Previous Work
Some of the cool things our SQL DBAs have done that we like to talk about.

Performance improvements for port operations
2018
1. Business problem
Boom gate operation slowing down truck volumes.
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2. Solution
Implemented performance enhancements on the SQL server.
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3. Outcome
Boom gates open faster. Trucks enter quicker. Traffic on Tamaki Drive eases – no more traffic jams.
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Performance improvements for retail picklist
2022
1. Business problem
Daily retail picklist generation for restocking takes 6 hours. Delays in restocking stores.
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2. Solution
Implemented performance enhancements on the SQL server.
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3. Outcome
Picklist generation now runs in 6 minutes. 50 times faster. Pickers can restock stores faster.


Performance improvement for hotel booking site
2021
1. Business problem
Hotel searches take 40 seconds to complete during peak load. 25 seconds over the threshold. Questioning why they moved to Azure.
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2. Solution
Identified performance bottlenecks within 20 minutes.
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3. Outcome
Team implemented SQL DBA recommendations. Hotel search now takes 12 seconds.
Local government SLA risk resolved
2021
1. Business problem
20TB database takes up to 6 hours to backup. SLA issue.
Recovery Time Objective is 2 hours. 0% confidence from their DBA team to restore in the RTO.
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2. Solution
Implemented database compression.
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3. Outcome
Database now 12TB. Backup and restore time is now under 2 hours. Back in SLA


Payroll application performance improvements
2021
1. Business problem
Payroll runs take 13 hours and block all report processing.
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2. Solution
Implemented performance enhancements on the SQL server.
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3. Outcome
Payroll runs in 6 hours while all report processing happens as normal.
Consolidate SQL workloads
2023
1. Business problem
Massive data platform sprawl leaves local government agency with managing hundreds of SQL servers.
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2. Solution
Through consolidation and performance tuning, our SQL DBAs reduce the overall data platform footprint.
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3. Outcome
From 120 SQL servers down to 16 SQL servers. 70% opex saving.
