Database Design and Development
The database is the foundation of almost every application we build. A well-designed
schema makes everything above it easier — queries run faster, application code stays
simpler, and the data remains consistent as the system grows. We design bespoke
database structures from scratch and extend or repair existing ones, always with
long-term maintainability in mind.
Design and development
We apply proper normalisation principles to eliminate redundancy and keep data integrity
intact, while remaining pragmatic about where denormalisation makes sense for
performance. Whether the requirement is a handful of tables for a small application
or a complex schema supporting a multi-tenant platform, the approach is the same:
understand the data, model it correctly, and index it well.
- Schema design for new applications
- Extending and refactoring existing database structures
- Stored procedures, views, and functions where appropriate
- Query optimisation and index tuning
- Data modelling for reporting and analytics
Database platforms
- Microsoft SQL Server — including the latest versions; our primary relational platform
- Azure SQL — fully managed SQL Server in the cloud, with automatic scaling and built-in high availability
- Azure Cosmos DB — document and key-value storage for applications that need global distribution or flexible schemas
- SQLite — lightweight embedded storage for smaller applications and tooling
Legacy database migration
Old databases accumulate problems over time — outdated structures, missing relationships,
inconsistent data, and engines that are no longer supported. We migrate legacy databases
into modern platforms, cleaning and restructuring the data in the process so that the
result is something worth building on, not just a copy of the old mess in a new location.
- Migration from Microsoft Access, older SQL Server versions, and other legacy engines
- Data cleansing, deduplication, and normalisation during migration
- Schema redesign where the original structure is no longer fit for purpose
- Validation and reconciliation — confirming every row arrived correctly before cutover
- Staged migration strategies to keep the business running during transition