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Database consulting services

Database consulting services
in South Africa.

Independent database consultants in Johannesburg and Stellenbosch, advising South African organisations on SQL Server, Oracle, PostgreSQL and MySQL: platform choice, health checks, performance, resilience and migrations. Fixed-scope engagements, delivered by the senior engineer you speak to.
Founded 2019Randpark Ridge and StellenboschSQL Server, Oracle, PostgreSQLSenior engineers, no service deskVendor neutral, no licence resale
Updated 16 October 2026
Who this is for

When the decision is expensive to get wrong.

Consulting is worth paying for when it produces a decision you can defend. Ours starts from evidence in your environment rather than a general recommendation: what the estate is running, what it is doing under load, and what would happen if it stopped.
  • IT leaders choosing or changing a database platform, or deciding whether a workload should stay where it is.
  • Organisations that want an independent view of an estate's health before renewing a support contract or signing off a budget.
  • Teams with a performance problem that nobody has been able to explain, on SQL Server, Oracle or PostgreSQL.
  • Businesses planning an upgrade, a cloud move or a migration who want the risks and the sequence written down first.
  • Boards and auditors who need recovery objectives, resilience and the licence position stated in plain language.
What is covered

The decisions that cost the most.

Which platform fits the workload

We support SQL Server, Oracle and PostgreSQL, so the advice is about the workload rather than the licence. That includes the harder version of the question: whether a workload should stay where it is.
  • Platform choice judged per workload
  • Migration feasibility, not just migration cost
  • Vendor-neutral, because we support all three

Whether the estate is actually healthy

An independent assessment of configuration, capacity, security and resilience, ending in a prioritised list of what to fix first rather than a list of everything that could be improved.
  • Versions, patch position and support status
  • Backups tested by restoring them
  • Capacity and growth against real usage

Why performance degrades

Query, index and configuration tuning to remove bottlenecks and stabilise performance. Most slow databases are not mysterious; they are the result of maintenance that quietly stopped happening.
  • Execution plans, blocking and wait analysis
  • Indexing strategy reviewed against the workload
  • Configuration checked rather than left at defaults

What happens when it fails

High availability and disaster recovery designed around two numbers the business agrees first: how long you could be without the database, and how much data you could afford to lose.
  • Recovery objectives agreed before any design
  • Replication and failover exercised deliberately
  • The gap between backup and recovery made explicit

Cloud and managed database services

Azure SQL, SQL Server on Azure virtual machines, Amazon RDS and other managed services handle the server and the patching; they do not tune your queries, size your instance, manage bloat or decide your recovery objectives. We advise on which service fits the workload and what stays your responsibility.
  • Azure, AWS RDS and other managed services
  • Sizing and cost judged against real usage
  • What the provider does, and what remains yours

Upgrades, migrations and cloud moves

Compatibility assessed before anything moves, a test environment on the target, query performance compared before and after, and a rehearsed cutover with a real rollback path.
  • Compatibility assessment first
  • Oracle to PostgreSQL and SQL Server to Azure
  • Old system kept until the new one is proven
How an engagement runs

Scoped, evidenced, written down.

STEP 01

Agree the question and the scope

We write down the question you need answered, the systems in scope and what the output will be, and quote the engagement as a fixed piece of work rather than by the hour.

STEP 02

Assess in your environment

A senior engineer gathers evidence from the estate itself, through your own access path: versions and patch position, backups tested by restoring them, configuration, capacity, load and failure behaviour.

STEP 03

Receive the assessment and review it together

You get a written assessment with a prioritised list of what to fix first and the reasoning attached, then a review session with the engineer who did the work, so your own team can act on it.

What you receive

A decision you can defend.

Every engagement ends in a written assessment: where the estate stands, what to fix first and why, and what the options cost in risk and effort. We support SQL Server, Oracle and PostgreSQL and we do not resell licences or hardware, so the recommendation can be to stay on the platform you already have.
Consulting usually leads into platform work, which is where the same engineers continue: SQL Server support, Oracle database support and PostgreSQL support in South Africa, the wider DBA services in South Africa hub, or an independent database health check first.
  • A written assessment of the estate, with the evidence it rests on
  • A prioritised fix list, ordered by risk rather than by effort
  • A review session with the engineer who did the work
  • Where it is wanted, a scope for ongoing cover through our managed DBA services or remote DBA services
Proof

Consulting work we can show.

Client names stay confidential unless a client has agreed otherwise, so our case studies are anonymised. Each one started with the question a consultant is paid to answer: what is actually wrong, and what should be done first.
Common questions

Questions we are usually asked.

  • What does a database consultant do?

    A database consultant answers a specific question about your estate with evidence: which platform fits a workload, whether the estate is healthy, why performance degrades, what happens when it fails, and what a migration would take. The output is a written assessment with a prioritised list and the reasoning attached, so your own team can act on it or hand the work to us.

  • How much do database consultants charge in South Africa?

    We quote each engagement as a fixed piece of work against a written scope, not by the hour, so the cost is known before anything starts. The scope sets out the question, the systems involved and the deliverables; anything outside it is quoted separately. We do not publish rate cards because the price depends on the estate and the question.

  • Do you consult on cloud databases such as Azure SQL and Amazon RDS?

    Yes. We support SQL Server on premises, on virtual machines and on Azure database services, and PostgreSQL on AWS RDS and other managed services. A managed service handles the server and the patching; sizing, tuning, bloat, recovery objectives and the choice of service remain yours, and that is where the advice is needed.

  • Can you review our existing DBA's work without replacing them?

    Yes, and it is a common engagement. An independent assessment gives your DBA a second senior opinion and a prioritised list, and the findings are presented to them as well as to you. Some clients then keep us for senior cover alongside their DBA; the split is agreed upfront and written into the scope.

  • How quickly can an assessment start?

    Once the scope and access are agreed, a senior engineer starts gathering evidence through your own access path. Use the form on this page, email expert@radixtrie.com, call +27 10 143 0304 or book a 30-minute call, and we come back with a proposed scope rather than a sales pitch.

  • Do you resell licences or hardware?

    No. We support SQL Server, Oracle and PostgreSQL and we are not a licence reseller, which matters when the honest recommendation is to stay on the platform you already have.

Talk to us

Talk to a database consultant.

Tell us the question you need answered and a little about the estate: platforms, versions, roughly how many instances, and what prompted the enquiry. A senior engineer replies directly with a proposed scope.
Prefer email or phone? Write to expert@radixtrie.com or call +27 10 143 0304.
Unit 5, Randridge Office Park, Ateljee Street, Randpark Ridge, Johannesburg, 2154
LaunchLab, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch
Outside South African hours, or if you would rather pick a time: book a 30-minute call with Michele or Joseph and they will come prepared.

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Further reading

Before you appoint anyone.