Pro DBA: Solving the nation’s database problems around the clock

While the nation takes time to relax and unwind on weekends the Pro-DBA team are working diligently to keep clients’ businesses ticking over.

Pro DBA provides SQL Server support for an international logistics provider. Recently our smart monitoring tools reported issues on the client’s servers. On further investigation the client confirmed a virus was detected in their environment.

This presented an obvious challenge to Pro DBA – how do we support the client without, in the process, infecting ourselves with the same virus.

We immediately activated our restricted support procedures and disabled the connection with the client and arranged a meeting to discuss next steps. We also needed to ensure an appropriate third-party security company could give us the clearance to connect with the client databases.

While working on this we had made three senior consultants available on-call to support our client further. We also provisioned a segregated/quarantined machine to provide urgent support without compromising both our systems and those of our clients.

Further measures needed to be taken to restore the client database operation to standard best practice and at 6.30pm on a Bank Holiday Monday, the Pro DBA team mobilised to assist with the client’s requirements.

Our expert consultant installed SQL on a new cluster and migrated all the databases and the objects from the infected cluster.

We also migrated reporting and integration services to the new cluster overnight, to ensure that we met our client’s cutover at 7am the following day. Our work included setting up and restoring several distributed databases that needed to talk to each other.

Commercial Operations Manager Matthew White said: “Offering a real 24/7 support service with a service desk team that works through the night, over the weekends and Bank Holidays is an important part of our commitment to the provision of first-class support to our clients.

“Databases don’t take time off and nor do we. On top of the service desk team, high level consultants are always available – whatever time of the day or night.

“On this particular issue, we are indebted to one of our SQL Server senior consultants, Ian Harris, for the sterling work delivered to ensure our client was able to return to a ‘Business as Usual’ working environment, working within a very limited time frame over the bank holiday weekend.

“Our client was very satisfied that they could count on us to get things up and running in such a short time.”