Wolters Kluwer, after making an acquisition, decided they needed all the data from the acquisition stored in a Data Store. This would form a basis from which to query and verify the data sent and help when it came to importing the data into SAP. My duties here were database design, ensuring the data was relational, chasing up requirements and changes required, designing reports and cubes for use by the business.

• Main task: Designing and implementing a relational database from the ground up.
• Other tasks: Administering the SQL Server, implementing the server/backups/user administration. Setting up Reporting Services, writing cubes and reporting models. Looking after older SQL Servers (7/2000) and migrating to SQL Server 2005 where required.

Equiniti, having just brought out Lloyds Registration services, needed a few contractors in for a short term contract to fix some of their issues with the current system. The duties have included both SQL DBA and development duties on an OLTP database.

• Main task: General DBA duties. This included replication issues and tracing performance issues.
• Other tasks: Enhancing stored procedures to improve performance and fixing production issues and errors.

Reed Business International is a publishing firm producing approx 25% of their business through web content. My role was originally intended to be three months. I was tasked with looking after a dual hosted environment consisting over 1000 databases. Most of the databases had one production database and at least two web databases. All forms of replication are used extensively. This includes merge, transactional and snapshot. I was also highly involved in getting a UAT environment set up to conform to SOX.

• Main task: General production DBA duties. This included transactional, merge and snapshot replication and updates to live sites with minimal downtime.
• Other tasks: Implementing a UAT environment, helping developers improve performance of T-SQL and DTS packages. Dealing with errors and problems in a timely manner. Installing and implementing databases on SQL Server 2005. Migration of databases from SQL Server 2000 to SQL Server 2005, including all DTS packages, Stored Procedures and Functions.

SQL Server 2000, DTS, T-SQL, Replication, VBA

Premier Prison Services have the government contract for taking prisoners to and from court. I was taken on as a DBA. I was also tasked with improving their reports and collection of data. This was accomplished using Stored procedures and Excel for the reporting and performing data cleansing tasks. I was also tasked with administering their 95 court servers including the transactional replication service.

• Main task: General production DBA duties. This included transactional replication and updates.
• Other tasks: Improving reporting and data cleansing.

SQL Server 7/2000, DTS, T-SQL, SQL Litespeed, Crystal Reports 9.2, VSS

Steria Run a PFI for the Ministry of Defence on the MOD’s site at Basil Hill. I was taken on to look after their SQL Servers and to improve where possible (where changes wouldn’t affect main database).

• Main task: Administering all SQL Servers and upgrading those still on version 7.
• Other tasks: Improving (where possible) T-SQL code and database design.

SQL Server 2000, Crystal Reports 9.2, DTS, T-SQL, VSS

Fat Face are a medium size clothing retail company owning about 80 stores nation-wide as well as a few abroad. I was taken on to develop a reporting database to work alongside their primary system (CIMS). This was accomplished using DTS to import the data into SQL Server from Oracle 8i on an incremental load basis. After the data was loaded, indexed views, normal views and stored procedures were used to manipulate and report on the data. We then used crystal reports for formatting purposes and published the reports to the business via the intranet.

• Main task: Designing and implementing reporting database and data loads. Writing Crystal Reports and implementing on the Intranet.
• Other tasks: Liasing with the business for other reporting requirements.

Win XP, 2000 Server, SQL Server 2000, VB, Access

Europa Office Ltd are a non-profit making syndicate of office supply companies created to sell office supply products competitively. I was taken on for my SQL Server and Visual Basic knowledge to rewrite their business systems which were predominantly written in Access. The project involved upgrading existing systems, re-writing the back-end and writing a new reporting module to produce reports on the fly as they didn’t wish to go for a bespoke system.

• Main task: Upgrade of existing front and back ends
• Project 2: Writing a reporting module to produce new reports in a intuitive way and to build the
SQL or these reports on the fly.

Win XP, 2000 Server, SQL Server (7,2000), VB, Access, IIS

Heritage are a Lloyds syndicate managing agency. I was taken on for my SQL Server and VB knowledge as they required a logging system for their dealings. The main project was writing a Risk recording system to an ever changing specification. I also wrote a few DTS packages and stored procedures to speed up some processing which was originally written using Access.

• Main task: Designing and writing Database and program for risk recording system.
• Project 3: Writing small SQL/VB/Access tools for smoother running of business.

Win XP, 2000, SQL Server (7,2000), ASP, VB Script, Java, VB, Access, IIS

CAN Europe are a large insurance firm specialising in marine insurance. I was originally taken on for my SQL Server knowledge, but also was asked to develop projects for the intranet site. The main project was writing the Risk Templates and doing both server and client side validation, as well as using DTS for import of data from the current Oracle system. I wrote many small applications to help the business run smoother, such as a cheque logging tool, a reporting tool and a timesheet tracker.

• Main task: General DBA duties.
• Project 1: Troubleshooting SQL Server.
• Project 2: Intranet development of Risk Templates
• Project 3: Writing small VB/Access tools for smoother running of business.

Windows NT4, SQL Server (6.5,7,2000), VB,VBA, VSS, IIS

Schroders are a major investment management bank who, over the last five years, have been breaking into the European sector. I found that my greatest contribution to Schroders was improving the Databases (main DB held approximately £20 million of data at the start of my contract), these had been converted from Access with no thought to SQL Server optimisation. Everyday we would recieve at least 150Mb of flat file data which needed loading loading into the database. I wrote an automated routine to replace the manual routine used to insert this important business data with all the business rules into the DB (this stopped all the errors from manual input). After this I brought all my SQL Server skills to the team and upgraded from SQL Server 6.5, through 7 to SQL Server 2000. I also optimised all the stored procedures and wrote any new ones when required.

• Main Task : General DBA duties and business continuity
• Project 1: Optimising current system
• Project 2: Writing automated loader using BCP.
• Project 3: Optimising Stored Procedures
• Project 4: Upgrading SQL Server
• SQL Server Performance tuning.
• Writing small systems to make business run smoother.
• Writing DTS Packages to make data transfers easier.
• General troubleshooting and helping NT team with support issues
• Helping development team out with new projects (giving advice and technical knowledge)
• Mentoring permanent member of staff to continue where I left off