An independent consultant since 2006, I have worked on SQL Server since version 6.5. I step in when an application slows down, when a server costs too much in storage or licenses, or when a migration must happen without stopping production.
Audit and diagnosis
I measure what the server does, find the cause of a slowdown and tell you what to fix, in what order. On site, or remotely within five days.
Tuning
Rewriting expensive queries, indexing, server settings, compression. I work on the SQL code as much as on the instance, including SQL generated by an ORM or a packaged application.
Migrations and operations
Version upgrades and cloud migrations (Azure, AWS RDS), high availability, backups, storage reduction, remote DBA work over the long term.
Training and coaching
A trainer since 2007, with my own course material: administration, T-SQL, tuning, troubleshooting, high availability. I also train your team during the engagement, so it stays in control after I leave.
Tools
I write the tools I need and publish them as open source: sql-auditor for audits, SqlGoPace for maintenance, sqlferret and sqltop for workload analysis.
Books and videos
Author of SQL Server 2012 Security Cookbook (Packt) and coauthor of Pro T-SQL 2012 Programmer’s Guide (Apress), with more than 120 video courses on LinkedIn Learning and nine on Pluralsight.
Selected results
| Situation | Result |
|---|---|
| Multi-terabyte database on a 25 TB disk | Moved to a 6 TB disk, with production stopped only for the switchover |
| Settlement query at an industrial group | From 15 h 59 min of CPU to 19 seconds, with no new index |
| Backup of a 1.3 TB data warehouse | From 10 h 31 min to 1 h 46 min |
| Online booking application under load | Response time from 60 seconds to 3 seconds |
| Fleet of eight servers | Consolidated onto a single 24-core server, with fewer licenses |
The details, anonymized, are on the Achievements page.
How I work
- I measure before I recommend: every conclusion comes from a figure taken on your server.
- I give you the commands, not just the diagnosis, and I estimate what each fix should bring.
- I warn you before touching production, and I log every change with its expected effect, so we can check it afterward.
- I work with your developers and your DBA. When the problem comes from a vendor application, I document the cause so you can discuss it with the vendor.
Why SQL Server needs a specialist
An application that is fast on a developer’s machine often slows down in production, as data volume and users grow. Teams then add memory or CPUs without knowing where the problem comes from, and the gain is disappointing. The cause is almost always elsewhere: a query written row by row instead of set-based, a missing or useless index, stale statistics, a server setting left at its default. Fixing these costs less than a bigger machine, and the gain can be measured.
Background
- Microsoft MVP Data Platform in 2008 and 2009, then from 2018 to 2025.
- More than 1,200 trainees surveyed at Orsys since 2010: delivery rated 3.9 out of 4 since 2022.
- French and English. Based in Paris, working across France and remotely.