SQL Server support for software vendors
“Our customer says our application is slow, but we don’t know whether it’s the application, SQL Server or their infrastructure”
When a product depends on SQL Server running in someone else’s environment, performance complaints turn into arguments. We establish where the time is actually going, with evidence both sides can accept.
What we look at
The database side of your product
Working with your developers and support team, and with the customer’s IT team when needed.
- Query performanceThe statements your application sends, how often, and what each one costs in CPU, reads and duration.
- Schema designData types, keys and table design that force scans or implicit conversions as data grows.
- IndexesIndexes that suit your largest customers’ data as well as your test database, without slowing writes.
- BlockingTransaction scope, isolation levels and lock escalation, and whether read committed snapshot isolation would help.
- Stored proceduresParameter sniffing, plan reuse and the procedures that behave differently for different customers.
- ConfigurationInstance and database settings in customer environments that undermine the product: memory, MAXDOP, compatibility level, auto-shrink.
- Customer-specific environmentsUndersized VMs, shared instances, slow storage, antivirus scanning data files and maintenance that never runs.
What you get
- A clear answer on where the problem sits: application queries, database design, SQL Server configuration or infrastructure
- The evidence behind it – wait statistics, execution plans, I/O latency – in a form you can share with the customer
- Specific fixes for your development team, such as rewritten queries, index changes or transaction changes
- Recommended SQL Server settings and minimum specifications for your product documentation
Working arrangements
Some vendors bring us in for a single difficult customer. Others use us as a standing escalation point for their support team, or to review database performance before a major release reaches large customers.
We work under your direction and don’t sell to your customers. SQL Server support options
Next step
Customer blaming the application?
Tell us about the product, how it uses SQL Server and the environments it runs in.