The Company
Clearview magazine is published by the Clearview Group Ltd, an expanding Yorkshire-based, independent publisher of specialist trade magazines across the UK.
They publish Clearview and Pro Installer monthly on a national basis focusing on the broad glass and glazing industry. Also part of the group are the publications The Locksmith, the only independent trade journal and online news publication dedicated to the locksmith industry, The Farmers Mart, the North’s number one farming guide and the group’s newest edition Locksmiths Local, an online directory for the public to find the closest locksmith in their local area.
The Opportunity
Over the last 7 years, the group have developed an in-house subscriber and publisher management system which runs the entire group operations, from lead in to magazine out.
The system data is stored in a Microsoft SQL Server database and users have recently been experiencing the following problems:
- Application screens keep hanging during normal usage, slowing down order processing and quoting
- A fundamental process of prospect emails received, to prospect records generated, not working
With over 10 years’ experience in managing SQL Server based databases and improving customer databases, All My Systems were asked to review the SQL Server architecture, system and queries to identify where improvements could be made.
The Solution
We reviewed the architecture of the system and SQL Server with onsite subject matter experts, and implemented the following improvements:
- Reviewed long running queries to identify where bottlenecks were in the system and optimise these queries to provide up to 44 hours saved query time per year
- Troubleshooted and identified the cause of the failing process between the front end application and back end SQL database to modify the code and get the prospect records generation process working again
- Relocated the physical data and log disk layouts to improve scalability and reliability
- Increased the growth rate of the log file which was previously a performance bottleneck, and slowed the system down each time additional data was added to the system
Hear from the client
All my systems were recommended by one of our directors. At first I was very reluctant to accept any help as this project had become my “baby” over the last 7 years, however after meeting Mark, I could tell my project was in safe hands. The advice and recommendations I received has made significant and noticeable improvements both to me and the users. Mark spent a lot of time listening to me and my thoughts and used these to make the best changes possible, all backed up with thorough reports and communications. All my expectations were exceeded and I would not hesitate to ask for help in the future.
Ryan Exley, Financial Director
All My Systems are looking forward to continuing to work with Clearview Group Ltd to optimise their systems even further.
