How a Leading Financial Achieved 90% Faster MS-SQL Performance with Simple Logic IT

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Client Overview
3. The Challenge
4. Objectives
5. Solution Delivered by Simple Logic IT
6. Implementation Process
7. Results & Outcomes
8. Key Learnings & Insights
9. Conclusion

Introduction

High-volume digital financial platforms cannot tolerate slow systems, delayed reports, or unstable applications. When transaction volumes rise and databases struggle to keep pace, the impact is immediate—longer processing times, frustrated users, and increasing operational pressure.

This case study highlights how Simple Logic IT transformed a large financial services platform’s MS-SQL environment, eliminated critical performance bottlenecks, and delivered measurable gains in speed, stability, and operational efficiency.

Client Overview

• Client: A large-scale financial services platform
• Reach: Millions of users with high transaction volumes
• Environment: SQL Server 2016, Windows Server 2012 R2

The organisation manages continuous, real-time transaction workflows across multiple digital channels, making database performance a critical foundation for business success.

The Challenge

Before engaging Simple Logic IT, the platform was experiencing severe performance degradation across its MS-SQL environment.

• Slow query execution during peak hours
• Application hangs and delayed responses
• High server workload caused by inefficient queries
• Unstable optimiser plans
• Excessive I/O consumption
• Increased page latch waits in tempdb
• Data files, logs, and tempdb located on the same drive

Business Impact Before Optimisation:

• Delayed transactions affecting customer experience
• Higher operational effort to manage daily workloads
• Slow reconciliation and reporting cycles
• Hidden risk of downtime during peak traffic periods
• Reduced confidence in overall system reliability

Objectives

The optimisation initiative focused on delivering clear, measurable outcomes:

• Achieve significant performance gains across queries and procedures
• Stabilise SQL behaviour under heavy workloads
• Reduce I/O pressure and unnecessary blocking
• Improve server health and reduce latency
• Accelerate reconciliation and reporting processes

Solution Delivered by Simple Logic IT

Simple Logic IT applied a structured, multi-layered optimisation strategy focused on sustainable performance improvement rather than short-term fixes.

Server-Level Enhancements

• Corrected storage allocation for data, logs, and tempdb
• Expanded tempdb structure to eliminate latch contention
• Balanced disk latency for consistent throughput

Database-Level Optimisation

• Removed redundant indexes and optimised required ones
• Reduced logical reads through targeted tuning
• Improved fragmentation levels on high-impact tables
• Stabilised query plans for predictable execution

Query & Object-Level Tuning

• Re-engineered multiple high-load queries
• Optimised stored procedures with excessive elapsed times
• Converted I/O-heavy operations into efficient workflows

The engagement was executed collaboratively, with Simple Logic IT working closely alongside internal teams to ensure safe deployment, uptime, and business continuity.

Implementation Process

• Comprehensive diagnostics covering logs, I/O patterns, and execution plans
• Immediate remediation of critical performance blockers
• Phased optimisation roadmap executed over several months
• Continuous monitoring using SQL health metrics
• Regular feedback loops between internal teams and Simple Logic IT
• Final stabilisation and fine-tuning on production systems

Results & Outcomes

The optimisation delivered by Simple Logic IT resulted in dramatic and verifiable performance improvements.

Query Performance Improvements

• Query reduced from 1225 seconds to 10 seconds
• Query reduced from 383 seconds to 1 second
• Query reduced from 587 seconds to 7 seconds

Stored Procedure Gains

• Procedure improved by over 90%
• Another procedure reduced from 75 seconds to 9 seconds
• Heavy procedure reduced from 1,876,874 ms to 117,076 ms

Tempdb & I/O Performance

• Tempdb wait time reduced from ~100,000 seconds to ~440 seconds
• Significant reduction in I/O hits across large workloads
• Disk utilisation optimised through proper balancing

Overall Business Benefits

• Up to 90% faster data processing
• Near-instant responses during peak transaction hours
• Improved system stability under heavy load
• Reduced operational effort for internal teams
• Faster reporting and reconciliation cycles
• Lower infrastructure stress and better resource utilisation

Key Learnings & Insights

• Most performance issues originate from overlooked bottlenecks, not hardware limits
• Continuous optimisation prevents future outages and scaling costs
• Strong collaboration between development, operations, and database teams accelerates results
• Expert tuning delivers value far beyond basic configuration changes

Conclusion

This case study demonstrates that achieving faster, more stable systems does not always require large infrastructure investments. With the right expertise, structured analysis, and precise execution, Simple Logic IT transformed a struggling MS-SQL environment into a high-performance engine capable of supporting millions of daily transactions with confidence.