Database consulting and operations

Database consulting in Munich. Data that stays consistent, fast and always available.

Sortia Labs advises and supports companies in Munich and across Germany on relational and NoSQL databases: MySQL, MariaDB and Galera, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Oracle, MSSQL and DB2. Performance tuning, high availability clusters, replication, disaster recovery and zero downtime migrations, with experience from banking IT.

MySQL and GaleraPostgreSQLOracle and MSSQLHigh availabilityZero downtime migration

What we do for your databases

Performance tuning

Slow queries, missing indexes, wrong configuration: we measure instead of guessing and deliver improvements with before and after numbers.

High availability and clusters

MySQL Galera and Percona XtraDB Cluster, PostgreSQL with Patroni, MongoDB replica sets, Oracle RAC and Data Guard, MSSQL Always On. Automatic failover, verified in testing.

Zero downtime migration

Version upgrades, changing the database system, moving to the cloud or back. With replication and a switch-over in seconds instead of a maintenance weekend.

Backup and disaster recovery

Backups that can actually be restored: point-in-time recovery, restore drills, documented recovery times.

Databases on Kubernetes

Operators for PostgreSQL, MySQL and MongoDB, persistent storage, in-cluster backups. If your applications run in containers, your databases should be able to as well.

Audit, security and compliance

Permission model, encryption, audit logging, hardening. Preparation for audits under BAIT, DORA or ISO 27001.

Database systems and tools

MySQLMariaDBGalera ClusterPercona XtraDBPostgreSQLPatroniMongoDBOracleMSSQLDB2ProxySQLpgBouncerPercona ToolkitPrometheus exporters

How a database engagement works

1

Health check

Two days of analysis: configuration, queries, indexes, replication, backups. You get a report with risks and immediate actions.

2

Measures

Prioritised by benefit: first what causes outages or slowness today, then architecture and high availability.

3

Implementation

Changes on a test system, verified under load, then to production in a maintenance window or without downtime via replication.

4

Support

Monitoring, monthly check, on-call for incidents. As a fixed monthly price for one or for fifty database servers.

Why Sortia Labs for your databases

From banking IT

We have run databases where an hour of downtime made the news. We bring that care to every project.

All major systems

MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Oracle, MSSQL and DB2 from one team. We recommend the system that fits your application, not the one we happen to sell.

Measurable results

Every measure comes with numbers: response time before and after, recovery time, cost. You see what you pay for.

Reachable in Munich

On site in the data centre when needed. Analysis and operations remote, with secure access over VPN.

Frequently asked questions about database consulting

Answers from our projects in Munich and across Germany.

Our database is slow. Where do we start?

With the health check. In two days we find in almost every database the three to five causes behind most of the slowness: usually missing indexes, unfavourable queries and a configuration left from the default installation.

Can you really migrate without downtime?

Yes, with replication: the new database runs in parallel and is kept in sync, the application is switched over in seconds. This works for version upgrades, hardware changes and cloud moves on MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB and Oracle.

Do you also support Oracle and MSSQL?

Yes. Oracle RAC, Data Guard, MSSQL Always On and DB2 are part of our daily work from banking IT, just like the open-source systems MySQL, PostgreSQL and MongoDB.

What does ongoing database support cost?

A fixed monthly price depending on the number of servers and the required response time. Monitoring, a monthly check and on-call are included; larger changes are quoted separately.

Does a database belong on Kubernetes?

If your applications run there, yes. With operators such as CloudNativePG or Percona Operator, failover, backups and updates are automated. We set it up and test it under load before it goes live.

Have your database checked before it fails.

The health check takes two days and delivers a report with risks, immediate actions and before and after numbers. Fixed price, quoted up front.