data migration from Dynamics to Salesforce.
Common client challenges we see
Many of the challenges our consultants often see are those associated with pushing to the cloud. As Hadyn Dawson explains “With the upturn in cloud platform adoption, many clients are facing new challenges modernising and adapting, not just their applications and data platforms, but their technical and business processes to support new cloud-based IaaS, PaaS and SaaS offerings.”
Clients need to weigh up the financial and operational benefits of moving services from on-premise to the cloud. They often need the help of our consultants to know what the options are for a successful BI solution.
Many clients don’t make business decisions based on the data they’ve been collecting for years either because they don’t understand its value or that there is just so much data that analysing it and working out the valuable insights is just too complex. The data is often spread across multiple sources throughout the organisations. “If they were able to access the data more easily and in one place, it would help them be able to make better business decisions,” explained Annie Leung.
A framework needs to be put in place to allow integration of data from multiple sources. Products like Power BI allow access to visual representations of data in a friendly, informative and responsive manner. The self-service reporting by business users offers considerable value to the organisation.
There can also be challenges uplifting the staff away from manual reporting helping them and adapt to new environments like Power BI.
All of these challenges need to be carefully considered when designing any solution and our consultants are well versed in providing tailored solutions to all of our customer needs.
How we stay up to date
With so many different projects and skills required by our consultants, it’s vital that they stay abreast of software and industry changes. They choose a variety of ways to keep up-to-date.
They take advantage of the very large and helpful online SQL community, active in forums like SQLServerCentral.com and StackExchange.
They’re also active in the community, attending events such as:
- Community events like SQL Saturdays, Power BI meetups, and SQL Server user groups such as QSSUG (QLD SQL Server User Group),
- Conferences including PASS Summit in Seattle and Microsoft Ignite,
- Technology days like AI Bootcamp in Brisbane
Our SQL Server consultants keep up-to-date with current industry news both online and offline.
They gain technical advice and industry news from blogs, RSS feeds and weekly newsletters from sources such as:
- Microsoft (Azure & SQL, PowerBI),
- RedGate,
- Idera,
- Quest,
- SSWUG,
- SQLServerCentral,
- CIS,
- Brent Ozar,
- Pinal Dave,
- Denny Cherry.
They also seek new knowledge by talking to colleagues about what projects they’re working on and what technologies they’re using.
What do SQL Consultants do in their spare time?
What our SQL Consultants like to do in their spare time is as varied as their job descriptions.
When they’re not in the office, you can find many of our consultants outdoors and away from the computers believe it or not. Hadyn Dawson can often be found in his boat “trying to convince the fish to climb aboard.” Alex Batey is also a keen fisherman and camper, as is David Alzamendi who loves camping, hiking and exploring National Parks. Konrad Berger loves to be chasing a white ball out on the golf course while James King will be a bit further afield, backpacking the world. Some prefer less strenuous activities. Keval Desai can be found on a beach with a coconut in hand while Krishna Chaitanya Kasturi likes to listen to music.
They each bring a unique perspective to their job, to help clients with their challenges.
As you can see there are an interesting group of passionate, knowledgeable, experts working as SQL Server consultants at WARDY IT Solutions.
Whatever your requirements are, we’ve had experience dealing with it before. Get in touch now to chat about your needs and how we can help.
