BriteThought

Expert-reviewed SQL Server assessment

SQL Server Health Check

Understand the main SQL Server risks and what your team should address first.

For businesses running SQL Server-backed software and small development teams without a dedicated DBA.

Get an executive summary, risk profile and prioritised action plan. See what was reviewed, what needs attention and which steps your team or vendor should consider first.

See scope & prices Check which service fits

One-time assessment · Scope confirmed before payment

Orange glass taking an ordered path through dark panels.
SQL Server instance
1
Host context
1
Named user databases
Up to 5
Engagement
One-time

How it works

Choose who collects the evidence.

You want to know where your SQL Server needs attention. Review its configuration, maintenance, backup coverage and available performance indicators, then decide what to tackle first.

You collect. We assess.

Self-Service

Your team runs the BriteThought Diagnostic Collector in the agreed environment, reviews the package and sends the results. We provide expert analysis and the written assessment. BriteThought doesn't need remote access or your credentials.

Standard
$995
Priority Same scope, reserved scheduling
$1,395

USD · excluding applicable taxes · per engagement

Included. You receive the expert-reviewed report and one written review of collection status. When useful, we also include one request to rerun failed or missing modules or provide a limited alternative.

We don't troubleshoot your permissions, security, network or execution environment in Self-Service. Remote sessions and a findings call aren't included; you receive the report in writing.

Standard target. Written delivery targets 5 business days after complete intake and sufficient evidence are confirmed.

Priority target. Analysis slot within 1 business day after sufficient data is admitted. Written report target: 2 business days after collection or data admission.

See when work starts
Ask about Self-Service collection

We collect. We assess.

Managed

You arrange appropriate access through your approved process. We collect the evidence and carry out the same core assessment, with selected live validation.

Standard
$1,695
Priority Same scope, reserved scheduling
$2,445

USD · excluding applicable taxes · per engagement

Included. You receive the expert-reviewed report, up to 2 hours total of collection and live validation, plus one 30-minute findings call.

Your team approves access and makes local security decisions. Production changes and remediation need a separate agreement. Access restrictions can still prevent collection.

Standard target. Collection is normally scheduled within 5 business days after scope, payment and working access are confirmed. Written delivery then targets 5 business days after complete intake and sufficient evidence are confirmed, once agreed collection is complete.

Priority target. Collection start within 2 business days after working access and scope are confirmed. Written report target: 2 business days after collection or data admission.

See when work starts
Ask about Managed collection

One instance, one host context, up to five named user databases. This is a one-time assessment with a fixed scope and the listed deliverables. Production changes and remediation are separate. With Self-Service, your team collects the evidence; customer-specific collection troubleshooting is excluded.

Priority requires confirmed availability before payment. We’ll confirm whether the service fits, how evidence will be collected and the available dates before payment. This website does not accept payments or diagnostic uploads. See when work starts and what can pause it.

Assess your SQL Server healthCheck urgent Health Check availability

Tell us what’s happening. Please leave diagnostic evidence out of your enquiry.

What you get

Know what to address first.

An executive summary

Give the people responsible for the system a clear summary of the question, evidence and recommended next step.

Risks in priority order

See what was assessed, where coverage was limited and which findings deserve attention first, with evidence behind each severity rating.

A prioritised action plan

See who should take each action, the order to consider it, its main risks and what needs testing.

Check the scope and deliverables below to see whether this review fits your question.

What is included

A broad review of one instance.

A full estate audit, ongoing DBA coverage, proof that backups restore and detailed investigation of every slow query need a different scope.

Configuration & capacity

We review version and build information, database options, file growth and capacity indicators, tempdb, memory and CPU settings, and the host information we can see.

Maintenance & recovery metadata

We review relevant maintenance jobs, backup and recovery metadata, integrity-check history, and an overview of indexes and statistics. We compare backup intervals with the data loss your business can accept. Successful jobs don't prove that the backups will restore.

Performance & access indicators

We review available waits, I/O and query evidence, plus selected high-level SQL access indicators. Conclusions about host storage and virtualisation are limited to what we can see. Hypervisor and storage-array administration aren't included.

Where available, we review existing diagnostic history from up to 30 days and include one workload sample of up to 60 minutes. We identify up to 5 costly query candidates for later investigation; detailed optimisation is excluded. We may use instance-wide metadata for context. Detailed review of unnamed databases is excluded.

This review does not include full table scans or a new CHECKDB run. Reviewing high-level SQL access indicators is not a penetration test.

Your report

Findings, reasons and next steps.

Executive summary

Your business question, a conclusion reviewed by a qualified specialist and a practical next step, written for the people responsible for the system.

Risk profile

Each category is marked assessed, limited or not assessed. Findings are ranked critical, high, medium or low based on business impact and evidence, with the reason for the rating and a recommended owner. We don't reduce the assessment to an overall numerical health score.

Evidence-backed findings

The named databases, collection dates, sources of evidence, important observations and limits of the review. The report separates facts, likely causes and what remains uncertain.

Prioritised action plan

The order in which your team or vendor should consider actions, including their main risks and what needs testing. Candidate scripts are included only when an applicable, validated standard template supports a material recommendation, with testing and rollback guidance. Custom scripts and running the recommendations aren't included.

Send up to 5 questions about the report together within 10 business days of delivery for one included round of clarification. This does not include new collection, new symptoms or implementation. Managed also includes one 30-minute findings call. Self-Service includes written delivery; a call can be purchased separately.

When is the assessment complete?

This is a one-time assessment with a fixed scope. We complete it by delivering the agreed review and prioritised report, documenting the investigation, what was covered and its limits. A diagnosis, no material issue or a documented inconclusive result can complete the work once we've accepted enough evidence for analysis. The report explains the next useful test. Reaching a time limit alone doesn't complete the service. If required collection fails before we accept the evidence for analysis, the collection, upgrade and refund rules apply.

What we’ll need

Your environment, the question and access.

  • Your primary SQL Server Database Engine instance must be reachable, run on Windows on premises or in a virtual machine you control, and use a release and edition compatible with the current collector. A named instance counts as a separate instance.
  • Choose up to 5 user databases and tell us how important their applications are to your business, your maintenance schedule, known issues, who owns backups and recent changes. Name a technical contact and identify the business-critical databases and jobs. Discovering an unlimited inventory isn't included.
  • You must have permission to share the evidence, the required metadata permissions, approval for host diagnostics and an approved collection window. Before you pay, we'll confirm the exact permissions for your version, runtime requirements, disk space and tested compatibility. Administrator access isn't a requirement for every assessment.
  • Complex availability groups, failover clusters, replication, distributed applications, Azure SQL Database, Azure SQL Managed Instance, Linux, inaccessible hosting, unsupported versions, extra instances, replicas or environments need a review before we quote separately. Enterprise edition may qualify if the scope stays small.

Before collection, we check compatibility and the exact permissions needed for the tested collector release. This service description alone does not confirm compatibility.

Collection comes first

We need enough evidence to answer the agreed question.

Permissions, security policies, endpoint protection, network restrictions, hosting, software configuration and familiarity with the collector can prevent some or all collection. We can't guarantee the collector will work in every configuration. Its initial checks and summary must show which modules completed, partly completed, failed or were unavailable.

We review core instance and database configuration, files and capacity information, backup and recovery metadata for the named databases, and your completed maintenance questionnaire. We must record the coverage of performance, jobs, errors and security evidence, or agree its limits with you. If we can't assess an entire advertised category, we'll explain that before accepting the evidence for analysis and agree a narrower scope with you, or offer an upgrade or refund.

If Query Store or optional history is missing, we record the gap; it doesn't automatically mean collection has failed. We may agree to use a limited sample and available cached plans instead. We won't silently enable Query Store or persistent tracing. Restarts and how long cumulative counters have been running affect how we interpret the results.

Collection is designed to read diagnostic information and take samples within agreed limits. Reads still use resources, and some metadata operations can compete with your workload. We can't guarantee zero impact in every environment. Use an approved window and stop if the impact becomes unacceptable. Changes, restarts, index operations and new persistent capture settings need separate authorisation.

If your environment prevents collection

When you can put Self-Service payment toward Managed.

If permissions, security, network, hosting or execution limits stop your team collecting enough evidence, we'll review the collection status and check that Managed collection is feasible. The credit applies to the equivalent Managed assessment of the same instance, databases and question. You don't need to prove who was at fault or blame the person running the collector.

Standard Health Check upgrade

Managed assessment
$1,695
Self-Service credit
−$995
Remaining to pay
$700

USD · taxes recalculated separately

Request the upgrade within 60 calendar days of your Self-Service purchase. We credit the product amount you actually paid, including any paid Priority premium, up to the agreed Managed price. Taxes are recalculated separately. Credits have no cash value and can't be transferred to another customer, product, environment or add-on.

A new Priority slot must be confirmed; a credit does not preserve an expired reservation. Requests to switch modes before analysis begins may use the same credit by agreement even without collection failure.

If Managed collection also can't proceed and analysis hasn't started, we cancel and refund the unperformed Self-Service assessment, including any unused Priority premium. If our collector has a defect, we must fix it, provide an agreed alternative or refund the assessment if it can't proceed. Collector defects must not force a paid upgrade.

An inconclusive report based on enough accepted evidence is different from a failure to collect the evidence. A completed assessment doesn't automatically qualify for a credit or refund. New symptoms, a wider scope or implementation need a new quote.

Cancellations and orders that aren’t ready

You can cancel for a full refund before we begin analysing accepted evidence or start Managed collection. Once work starts, we assess the work performed against the agreed deliverables; your rights under applicable law still apply. An order needs to start within 30 days. If it isn't ready by then, we'll send a reminder and agree cancellation or a written extension. Your agreement, supplied before payment, records the cancellation terms for the service.

Sharing technical evidence

Know what you’re sharing.

What the evidence may contain

  • Server and database names
  • Object and index definitions
  • File paths
  • Job history and error messages
  • Execution plans and query text

Query text and execution plans can include literals, parameter values or other sensitive information even when no table rows are exported. Don't assume diagnostic output is anonymous. Review the package before sending it and remove credentials or unrelated information.

Standard collection doesn't intentionally export application table rows, full database backups or passwords. Before sharing data, confirm the compatible collector and the evidence needed. If you can't share that evidence, talk to us before you pay so we can agree a suitable alternative or a different scope.

With Managed, we use named, temporary access through your approved channel, with only the permissions needed. That access is revoked when the work is complete. Permission to read isn't permission to make changes. Don't send credentials, query output, diagnostic packages, backups or sensitive records through general enquiries or ordinary email.

We use your diagnostic evidence to deliver the agreed service. Selling it, using it for public examples or model training, or sending it to external AI services needs separate informed authorisation and suitable agreements.

Use the enquiry form for a brief description of the problem. Keep credentials, query output, diagnostic packages, backups and sensitive records out of the form and ordinary email. Before you share evidence, we'll agree the scope, collection method and privacy, access and retention arrangements.

Retention and deletion

The agreed retention arrangements provide for deleting raw packages and temporary working files 30 calendar days after report delivery or cancellation. Final reports are available for 90 days. We keep order and accounting records separately. Before collection, we'll explain any delays deleting backup copies, legal holds or longer retention you've agreed to.

When work starts

Turnaround & Priority scheduling

The following targets apply after the stated prerequisites are met. Available dates are confirmed individually; Priority requires a confirmed slot before payment. Send an enquiry to discuss suitability and scheduling.

Standard

Written delivery target: within 5 business days after complete intake and sufficient evidence are confirmed.

Managed collection is normally scheduled within 5 business days after scope, payment and working access are confirmed. The report target begins after agreed collection is complete: these are separate stages.

Priority Self-Service

Reserved analysis slot within 1 business day after sufficient data is admitted.

Written report target: 2 business days after data admission.

Priority Managed

Reserved collection start within 2 business days after working access and scope are confirmed.

Written report target: 2 business days after collection.

When timing starts and pauses

The clock starts only after scope acceptance, payment and required evidence or working access. BriteThought sends a readiness confirmation and dates. An upload receipt is not evidence acceptance.

The clock pauses for missing data, unavailable access, customer approvals, reproduction windows or an agreed third-party dependency. BriteThought notifies you of the reason, required action and revised dates. Pauses are not hidden and do not cover ordinary BriteThought workload.

Intake acknowledgement target: 1 business day. This acknowledges receipt, not completion of technical review or an emergency response.

Hours, availability & boundaries

Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm America/New_York, excluding US federal holidays observed by the service.

Requests outside service hours enter the next business-day queue unless a separate appointment is confirmed. A symptoms window outside service hours needs a separately agreed appointment.

Priority requires confirmed availability before payment. Payment alone does not create an immediate response commitment. The booking confirmation states the actual reserved start and target delivery date. Priority changes scheduling, not scope, and does not provide remediation, after-hours coverage, continuous emergency support or a resolution deadline. An active outage, inaccessible server or suspected data corruption needs separate incident scoping.

If a confirmed Priority date is missed

If BriteThought cannot honour a confirmed Priority start or report date for reasons within its control, the Priority premium is refunded and the assessment retains its agreed scope. Customer delays and documented external dependencies do not trigger that remedy. Full cancellation and refund are offered when no agreed work has started and no replacement date is accepted. An unconfirmed slot will not be substituted after payment.

Check urgent Health Check availability

Outside this service

Implementation needs a separate scope.

Production changes and remediation need a separate agreement. The Health Check does not certify security, compliance, freedom from corruption or recoverability, and doesn't guarantee better performance, uptime or identification of one root cause. Integrity-check history tells us about previous runs. Backup metadata and successful jobs don't prove that backups will restore.

  • Configuration changes, installing patches, rebuilding indexes, creating backups, restoring databases, failover tests and deploying new monitoring aren't included.
  • Full table scans, a new CHECKDB run, detailed optimisation of the query candidates, custom scripts, code rewrites and running recommendations aren't included.
  • Continuous observation, ongoing DBA support, unlimited revisions, enterprise audits, licensing opinions, migrations, hardware procurement, corruption repair and representing you in vendor disputes aren't included.

Why BriteThought

Careful analysis. A report you can use.

A qualified specialist reviews the evidence, explains its limits and sets out the actions worth considering.

Evidence before assumptions

Reports distinguish what was observed, what may be contributing and what remains unknown. Each recommendation explains its evidence, its limits and the next useful test.

A specialist reviews the evidence

A qualified specialist analyses the evidence and is responsible for your report, using documented collection methods and review checklists. Consistent report formats and a process for further technical review support the assessment. Participation by a particular founder or engineer isn't guaranteed.

A report your team can use

Use the report with your team, vendor or chosen implementer. It sets out priorities, responsibilities and validation steps so you can decide what happens next. Production changes remain a separate decision.

Common questions

Before we start.

Do we need a dedicated DBA?

No. We designed the service for businesses and small development teams without one. For Self-Service, someone on your team still needs to be comfortable running diagnostics with the required permissions. Choose Managed if you want us to collect through agreed access.

Is Self-Service just an automated report?

No. Your team collects the evidence, and a qualified BriteThought specialist analyses it and writes the report. Self-Service costs less because your team handles collection. Both modes use the same core assessment method.

What if the collector cannot gather enough information?

We include one written review of collection status and, when useful, one request to rerun missing or failed modules or provide a limited alternative. Troubleshooting your environment and remote sessions aren't included. If environmental limits prevent enough collection, you may qualify for credit toward the equivalent Managed assessment once we confirm that collection is feasible. A standard Health Check upgrade leaves $700 to pay, excluding tax adjustments.

Does this prove our backups will restore?

No. A Health Check reviews metadata and practices. An actual isolated restore test needs a separately agreed Recovery Proof engagement. Successful backup jobs and past integrity-check runs don't certify recoverability or freedom from corruption.

Will you fix the findings or make our software faster?

You receive a prioritised action plan. Production changes, query optimisation and remediation need a separate agreement, testing and an approved change window. We don't guarantee a particular performance gain or business outcome.

Is this a security or compliance audit?

No. The selected SQL access and configuration indicators provide a high-level view of risk. Formal security assurance, penetration testing and compliance certification need a different scope.

Can the assessment finish without a clear root cause?

Yes. The investigation may find no material issue, identify likely contributors or explain why the accepted evidence can't isolate a cause. The report records what was covered, its limits and the next useful test. If required collection fails before we accept evidence for analysis, we follow the collection and refund policy instead of delivering an empty report.

Is urgent Health Check service available 24/7?

No. Priority requires confirmed capacity during the published service hours or a separately agreed appointment. It reserves faster collection or analysis and reporting after readiness, not continuous emergency support or a resolution guarantee. Payment alone does not start an immediate-response obligation.

Can we share the report, and ask follow-up questions?

Yes. Share it with your organisation, advisers, vendor or chosen implementer. You can send one set of up to 5 report questions within 10 business days of delivery; that clarification round is included. New collection, symptoms and implementation aren't included. Managed also includes one 30-minute findings call. Self-Service is written delivery unless you purchase a call separately.

What happens if Managed access is also impossible?

We check that collection is feasible before upgrading. If we can't collect enough evidence and analysis hasn't started, we refund the unperformed Self-Service purchase, including any unused Priority premium, under the published rules. Managed can't override your security or hosting restrictions.

Will collection affect production?

Diagnostic reads and sampling still use resources and may compete with your workload. We can't guarantee zero impact in every environment. Use an approved window, stop if the impact becomes unacceptable and authorise operational changes separately.

After the report

Decide what happens next.

You can take the report to your team, vendor or another provider. Any further work needs its own clear question, scope and confirmed availability. You don’t need to buy another service to have the agreed report explained.

Scoped change implementation

Agree a separate scope to implement validated recommendations.

A findings call for Self-Service or implementation work needs a separate agreement. This page does not offer add-on prices or booking.

Useful reading

Read more about the question.

SQL Server Health Check or Slow Application Triage: which question are you trying to answer?

Choose between a review of the main instance risks and a focused investigation of one slow screen, report or transaction.

Read the guide

Tell us what you want to check.

Tell us what’s happening with your SQL Server and what you want to find out. We’ll check whether the service fits, explain what collection involves and agree when work can start. Please leave credentials and diagnostic evidence out of your enquiry.

Assess your SQL Server healthCheck urgent Health Check availability

This one-time assessment has a fixed scope and the listed deliverables. Implementation is excluded. Your team completes Self-Service collection; customer-specific collection troubleshooting is excluded. Priority requires confirmed availability. See scope, data handling and upgrade rules.