October 22, 2009 at 7:27 pm
The only thing that remains if for you guys to tell us a fool proof way to find a good local tuner. 😉
--Jeff Moden
Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.
October 23, 2009 at 3:12 am
Jeff Moden (10/22/2009)
The only thing that remains if for you guys to tell us a fool proof way to find a good local tuner. 😉
Ask for references, contact those references and ask how happy they were with the consultant and the work that he/she did. Ask the consultant for qualifications. Not degree/cert, but articles they're written, presentations they've given, blogs they write, etc, etc
None of those are foolproof, but all far better than hiring sight unseen
Gail Shaw
Microsoft Certified Master: SQL Server, MVP, M.Sc (Comp Sci)
SQL In The Wild: Discussions on DB performance with occasional diversions into recoverability
October 23, 2009 at 3:47 am
Definitely get references, but make sure they're for work in a similar context and data volumes. There's a world of difference between backoffice systems and online data used 24/7.
Quite a few members here seem to be SQL consultants (duh, it's a SQL forum!) - any tips for getting started as a db scalability consultant? Are you all enjoying a high demand or working weekends in mickey Ds?
October 23, 2009 at 4:06 am
endeavour (10/23/2009)
any tips for getting started as a db scalability consultant?
Know your stuff backwards, forwards, inside out. Make a name for yourself in the community, blogging, writing or presenting. Many of the people you're competing against are doing that.
Going solo is hard. Very hard. Work doesn't magically appear. Make sure you've got the savings to handle a long dry period. Or join a consulting company. Less risk, but less reward (and probably less freedom)
Are you all enjoying a high demand or working weekends in mickey Ds?
High demand, big systems, tough requirements. I don't know about the USA, but here the competition is tight in the mid-low area, but the top people (like my colleague who's been doing this for 15 years) are in constant demand.
Gail Shaw
Microsoft Certified Master: SQL Server, MVP, M.Sc (Comp Sci)
SQL In The Wild: Discussions on DB performance with occasional diversions into recoverability
October 23, 2009 at 8:47 am
GilaMonster (10/23/2009)
endeavour (10/23/2009)
any tips for getting started as a db scalability consultant?Know your stuff backwards, forwards, inside out. Make a name for yourself in the community, blogging, writing or presenting. Many of the people you're competing against are doing that.
Going solo is hard. Very hard. Work doesn't magically appear. Make sure you've got the savings to handle a long dry period. Or join a consulting company. Less risk, but less reward (and probably less freedom)
Are you all enjoying a high demand or working weekends in mickey Ds?
High demand, big systems, tough requirements. I don't know about the USA, but here the competition is tight in the mid-low area, but the top people (like my colleague who's been doing this for 15 years) are in constant demand.
I agree with all of that Gail. Before stepping out on your own try to ensure you have a (or a few) good gigs lines up - or even better some recurring-hour clients. Having a significant other that can cover the bills if things get lean can REALLY take the pressure off too. Also you MUST be VERY good at networking as well as able to interact with all levels of staff and management. If you can't sit down with a junior dba and coach them on how to be better as well as sit down with a suit and tell him why things are hosed up in his organization you probably shouldn't move into tuning as a consulting career - or consulting period for that matter. It is NOT a pursuit that everyone can be successful at.
I have been honing my perf tuning skills and knowledge via over 30000 manhours (yeah I actually estimated it earlier this year) of personal and professional time spent with the SQL Server relational engine. I have plenty of work, even with increasing my rates 20-40% over the last 2 years, and I don't even actively seek work. Well, I suppose doing a dozen or more user group and code camp presentations could be considered seeking work although I don't explicitly ask attendees to hire me. 😀 Same goes for forum posts. I often recommend that a poster utilize a consultant as the best thing for them, but avoid saying "hire me" when I do that. I have actually only gotten 2 clients that I can think of from forum activity, and one of those took about 1.5 hours to help.
Jeff, you said something about finding a "good local tuner". Why does it have to be local? I do probably 50-60% of my billable time sitting in my office at home. I could probably do more, but I confess to doing some onsite visits as an 'excuse' to fly my plane. 😎
Best,
Kevin G. Boles
SQL Server Consultant
SQL MVP 2007-2012
TheSQLGuru on googles mail service
October 23, 2009 at 10:53 am
TheSQLGuru (10/23/2009)
...I do probably 50-60% of my billable time sitting in my office at home.
May I ask how it is organized then? Do you have access to the client's system arranged? Do you work offline from the data that you have collected aforehand?
Regards
Piotr
...and your only reply is slàinte mhath
October 23, 2009 at 12:20 pm
Piotr.Rodak (10/23/2009)
TheSQLGuru (10/23/2009)
...I do probably 50-60% of my billable time sitting in my office at home.May I ask how it is organized then? Do you have access to the client's system arranged? Do you work offline from the data that you have collected aforehand?
Regards
Piotr
Virtually every company of any size has VPN access to their systems. I have 4 different VPN systems installed on my laptop (NOT a good idea, btw - lots of incompatabilities!) so I simply connect up to the client VPN. Sometimes I have to remote into a system to access databases, which is unfortunate since I have so much intellectual property stored on my laptop to help me do my job better. But often I can connect directly to a database server and work from my machine at home. I do also gather up data (most often profile traces and perf mon data) to load up on home machines for offline analysis. During large-scale dev projects I occassionally restore a client database at home, although this is a rare scenario.
Best,
Kevin G. Boles
SQL Server Consultant
SQL MVP 2007-2012
TheSQLGuru on googles mail service
October 23, 2009 at 12:31 pm
Thanks 🙂
Piotr
...and your only reply is slàinte mhath
Viewing 8 posts - 16 through 22 (of 22 total)
You must be logged in to reply to this topic. Login to reply