SQL SERVER DEVELOPMENT AND PERFORMANCE TUNING WHAT WE DO
SQL DEVELOPMENT
Clean, efficient database code that scales and performs reliably
PERFORMANCE TUNING
Identify and fix the root cause of slow queries and bottlenecks
DATABASE DESIGN
Databases designed for growth, performance, and maintainability
SERVER HEALTH CHECK
Independent review to uncover risk, performance issues, and misconfiguration
About Us
made faster
Riley Waterhouse is a specialist Microsoft SQL Server consultancy, helping organisations run reliable, high-performing database platforms.
Founded in 2011, we focus exclusively on the SQL Server data platform — working alongside development and IT teams to solve problems, reduce risk, and support business-critical systems.
Typical projects include:
- SQL Server performance tuning and troubleshooting
- Server and database health checks
- Upgrades and migrations
- Database design and development
- Recovery from database corruption
- Database DevOps - Source Control, Continuous Integration, Continuous Deployment
- Database security and encryption
- Remote DBA services
- CIS Benchmark Audits and remediation
Our approach is practical and independent — we provide hands-on SQL Server expertise, not generic IT services or theoretical advice.
Learn more about Riley Waterhouse
Meet Kevan Riley, Principal Consultant
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PEOPLE
Kevan Riley
posts
SSDT Warning SQL72038: The object already exists in database with a different definition and will not be altered.
If you get the SQL72038 warning when you deploy your database projects, it will not break your deployments, but it can be annoying. I’d recently moved deployments to TeamCity where messages like this are flagged up by colour coding the output in the build log. I really wanted to get it resolved. In my case Read more about SSDT Warning SQL72038: The object already exists in database with a different definition and will not be altered.[…]
JSONTABLE – Shredding JSON data into a relational structure
Even though support for XML data has been in the product for a long time now (introduced in SQL 2000 and then improved in SQL 2005), whenever I’m working with it I still find it completely unintuitive and constantly have to refer back to the documentation and previously worked examples. Most of all I rely Read more about JSONTABLE – Shredding JSON data into a relational structure[…]
Where is the standby file?
If you are using log shipping to keep a warm copy of a database ready for anything, or even using it to offload reporting, it is common to use the WITH STANDBY option of the RESTORE statement. By specifying this option you can bring a log-shipped database online in a read-only state, that you can Read more about Where is the standby file?[…]
SQL Monitor Alerts in Microsoft Teams
A customer of mine uses Redgate SQL Monitor to monitor their production SQL estate. They make use of the alerts via email and Slack. Recently they started looking in to moving away from Slack as their corporate communications tool, and use Microsoft Teams instead. SQL Monitor does not (yet – see below) have any native Read more about SQL Monitor Alerts in Microsoft Teams[…]
New home for session content
I’ve been speaking a lot more this year (well compared to last year when I didn’t deliver any sessions at all!) and so in an effort to organise my content better and make it easier to share I moved my slides and demos to GitHub. I decided to also move all my previous sessions up Read more about New home for session content[…]
Closed answer technical tests and when ‘it depends’ isn’t an option
Many months ago when I was working as a SQL Server contractor, I was approached by a recruiter who was looking to fill a contract role, and as part of the initial screening, the client had asked all potential candidates to answer a simple 4-question, true-or-false SQL quiz. When I read the question, and the Read more about Closed answer technical tests and when ‘it depends’ isn’t an option[…]
Building a string of values in T-SQL
It is often far too easy to experience some behaviour in SQL Server, and then extrapolate your belief from that. One example that is seen frequently on forums is the simplistic case of concatenating values into a scalar variable, however the logic that is commonly assumed is false. Take the example USE tempdbGOIF OBJECT_ID(‘CharsTable’,’U’) IS Read more about Building a string of values in T-SQL[…]
Trusting Constraints
In my last post, I showed how a check constraint can be used by the optimizer to completely rule out any data access, however there are some rules to abide by. Lets recap We created a check constraint on Person.Person table in AdventureWorks2014 so that when we queried for any rows with a ModifiedDate earlier Read more about Trusting Constraints[…]
Helping the Query Optimizer with Constraints
The Query Optimizer in SQL Server is an amazing piece of code. It takes any query we choose to throw at it, evaluates many different ways of executing that query and, generally speaking, comes up with an execution plan that is going to be good enough. And it does all that in milliseconds. Sometimes it Read more about Helping the Query Optimizer with Constraints[…]
Leeds SQL Server User Group – 1 December 2016
Returned to the Leeds SQL Server User Group for the first time in a long time. I previously worked in the office building that hosts the user group, and wow has it changed! Not only was it a long overdue return, but it was also my first time presenting at Leeds too. Here are the Read more about Leeds SQL Server User Group – 1 December 2016[…]