Database will not start
A service that fails after a reboot, patch or host migration — including corrupt system databases and broken startup parameters.
Outage response · subject to availability
SQL Server down? Emergency DBA support, 24/7
Production down, data at risk, or a restore that will not complete? Clients on a support agreement call their line and their SLA applies. Without one, tell us what is happening and we assign the next available Australian-based senior DBA — charged at $180 per hour plus GST, subject to availability.
When to call
The situations we get called for at 2am
If production is down, degraded or at risk of data loss, call rather than email. These are the failures our on-call DBAs handle most often.
Corruption or a failed restore
Consistency errors, a backup chain that will not restore, or a recovery that has stalled part way through.
Deleted or encrypted data
Accidental deletion, a destructive script run against production, or a ransomware event where you need to establish what is recoverable.
Upgrade or patch gone wrong
A version upgrade or cumulative update that has left the instance unusable, and a rollback that needs to be executed under time pressure.
Failover that did not fail over
AlwaysOn availability groups, failover clusters, Data Guard or replication that has broken, split-brained or refused to come up on the secondary.
Performance collapse
Severe blocking, runaway queries, a full transaction log or exhausted storage that has taken the application down without taking the server down.
What happens next
From your call to service restored
The first priority is getting you back online. Root cause analysis follows once the bleeding has stopped.
You reach us
Agreement holders call their support line and their contracted SLA applies. Everyone else sends the form below or calls — either way a senior consultant is alerted immediately.
Senior DBA triage
A certified consultant assesses the failure, confirms the blast radius and tells you honestly what is recoverable and what is not before work begins.
Stabilise and restore
We work over secure remote access, alongside your team rather than around them, to get the service back and protect against further data loss.
Root cause and report
Once you are stable you get a written incident report with the cause, what we changed, and what to fix so it does not happen again.
How it works
How it works without an agreement
Clients on a support agreement hold a guaranteed response time and a lower rate, because they have paid to reserve our capacity in advance. Without one, help is offered at the ad-hoc rate and subject to a consultant being free — we cannot promise the same rate or the same response to everyone at once.
- Tell us what is happening and a consultant is assigned when one is free
- Subject to resource availability — no contracted response time without an agreement
- Certified Australian-based DBAs only, no first-line triage layer
- Secure remote access established at the start of the session
- We work with your team, so knowledge stays in your business
- Written incident report with root cause after resolution
- Honest assessment up front — including when data is not recoverable
- Billed against actual work performed, with the likely cost agreed before we start
Get help now
Three steps to a consultant
Tell us what is happening, book a Teams session, and we confirm a consultant. Nothing is charged through this form — we agree the scope and the cost with you before any work starts.
What we can help with
Platforms our on-call consultants cover
Emergency support spans the same estate as our managed plans — current and legacy versions, on-premises and in the cloud.
Database platforms
- SQL Server (2008–2022)
- Oracle (10g–23ai)
- PostgreSQL & EDB
- MySQL & MariaDB
- MongoDB
- Azure SQL & Managed Instance
High availability & recovery
- AlwaysOn availability groups
- Failover clustering
- Oracle RAC & Data Guard
- Replication & log shipping
- RMAN & native backups
- Veeam & Commvault
Where it runs
- On-premises
- VMware & Hyper-V
- Microsoft Azure
- AWS
- Oracle Cloud (OCI)
Response times
What you can expect when you call
A guaranteed response time is something you hold in advance, not something you can buy mid-outage. Here is exactly what applies to you.
Guaranteed SLA
On a monthly DBA plan
Your contracted SLA applies — one hour on Plans B and C, two hours on Plan A. Incident work draws on your included service hours first.
See the plans ›2-hour SLA
On an on-call subscription
A guaranteed two-hour response, 24/7, on your dedicated support line. Call time is billed at $150 per hour against actual work done.
How on-call works ›Subject to availability
No existing agreement
Work is charged at $180 per hour plus GST with a four-hour minimum, and we assign the next available senior consultant. There is no contracted response time, and assignment depends on a consultant being free — agreement holders are served first, because they have paid to reserve that capacity.
Request a consultant ›Already on a support agreement?
Your contracted SLA applies and none of the above is needed — call your support line and we respond within the time you hold. Not sure what you are covered for? Call and we will tell you.
Call 1800 431 416Not an emergency?
Describe what is happening and a senior consultant will come back to you within one business day — no block required. For anything affecting production right now, purchase a block above or call us.
Melbourne office
Level 1, 530 Little Collins Street, Melbourne, Australia
Phone
Business hours
Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm AEST (24/7 for managed service clients)
Published Last reviewed
FAQ
Common questions
Anything where production is down, degraded or at risk of data loss: an instance that will not start, corruption or a failed restore, deleted or encrypted data, a failed upgrade, a failover that did not work, or severe blocking that has taken the application offline.
Without a support agreement, emergency work is charged at $180 per hour plus GST with a four-hour minimum. Clients on a monthly DBA plan draw on their included service hours first and then pay $140 per hour, and on-call subscribers pay $150 per hour, because both have already paid to reserve our capacity. We agree the likely cost with you before work starts.
A guaranteed response time applies if you already hold an agreement: one hour on DBA Plans B and C, two hours on Plan A, and two hours on an on-call subscription. Without a plan there is no contracted SLA — we connect you to the next available senior consultant and start as soon as access is in place.
Yes, subject to a consultant being available. Send us your details or call, and we assign the next free senior consultant at $180 per hour plus GST with a four-hour minimum. There is no contracted response time without an agreement — clients who hold one are served first, because they have paid in advance to reserve that capacity. Most clients set up an on-call subscription afterwards so the next incident carries a guaranteed response.
Because clients on an agreement pay every month to reserve our capacity, and it would not be fair to charge them the same as someone calling once. The agreement rate is lower and carries a guaranteed response time; the ad-hoc rate is higher and carries none. That is the way round it should be.
No. Send us the details or call, and a consultant assesses the situation and confirms the likely cost before any work begins. If we conclude we cannot help, we tell you and there is nothing to pay.
SQL Server 2008 to 2022, Oracle 10g to 23ai, PostgreSQL, EDB, MySQL, MariaDB, MongoDB, Azure SQL Database and Azure SQL Managed Instance — running on-premises, on VMware or Hyper-V, or in Azure, AWS and Oracle Cloud.
Often, but it depends entirely on the failure mode and what backups exist. A senior DBA assesses recoverability early in the call and tells you honestly what can and cannot be retrieved, rather than billing hours against an outcome that is not achievable.
The instance or server name, the exact error message, when the problem started, and what changed beforehand — a patch, a deployment, a restart or a storage event. Someone who can approve remote access should be available, as that is usually the first blocker.
You receive a written incident report covering the root cause, every change we made during recovery, and the specific remediation needed to stop it recurring. If you want that remediation delivered, it can run as a fixed-price project or against blocked hours.