Microsoft SQL Server 2008

Data management and analysis are key components to any business. Whether particular needs are centered on data warehousing and business intelligence or storage for very high traffic environments, Microsoft SQL Server provides a powerful and cost effective solution.

At the core of Microsoft SQL Server is the database engine. This is where relational data is stored through the use of tables and organized using indexes to facilitate quick retrieval. Features for high available and fault tolerance such as SQL Server clustering, database mirroring and log shipping, to name a few, are built in components of the platform that help to ensure server environments are online and that data is consistent.

Analysis, Reporting & ETL

In addition to the database engine and its vast array of features, Microsoft SQL Server has several other platforms, each with a specialized purpose. SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS) is an online analytical process (OLAP) platform used for business intelligence. Through the use of different views that consolidate data, cubes can be created providing a means for very fast dimensional analysis. Key performance indicators, score cards, and data mining expressions are all used in conjunction with SSAS.

SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) is an integrated reporting platform that provides end users with simple access to data through structured reports. These reports can be created directly through SSRS or with developer tools such as Visual Studio. Once reports are created, security is managed using simple domain or server credentials. SSRS is a great tool for quickly serving data in a structured and easy read format to business users.

Exporting and importing data to and from a database is always a daunting task. SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) are used to help remove some of the difficulty associated with data cleansing, transformation, and transfer. SSIS can be used to create an ETL process for data warehousing or for exporting different tables to Microsoft Excel for further manipulation. A simple graphical interface makes SSIS packages easy to create so advanced developer skills are not required.

Net Fusion Expertise

Net Fusion has years of practical experience with Microsoft SQL Server. Our experience and knowledge of Microsoft’s database platform enables us to meet customer needs for not only database administration, but design as well. The team at Net Fusion has designed numerous backend databases used to store data collected from front end application. Solutions vary on a spectrum from very busy online transaction processing environments (OLTP) to massive data warehousing endeavors.

Net Fusion also has a vast amount of experience with business intelligence and reporting using SSAS and SSRS. We have created secured reporting environments for numerous enterprise customers. Using Visual Studio to access sources such as cubes, warehouses, or even normalized databases we have the experience to provide business users with access to vital data for decision making purpose.

In addition to ground up design and implementation, we also have the talent to perform advanced evaluations of existing environments. If performance in a client’s application is suffering due to a poorly administered database, we can identify the problems and increase performance across the board in most cases. Using techniques such as server side traces, index analysis and tuning and query optimization, we will added to the life time of an application, and ultimately save money on upgrade costs.