Guided by Expertise

Database Support Insights

Most database issues are not caused by lack of tools. They are caused by delayed decisions, unclear ownership, or gaps in expertise. This is where we share how we approach real environments, solve complex problems, and think about database reliability in practice.

SQL Server data platform built for a bank's DebiCheck payment migration

Case Studies

How RadixTrie gave a South African bank real-time DebiCheck payment insight on SQL Server

When new debit order regulation put a bank's payments migration under time pressure, RadixTrie built a SQL Server and T-SQL data platform that normalised ISO 20022 XML, applied the business rules and gave stakeholders real-time compliance dashboards.

3 min read10 Sept 2026

Architecture

Moving SQL Server to Azure: Managed Instance, VM, or Stay Put

Three realistic destinations for a SQL Server estate, what each actually changes about who does the work, and the questions that decide which one fits. Written for South African organisations weighing the move.

3 min read05 Sept 2026

Choosing a database consultancy in South Africa

Support Models

How to Choose a Database Consultancy in South Africa

The database consultancy you choose will hold the keys to your most important systems. A practical guide to evaluating providers: skills, model, security, references and the contract, with the questions that separate depth from sales.

3 min read03 Sept 2026

Support Models

Remote DBA Services: How Senior Cover Works Across Time Zones and Sites

Most database work does not need someone in the building. It needs the right person, with the right access, at the right time. How remote DBA services work well, how access is secured, and what to expect from the arrangement.

2 min read03 Sept 2026

Support Models

MySQL and MariaDB: Where Small Databases Cause Big Outages

MySQL and MariaDB run websites, integrations and internal tools that quietly became critical. The failure patterns that recur, and the realistic options once you find them in an estate.

2 min read03 Sept 2026

Database high availability and disaster recovery

Reliability

High Availability and Disaster Recovery: Tested Beats Configured

Every estate has a diagram showing failover. Far fewer have a date on which it last worked. What real database high availability and disaster recovery involve across SQL Server, Oracle, PostgreSQL and MySQL, and how to know yours will hold.

2 min read03 Sept 2026

Performance

Database Performance Tuning as a Habit, Not a Project

Performance problems are cheap to fix when they are small and expensive when users are shouting. How continuous tuning works across SQL Server, Oracle, PostgreSQL and MySQL, and why it beats the occasional rescue project.

2 min read03 Sept 2026

Architecture

Oracle to PostgreSQL Migration: What Actually Takes the Time

Moving from Oracle to PostgreSQL is rarely blocked by the database engine. It is the code, the assumptions and the testing that take the time. A realistic view of the work, in the order it usually happens.

2 min read03 Sept 2026

Architecture

SQL Server 2016 Is Out of Support: Your Options, Ranked

Microsoft's extended support for SQL Server 2016 ended in July 2026. If you still run it, here are the realistic options, what each involves, and how to choose without disrupting the business.

2 min read03 Sept 2026

Reliability

The Database Health Check: What a Good One Covers and What It Finds

A database health check is the fastest way to learn where an estate really stands. What a thorough assessment covers across SQL Server, Oracle, PostgreSQL and MySQL, what it typically uncovers, and what you should get back.

2 min read03 Sept 2026

Support Models

Managed DBA Services Explained: What You Hand Over, What You Keep

Managed DBA services are often sold as a black box. This is a plain description of what a managed database service should do for you, what stays your responsibility, and how to tell a good one from a ticket queue.

5 min read03 Sept 2026

Support Models

Oracle Database Support in South Africa: Keeping Licensed Estates Healthy and Compliant

Oracle rewards discipline and punishes drift, in performance, in availability and in licensing. What good Oracle database support covers, and the questions to ask of whoever provides yours.

3 min read03 Sept 2026

Support Models

PostgreSQL Support in South Africa: Running Postgres in Production Without the Guesswork

PostgreSQL is free to download and expensive to neglect. What production-grade PostgreSQL support looks like, the problems that come up most often, and how to decide what your business needs.

3 min read03 Sept 2026

Support Models

SQL Server Support in South Africa: What Good Looks Like

What separates SQL Server support that keeps an estate stable from support that only logs tickets. A practical checklist for South African businesses choosing or reviewing their arrangement.

4 min read03 Sept 2026

Case Studies

How RadixTrie turned right sizing approvals from days into minutes

Approvals were the real blocker, not the rightsizing. Here is how RadixTrie turned slow email threads into clear one click decisions and got momentum back.

3 min read03 Sept 2026

Database professional learning PostgreSQL concepts while transitioning from proprietary database platforms to open-source technology

Case Studies

Reskilling to PostgreSQL: How to Navigate the Challenges

Reskilling to PostgreSQL can be a rewarding shift for experienced DBAs, but it comes with new terminology, tools and troubleshooting habits. This blog explores the key challenges and practical ways to build confidence through hands-on learning.

5 min read03 Sept 2026

PostgreSQL database performance dashboard showing monitoring metrics used to identify storage I/O saturation

Case Studies

How RadixTrie helped stabilise PostgreSQL performance

When Monday morning reporting became slow and unstable, RadixTrie helped uncover the real cause hiding beneath averaged system metrics. By introducing higher resolution monitoring, the team identified storage I/O saturation and helped the customer restore consistent PostgreSQL performance.

2 min read03 Sept 2026

Abstract database infrastructure graphic showing unused Postgres environments being reduced to release storage, CPU and memory resources.

Case Studies

How RadixTrie helped a client decommission unused Postgres databases

RadixTrie helped a client identify and decommission unused Postgres databases and hosts that were still consuming CPU, storage and memory. By following a controlled eight day decommissioning process, the team reduced waste, improved estate control and freed up resources safely.

3 min read03 Sept 2026

Abstract database optimisation image showing a large data environment being reduced into a smaller, cleaner and more efficient Postgres estate.

Case Studies

How RadixTrie helped a client reduce a 30TB Postgres database to 13TB

RadixTrie helped a client reduce a large Postgres database from 30TB to 13TB by identifying old logging data and redundant records that could be safely removed. The work improved performance, reduced AWS cost and created a smaller, cleaner database estate across production, replica and non production environments.

4 min read03 Sept 2026