Data Strategy
A Neutral Partner for Your Biggest Data Decisions
Platform choices, a move to PostgreSQL, an AI plan your board can stand behind. Our Chief Data Officer, Buck Woody, helps you make the decisions that are expensive to get wrong, and our DBA team helps carry them out. We don’t resell anything.
Trusted by 130+ Teams Since 2011
Straight Answers, Whatever Your Seat
CEOs and Owners: You need to know which data and AI spending is worth it, and which isn’t, from someone with nothing to sell you.
CTOs and IT Leaders: You can see the problems clearly. We help leadership agree on the fix and fund it.
IT and Data Managers: Decisions stuck between teams and vendors get an owner, a deadline and a plan.
DBAs: You know what needs fixing. We help make the case, and you keep every method, document and script we build.
How you’ll work with our data strategist…
Buck Woody is neutral, practical, and on your side.
How It Works
The Kickoff
A 40-hour engagement with 39-year data & technology veteran Buck Woody aimed at your most urgent data decision.
Point it at whatever’s most urgent
What you get
Where We Can Help
AI Strategy and Governance
Get your data ready before you bet on AI
Every vendor has an AI pitch, and your people are already using AI tools. We help you choose carefully and set the rules first.
- Pick a sensible first use case
- Check whether your data can support it
- An acceptable-use policy, and clear rules for which data can go into AI tools
- A model and vendor selection matrix you can reuse
- A briefing for leadership or your board
PostgreSQL
PostgreSQL, planned and supported
Thinking about PostgreSQL for a new project, or to cut licensing costs? Buck helps you decide whether it fits and plans the move. Our DBA team works alongside you on the first project, so you’re not learning alone.
- An honest fit check: where PostgreSQL makes sense for you, and where it doesn’t
- A migration and support plan
- Training for your SQL Server team
- A first project alongside our DBAs (early-access program)
Assessment
Data Estate Audit
A four-week, fixed-scope assessment of where your data stands: a scorecard, a written assessment, and a walkthrough for leadership.
Post-Kickoff
Ongoing Data Leadership
Regular check-ins, the decision log kept current, an advocate on your vendor calls, an updated roadmap, and coaching for your team.
Your Advisor
Meet Buck Woody
Chief Data Officer, Straight Path Solutions
Buck brings four decades of experience in data and technology. He comes to Straight Path by way of Microsoft, where he spent years on the Azure Data Services team helping organizations solve complex data problems.
He’s authored over 700 articles and 9 books on databases, machine learning, and data strategy. He sits on Data Science advisory boards at two U.S. universities and speaks at conferences worldwide.
When you work with Straight Path, you get Buck’s experience directly, not a junior consultant reading from a playbook.
Recent talks: Live! 360 Orlando 2026 (data governance, AI context engineering, and PostgreSQL for SQL Server professionals) and the CCUA webinar “Models, Vendors and Platforms: How Do We Choose?”.
Who Is This For?
Recent Engagements
This engagement is designed for organizations at a crossroads with their data.
A multi-company fuel distributor moving to a new ERP
Ten companies, several systems and no shared definition of a customer. Buck named the decisions and their owners, tested the matching on real records, and gave leadership a vendor-neutral plan and cost comparison to take to their implementation partners.
An agricultural cooperative weighing a platform move
A vendor promised large savings from a platform move. Buck reviewed the quote alongside the client’s DBA team, found sizing and migration risks, and helped them go back to the vendors with better questions.
A logistics company with two data warehouses
Two teams were each building an enterprise data warehouse without knowing about the other. Starting from the company’s goals, Buck brought the efforts together before the costs doubled.
Take the Next Step
Ready to Transform Your Data Into a Strategic Asset?
Schedule a Call
Free consultation
30-minute initial call
Schedule a free 30-minute call with Buck Woody. We’ll discuss your situation, answer your questions, and assess whether we’re the right fit for each other.
Testimonials
Trusted by Teams Who Take Data Seriously
Whether it’s optimizing queries or server migrations, our clients rely on us to solve high-stakes SQL challenges.
Srey Timmer
Mathnasium
Valuable insights and reduced complexity
What I like best about working with Straight Path is their responsiveness, deep technical expertise, and how easy they are to collaborate with. They consistently provide valuable insights and make complex issues easier to manage.
Dan Spear
Vice President,
PCS
I 100% recommend
Their company culture is to work as if they are an extension of our team to our clients. They take on the responsibility of our SQL Server instances and make us look like heroes. They all take pride in doing great work and it is a joy to interact with everyone there.
Shawn Ansted
Senior Software Engineer,
S&S Activewear
A wonderful experience
The Straight Path team has excellent communication skills and proactively reaches out when there are issues. They always inform us exactly what is going on and what to expect. It is a wonderful experience in 2025, where I don’t think enough companies are as transparent as Straight Path.
John Dailey
Director Enterprise Systems,
Circle K
This is a great partnership
If you are an IT leader or tech lead, you tend to be siloed in your solution view. In this case for SQL Server, Straight Path works with many clients and sizes. They use that broad knowledge in their solution strategy with our SQL Server installations.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. The 40-hour kickoff stands on its own. Continuing is your choice.
The audit is a fixed-scope assessment of where your data stands. The kickoff goes straight at one decision and gets it made. Many clients start with the audit, and some start here.
No. SQL Server is where Straight Path started, not a requirement. Buck works across platforms, including PostgreSQL and open-source tools.
No. We have no resale deals with any vendor or platform, so we have no stake in which one you pick.
We help you choose, prepare your data and scope a measured first pilot. Building is a separate conversation, and we’ll say plainly if someone else is a better fit.
A sponsor with the authority to make decisions, and the people who own the systems involved. We keep everyone’s time focused.