Query Optimization
Rewrite slow queries, fix bad execution plans, eliminate parameter sniffing issues.
SQL Server Performance Tuning
Slow SQL Server?
Performance Tuning That Finds It, Fixes It, and Proves It.
Queries taking too long, CPU pegged, deadlocks piling up. Our senior DBAs figure out why your SQL Server is slow and make it fast. One-time fix or ongoing tuning.
Trusted by companies running mission-critical SQL Server workloads
Real Results
We Measure Before and After. Every Time.
These are actual numbers from client engagements, not projections.
92ms
Query went from 3,120,000ms to 92ms
Client T-SQL optimization17,643x
T-SQL query running 17,643 times faster after tuning
Client T-SQL optimization1,152x
Disk reads cut by a factor of 1,152
Client I/O optimization64→8
CPU cores cut from 64 to 8 by tuning the workload, dropping SQL Server licensing cost
Client right-sizing$256K→$46K
SQL Server spend cut from $256K to $46K after tuning and right-sizing
Client cost optimizationCase Studies
Find a Case Like Yours
Execution time, disk I/O, CPU load, licensing cost: every case keeps the exact reading before and after our work, filterable by industry and by the result you need.
ManufacturingCS-0429
Database licensing footprint
12 → 6 cores ·1,833ms → 735ms
↓ $285,000/yr licensing freed, annually
Specialty manufacturer
Right-sizing
Automotive ServicesCS-0500
Disk I/O
932,204 → 3,687 reads
252xless I/O
Automotive services chain
General tuning
Other IndustriesCS-0013
Database licensing footprint
16 → 4 cores ·32 → 8 across HA
↓ ~$180,000licensing freed, one-time
Industry not disclosed
Right-sizingRead More ➜
Software & SaaSCS-0229
Disk I/O
3,333 → 13 reads
256xless I/O
Hospitality software company
Index tuning
Wholesale & DistributionCS-0445
Database licensing footprint
32 → 16 cores ·AlwaysOn AG resized
↓ $114,048licensing freed, one-time
Wholesale distributor
Right-sizing
Membership & RecreationCS-0132
Disk I/O
400,326 → 1,554 reads
257xless I/O
Membership sports club
Query & SP tuning
Professional ServicesCS-0454
Database licensing footprint
16 → 8 cores ·across 2 Azure VMs
↓ ~$104,000licensing freed, one-time
Large law firm
Right-sizing
Retail & E-commerceCS-0070
Execution time
24 s → 74ms
324xfaster
Beverage retailer
Index tuning
Other IndustriesCS-0012
Database licensing footprint
8 → 4 cores ·HA replica added, no licence increase
↓ $28,512licensing freed, one-time
Industry not disclosed
Right-sizingRead More ➜
Financial ServicesCS-0263
Execution time
2,604ms → 8ms
325xfaster
Investment management firm
Index tuning
Sound Familiar?
Signs Your SQL Server Needs Performance Tuning
- Queries that used to be fast are getting slower
- CPU stuck at or near 100%
- Deadlocks and blocking chains
- Queries that never finish
- Sudden, unexplained performance drops
- Users complaining about app speed
Performance Problems Get Worse Over Time
Databases grow, queries pile up, and configuration drift happens. A query that ran fine with 100,000 rows might fall apart at 10 million. An index that helped last year might be hurting you now. Without regular tuning, SQL Server gets slower every month.
The good news: most performance problems have clear root causes. We find them and fix them.
What We Tune
Anything That Touches T-SQL
Stored procedures, application queries, SSIS packages, Agent jobs, reports. If it runs T-SQL, we can make it faster.
Index Tuning
Add missing indexes, remove duplicates, fix fragmentation, rebuild covering indexes.
Server Configuration
Memory allocation, max parallelism, TempDB, trace flags, compatibility levels.
Wait Stat Analysis
Identify what your server is actually waiting on and eliminate the bottleneck.
SSIS, SSRS, and Agent Jobs
ETL packages running too long, reports timing out, jobs failing overnight.
Application Layer
How your app talks to SQL Server matters. We work with your dev team to fix patterns that cause slowdowns.
Two Options
One-Time Fix or Ongoing SQL Server Performance Tuning. Your Call.
Some environments need a single deep dive. Others need regular attention to stay fast as data grows.
One-Time Tuning
Scoped through a consulting engagement. We go deep on your biggest bottlenecks and hand you the fixes.
- Full performance analysis of your environment
- Root cause identification for your specific problems
- Optimized code with before/after benchmarks
- Documentation and deployment recommendations
- Rollback scripts for every change
- Can start within 1–3 business days
Ongoing Tuning
Included in managed services. We tune proactively so performance problems get caught before your users notice.
- Proactive performance reviews on a regular schedule
- Continuous query and index optimization
- Monthly tuning reports with real metrics
- Our monitoring catches regressions automatically
- Your environment gets faster over time, not slower
- Priority access to senior DBAs for urgent issues
Diagnosis
What We Pull in the First Hour: Wait Stats, DMVs, Query Store, Execution Plans
SQL Server performance tuning starts with measurement, not guesses. In the first hour on your server, a senior DBA reads the instruments that show exactly where the time goes:
Wait statistics
sys.dm_os_wait_statswhat the server spends its time waiting on, whether CPU, memory, disk, or locks. This rules whole categories in or out before we touch a single query.
Query and procedure stats DMVs
sys.dm_exec_query_statsthe queries burning the most CPU, reads, and duration, ranked worst-first.
Query Store
which queries regressed, when, and what plan they ran before, so we catch a bad plan change instead of chasing a ghost.
Actual execution plans
where a query scans instead of seeks, spills to tempdb, or picks the wrong join.
Blocking and deadlock chains
who is waiting on whom, and which statement sits at the head of the line.
Hardware or queries? Most slow SQL Servers are a query or index problem wearing a hardware costume. We tell you which one you have before you spend a dollar on a bigger box, because buying hardware to fix a missing index is the expensive way to learn it was a missing index. A free SQL Server assessment gives you that read at no cost.
How It Works
Four Steps to a Faster Database
Talk to Us
Tell us what's slow, what hurts, and what you've tried so far.
We Analyze: Wait Stats First, Then Plans
Our DBAs read wait statistics, DMVs, Query Store, and execution plans to find the root cause, not guess at it.
We Fix
Optimized code, configuration changes, and index work with rollback scripts.
You See the Proof
Before-and-after metrics showing exactly what improved and by how much.
From Our Clients
What People Say After We Fix Their SQL Server Performance
"Red9 identified inefficient indexes and bottlenecks, resulting in a 400% improvement in latency. Red9's expertise in SQL migration and performance tuning, combined with their deep MSSQL knowledge, has been a huge asset."
"We initially engaged Red9 to troubleshoot a series of aging SQL databases that had slowed to a crawl and become a major pain point for our client. It was clear from that initial project that they are incredibly skilled and knowledgeable."
"I needed expert advice and training in replication best practices and performance tuning. Red9's ability to convey their points clearly and tailor them to my understanding was impressive. My whole experience was excellent from start to finish."
Common Questions
Performance Tuning FAQs
Will tuning affect our production environment?
We do everything we can to avoid impact. We use testing servers when available. When they're not, we use read-only analysis and schedule implementation during off-hours. All tuning code is written to have minimal effect on live workloads, and every change comes with a rollback script.
Can performance tuning cut our SQL Server licensing bill?
Often, yes. When we tune a workload to run on fewer CPU cores, you license fewer cores. We took one client from 64 cores to 8. At Microsoft's list price of $15,123 per two-core pack, those 56 reclaimed SQL Server Enterprise cores are worth roughly $423,000 in licensing, and that is before the yearly Software Assurance and cloud compute savings that come with it.
How do you figure out what needs tuning?
Two ways. You can point us at specific slow queries or problem areas. Or we run a full analysis of server resource consumption, wait stats, query plans, and index usage to find the biggest bottlenecks ourselves. Most clients do a mix of both.
How fast can you start?
For consulting engagements, we can typically start within 1–3 business days. If you have an urgent issue, our emergency services can respond within 15 minutes.
I want ongoing tuning, not a one-time fix. How does that work?
Ongoing tuning is part of our managed services packages. Our team reviews performance on a regular schedule, catches regressions before they become problems, and continuously optimizes queries and indexes. Your environment gets faster over time instead of slower.
Can you tune SSIS, SSRS, Agent jobs, and PowerShell scripts?
Yes. If it runs T-SQL, we can tune it. Our team has deep experience with SSIS packages, SSRS reports, SQL Agent jobs, PowerShell scripts, and data warehouse queries.
What if we already have performance monitoring tools?
Monitoring tools show you what's happening. They don't fix it. You still need someone to rewrite the query, adjust the configuration, or rebuild the index. We work with all the major monitoring tools and use their data as a starting point for the actual optimization work.
Can you help with application-level performance issues?
Yes. We analyze how your application talks to SQL Server and find patterns that cause slowdowns, things like excessive round trips, missing connection pooling, or ORM-generated queries that don't perform well. We work with your development team to fix these at the source.
What's included in the before-and-after report?
Every tuning engagement ends with a report showing what we changed and the measured impact. You'll see query execution times, CPU usage, disk I/O, and other metrics before and after our work. We also include the optimized code, deployment recommendations, and rollback scripts.
Is performance tuning the same as database optimization?
Mostly, yes. Database optimization and SQL Server performance tuning describe the same work: making a slow database fast. We handle database optimization across queries, indexes, server configuration, and the application layer, then prove the gain with before and after numbers. Whether you call it database optimization or tuning, you get a measurably faster SQL Server.
Your SQL Server Should Be Faster Than This
Talk to one of our senior DBAs. We'll look at what's going on, tell you what we'd fix first, and give you options for getting it done.
Talk to a DBAOr call us directly: 1-877-891-1870