Health Check

Managed SQL Server DBA as a Service

You need senior database administrator capabilities. What you don’t need is the salary, the benefits, the recruitment cycle, or the bus-factor risk of a single hire who calls in sick the day production goes down. 15-Minute P1 SLA. Dedicated Lead DBA backed by team of experts – all on-shore Full-Time employees. Let our experts be your SQL Server DBA team.

Choose Your Plan Call Us: 888-775-3282

Trusted by 100+ Teams Since 2009

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Your database doesn’t sleep.
Neither should its caretaker.

Hiring a DBA isn’t a problem you solve once. It’s a problem you keep solving. Coverage gaps, knowledge silos, vacation weeks, parental leave, and the day one of them decides to leave for a 30 percent raise.

Sleep well, knowing everything’s watched and someone senior is always on.

Imagine a quarter where you don’t think about your SQL Servers, except to notice they keep running. Where the alerts that matter reach a human who recognizes them, and the alerts that don’t matter never wake anyone up.

That’s the day-to-day for clients on a Straight Path DBA as a Service plan. Senior US-based DBAs, watching, patching, mentoring, available. Your team. Not your payroll.

24/7 monitoring and coverage across every database in your estate, around the clock and around the calendar

Senior US-based DBAs (not a call center) with a dedicated technical lead who knows your environment by name

Mentoring built in, so your in-house team levels up with our service instead of growing dependent on it

Capacity that flexes, expanding when you need it and contracting back to steady-state when you don’t

Choose Your Plan

What’s Included

Every plan. Every quarter.

US-based Support

Your support lead (and our entire team) is located in the continental United States. No off-shoring. No call centers. This is our full-time job, not a side hustle.

24/7/365 Access

We have one call rate. There are no additional “emergency fees,” or a different hourly rate for emergencies off hours.

No long-term contracts

You aren’t stuck with us. Each quarter of service is earned; if we aren’t right for you or your needs change – your level can change, or you can leave without worrying about fees and lawyers. We’re confident you’ll stay, but not because you have to.

SQL Sentry License

SQL Sentry License included for one instance of SQL Server. Additional licenses are available at our heavily discounted monthly pricing, but every client has one base instance.

Alerts & Daily Checks

Our SQL Beacon tool keeps constant watch over your instances, sending daily alerts and health checks so you stay informed.

Predictive Modeling

Our proprietary proactive dashboard in PowerBI looks at best practices, trends, and critical proactive checks. This allows us to spot potential future problems and fix them before they become emergencies.

Monthly Review Call

Each month, your lead DBA reviews your upcoming plans, the proactive work we’ve done, and what we recommend to ensure we are moving forward in the way you need. We are your DBA teams, and we integrate into our client environments.

Access to Our Team

Get the help you need with our rapid triage and focus on 15-minute responses for P1 issues, 15-30-minute responses for P2 issues, and no more than 4 business hours of response for P3 issues.

Service Plans

Pick the right plan for your data estate.

Four tiers. Quarterly pricing. Move up, down, or sideways as your needs shift. No long-term lock-in.

MICRO

$6,000
/ quarter*
Monitoring & Health Checks
On-call Access
10 Hours per Quarter
$285/hr Overage

SILVER

$10,000
/ quarter
Monitoring & Health Checks
On-call Access
25 Hours per Quarter
$275/hr Overage
Dedicated Senior DBA

GOLD

$14,000
/ quarter
Monitoring & Health Checks
On-call Access
45 Hours per Quarter
$265/hr Overage
Dedicated Senior DBA
Roll Over Up to 10 Hours
1 On-call Per Year Included

DIAMOND

$19,000
/ quarter
Monitoring & Health Checks
On-call Access
75 Hours per Quarter
$250/hr Overage
Dedicated Senior DBA
Roll Over Up to 25 Hours
2 On-calls Per Year Included

* Annual discount available for MICRO plan: $20,000/year

Not sure which tier fits? That’s exactly what the free consultation is for. We’ll look at your data estate, your in-house capacity, and your risk profile, then recommend a starting point. You can always move tiers next quarter.

Take the Next Step

One free call. Honest Answers. No risk.

Tell us about your environment. We’ll tell you whether we’re a fit, what tier makes sense, and where the quick wins are. No pressure, no boilerplate, no obligation.

Schedule a Call

Need help now? Call us: 888-775-3282

Free consultation

30-minute initial call

Our expert consultants are ready to discuss your SQL Server needs. Select a date & time from our booking calendar to schedule your initial consultation and begin your engagement.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is SQL Server DBA as a Service?

DBA as a Service is a managed service where our team of senior SQL Server database administrators handles the day-to-day monitoring, maintenance, and support of your SQL Server environment. It gives you access to experienced DBAs without the cost and risk of hiring a full-time employee.

Are there long-term contracts for DBA as a Service?

No. We work on a quarterly basis with no long-term contracts required. You can adjust your plan level up or down each quarter or cancel without penalty.

How quickly do you respond to issues?

We provide clear response time SLAs:

  • P1 (critical) issues: 15 minutes
  • P2 issues: 15–30 minutes
  • P3 issues: within 4 business hours
Are your DBAs based in the United States?

Yes. All of our DBAs US-based professionals. All are Full-Time employees of Straight Path. We do not use off-shore teams or call centers.

How is DBA as a Service different from hiring a full-time SQL Server DBA?

DBA as a Service gives you access to a team of senior DBAs instead of relying on one person. You get broader expertise, 24/7 coverage, built-in mentoring for your team, and much lower cost and risk – without the headaches of recruitment, benefits, or vacation gaps.

What’s included in DBA as a Service?

Every plan includes:

  • SQL Sentry + our proprietary proactive monitoring tools.
  • 24/7 monitoring and alerting
  • Daily health checks
  • Monthly review calls with your dedicated Lead DBA
  • Access to our full team for triage and support
  • Access to our Azure and AWS architecture support
  • Access to our Chief Data Officer for data strategy and advanced analytics questions
Will you learn our specific environment?

Yes. You’ll be assigned a dedicated Lead DBA who gets to know your systems. We also hold regular monthly review calls to discuss proactive work, upcoming changes, and recommendations.

Do you mentor our internal team?

Yes. Mentoring is built into the service. We help level up your developers and junior DBAs through knowledge sharing during reviews and support interactions.

How do we get started with DBA as a Service?

It starts with a free 30-minute consultation. We’ll learn about your environment, discuss your goals, recommend the right plan, and get you up and running quickly with minimal disruption.

Can I change plans later if my needs change?

Absolutely. Plans are flexible and can be adjusted at the start of each quarter based on your current needs.

How does the onboarding process work?

Onboarding is straightforward. We send our onboarding information request and jump server info, configure remote access with you in the way that is best for your needs. We assign a dedicated Lead DBA and division and our support team and operations team begin to install tools, perform onboarding SQL Server health checks and start fixing the critical items. Most clients are fully onboarded and receiving proactive monitoring and support within 5–10 business days of signing as long as the access is created on their side.

What if we need more hours than what’s included in our plan?

You can purchase additional hours at your plan’s overage rate listed on the pricing table above, pricing is all discounted from our rack rate for consulting work (20 hour buckets priced at $7,000 for a bucket.) Gold and Diamond plans also allow you to roll over a certain number of unused hours forward one quarter as well to allow the hours to be strategically used between quarters. Your Lead DBA and our operations team watch your usage to let you know if we should go up a level (often less expensive than the lower tier with overage) or reduce tiers in the forward as we accomplish goals with you.

How do you handle security and access to our databases?

Security is a top priority. We follow least-privilege access principles and can work within your existing security policies, including VPNs and jump servers. All of our DBAs are full-time U.S. employees and we are on track to have our SOC2 Type I certification audit in July of 2026, with plan to follow with Type II once the surveillance time has lapsed.

What kind of results do clients typically see?

Clients commonly experience:

  • Reduced risk from knowledge gaps or staff turnover
  • Improved performance and stability
  • Fewer emergencies and faster resolution when issues do occur
  • Better long-term planning and proactive improvements
Can you help with complex or difficult SQL Server performance issues?

Yes. Performance tuning is one of our core strengths. We have some of the most experienced SQL Server performance experts in the industry on our team. Whether it’s complex query tuning, indexing strategies, or deep architectural issues, we can handle even the most challenging performance problems.

Do you help with SQL Server migrations to Azure/AWS or other cloud platforms?

Yes. We have extensive experience helping companies migrate SQL Server workloads to Azure (and other cloud platforms). Our Azure Architect, Buck Woody, leads many of these projects. Others like Amy Abel, Mike Walsh, and Mike Lynn help lead our Azure and AWS migrations. We’ve also consulted to Google Cloud while helping them optimize some Infrastructure as a Service offerings for SQL Server workloads in GCP. Clients often see significant cost savings and performance improvements after moving to the cloud with our guidance.

Can you provide short-term DBA coverage, such as for vacations or leaves?

Absolutely. Many clients start with us for short-term coverage when their DBA is on vacation or out for an extended period. We’re happy to support you for just one quarter. Quite a few of those clients end up staying with us long-term because they appreciate having a full team behind their environment instead of relying on a single person.

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Do you serve credit unions and financial services organizations?

Yes. We provide SQL Server DBA as a Service and managed database support to credit unions and financial services organizations, working within their security and compliance requirements, helping them consolidate, improve member and client experience and pass their state exams and NCUA exams.

How are Straight Path’s SQL Server DBA services rated by clients?

Straight Path holds a 4.9 out of 5 client rating based on 232 verified ratings collected by ClearlyRated, an independent third-party rating service. Our Net Promoter Score (NPS) for 2026 is 93.5, and our overall NPS across the past three years is 90.5. Because ClearlyRated collects and reports the responses independently, the score reflects all client feedback, not a filtered selection.