skip_the_waitMICO SoftwareSend an inquiry

Over 23 years of SQL expertise

Find the bottleneck before you replace the application.

Slow or unstable product? Start with evidence from the database and a clear order of what to change first.

Send an inquiry View sample findings

Where I look

  1. User actionThe symptom: a slow screen, report or API call
  2. ApplicationCode issues the work
  3. QuerySQL sent to the database
  4. DatabaseExecution plans, indexes, workloadInvestigation focus
Illustrative diagram. Not a measured result.

Problems worth a closer look

Typical situations I can investigate. Every case is different, so the first conversation is about whether yours fits.

When it gets slow

  • Screens, reports or API calls that wait on slow queries.
  • Performance that drops when many users work at the same time.
  • Indexes added over time, with no clear picture of which ones help.

When data keeps growing

  • Tables that keep growing because old data is never archived.
  • No clear retention rules, so years of history weigh on everyday work.
  • Routine maintenance, such as statistics and index upkeep, that runs irregularly or not at all.

A problem that has outlasted earlier attempts to fix it.

A new application is a major investment. The database may be the better place to start.

If the bottleneck sits in queries, indexes or the way the workload meets the database, improving the database can make the application you already have faster and more stable. A diagnosis shows whether that is likely, before you commit to either path.

Start with the Database Health Check

A fixed-price first step that turns a performance concern into written findings you can act on.

Database Health Check

€499+ VAT, one time

One Microsoft SQL Server or PostgreSQL database and one main performance concern, agreed before the work starts.

Send an inquiry

Included

  • Assessment of the agreed concern on the in-scope database
  • Written findings
  • Prioritized next steps

Not included

  • Tuning and implementation. If you want me to carry them out, they are scoped and priced separately.

No performance gain is guaranteed. The check tells you what the evidence shows and what to do next.

Then keep it running well

After the Health Check, a maintenance plan keeps SQL performance stable: query times kept low and gradual degradation caught early. Every plan is fine-tuned to your server, so prices start from the amount shown.

  • Essential

    For a stable server that needs regular care.

    From€99/ month + VAT

    €89 / month when billed annually

    2 specialist hours per month

    • Regular index maintenance
    • Statistics upkeep
    • Health review: growth, maintenance jobs and key health indicators
    • Quarterly written health report
    • Reply within one business day
    Send an inquiry

  • Most complete standard plan

    Proactive

    For servers that change often or matter to the business.

    From€199/ month + VAT

    €179 / month when billed annually

    4 specialist hours per month

    • Everything in Essential
    • Monthly performance review of the workload and slowest queries
    • Monthly written report with prioritized recommendations
    • Remaining hours for fixes, tuning or your questions
    • Reply within one business day
    Send an inquiry

  • Partner

    For several servers or business-critical systems.

    PriceTailored

    Agreed with you

    • Maintenance and review schedule agreed with you
    • Reserved hours sized to your needs
    • Response conditions agreed in the contract
    Send an inquiry

How plans work

Starts with a Health Check
The plan is based on what the check finds, not on guesswork.
Priced per database server
Each plan covers one database server (Microsoft SQL Server or PostgreSQL). More servers: 5% off for 2-3, 10% for 4-7, 15% for 8 or more.
Monthly or annual billing
Monthly: cancel any time, and the plan ends at the end of the current month. Annual: a lower monthly fee with a three-month notice period. Unused hours do not carry over; extra hours are €55 per hour + VAT.

Who you will work with

Portrait of Michal Kováč

Ing. Michal Kováč

Database specialist, MICO Software

For more than two decades I have delivered software and database projects for clients on four continents, many of them still in active production today.

My focus is reliable systems from design to operation: software architecture, databases and system integration. I have worked with SQL since 2002, mainly Microsoft SQL Server, with PostgreSQL in my own and client projects.

In the financial sector I have worked on banking, onboarding and leasing systems for clients in Slovakia, Germany and the USA, including long-term performance maintenance of a bank’s reporting platform since 2017.

I hold a master’s degree in Software Engineering and Big Data and work in Slovak, English and German. You deal with me directly, from the first message to the findings.

  • Evidence before conclusions

    Execution plans, index definitions and workload context come first. Opinions come after.

  • Diagnosis separate from changes

    The check does not change your system. You decide what gets implemented, and by whom.

  • Findings you can use

    Written for engineers, readable for the people who approve the budget.

How the check works

  1. Inquiry

    Tell me about the database and the main performance concern.

  2. Scope

    You and I agree the concern and what the assessment covers before work begins.

  3. Assessment

    I examine the agreed concern on the in-scope database.

  4. Findings

    You receive written findings and prioritized next steps.

Optional afterwards: implementation, quoted separately, and a maintenance plan.

What the findings look like

Each finding connects a concern to the evidence behind it and a prioritized next step. The example on the right shows the structure.

View sample findings

Database Health Check / Findings

Illustrative

Illustrative example. Not a real customer report. No database was assessed.

Concern

A query’s filter or sort pattern may not align with an existing index.

Illustrative finding

A possible mismatch to validate against a real execution plan. This does not claim that an index is missing or that a slowdown occurred.

Evidence to gather
  • A representative query and its real execution plan
  • Existing index definitions, query predicates and sort pattern
  • Write costs of relevant indexes and workload context
Suggested next steps
  1. Inspect a representative query plan.
  2. Compare predicates and sort pattern with existing indexes, including write costs.
  3. Test a candidate safely under a representative workload.
  4. Decide whether to deploy, then monitor the workload.

Questions

What does the Database Health Check include?

One Microsoft SQL Server or PostgreSQL database and one main performance concern, agreed before the work starts. You receive written findings and prioritized next steps.

How much does it cost?

€499 + VAT, one time.

What access do you need?

That depends on the database and the concern. We discuss together what is needed, and how it will be provided, before the assessment is agreed. Please do not send passwords or production data through the inquiry form.

Does the check include tuning or implementation?

No. Tuning and implementation are optional follow-on work, scoped and priced separately.

Are performance gains guaranteed?

No. The check provides written findings and prioritized next steps based on the assessment. Database work will not solve every application problem, and the findings will say so when the evidence points elsewhere.

Do we need a Health Check before starting a plan?

Yes. The check shows the current state of the server, so the plan can be fine-tuned to it and priced accurately.

Can we cancel a maintenance plan?

Yes. With monthly billing you can cancel at any time, and the plan ends at the end of the current month. With annual billing the monthly fee is lower and the notice period is three months.

We have more than one database server. How is that priced?

Each plan covers one database server. Additional servers are added at the plan price with a volume discount: 5% for 2-3 servers, 10% for 4-7 and 15% for 8 or more.

What does regular maintenance actually do?

Its goal is stable SQL performance: indexes and statistics kept in good shape, query times kept low, and gradual degradation caught before your users notice it. It cannot guarantee performance when the application or workload changes significantly; the reports will flag when that happens.

Can the findings help us decide whether to replace our application?

They can inform that decision. The findings show what the evidence points to in the agreed area of the database; they are not an assessment of the whole application.

Tell me what is slowing you down.

Describe the database and the main performance concern. I read every inquiry myself and reply personally.

What happens next

  1. I read your inquiry and reply personally by email.
  2. We clarify the concern and agree the scope of a Health Check, or the details of a plan.
  3. You decide whether to go ahead. Nothing starts without your confirmation.

Prefer email?info@skipthewait.services

What is slow or unstable, and since when?

For example database size, number of users, peak times, what you have already tried.

Please do not include passwords, connection strings or production data.