The Customer

DataPaws Consulting provides SQL Server consulting services spanning database administration, performance tuning, upgrades, migrations, and data management. Founder Ben Wiggin works with customers to understand how their databases are used and what needs to change as their requirements evolve.

Cloud migration brings those responsibilities together. Customers need to understand which services could support their workloads, how costs might change, and whether existing applications depend on features that will work differently at the destination. For teams with limited database or cloud expertise, answering those questions can be a significant undertaking.

Ben already uses Redgate Monitor in his work with customers. He evaluated its cloud migration advice functionality to see how it could help DataPaws Consulting assess a move from on-premises SQL Server to Amazon Relational Database Service (Amazon RDS).

The Challenge

For Ben, migration planning begins with understanding what a customer’s existing environment actually needs. An organization may want to move to the cloud without knowing which service or instance size would be appropriate, leaving him to translate that ambition into a practical recommendation.

Previously, that involved manually reviewing performance data, including CPU, memory, I/O, and waits, to understand average demand and peak workload periods. He then needed to compare those requirements with cloud options and investigate whether the features in use would be supported.

The consequences of getting that assessment wrong extend beyond the planning stage. Missing a workload peak can leave a customer with insufficient capacity and performance problems after migration. Overprovisioning can create unnecessary expense, while overlooking an unsupported dependency can force a team to revisit decisions much later in the project.

Some customers may not have a dedicated DBA or know when their busiest workloads occur. As Ben explained, “They might not know when their peak workload is.” A recommendation based on an unrepresentative period could therefore miss the very activity the new environment needs to accommodate.

Ben estimated that reviewing performance information and developing a manual recommendation could take around an hour per instance. Across an estate, that assessment work competes with the time needed to investigate dependencies and advise customers, as well as slowing down the planning and execution of the migration itself.

The Solution

Building on existing monitoring data

Redgate Monitor’s cloud migration advice gave Ben a way to bring workload assessment and Amazon RDS recommendations together. Using historical performance data, the functionality provides a recommended target, an estimated AWS cost, and cloud-readiness findings to support further planning.

For existing users, reusing the information already collected by Redgate Monitor is a particular advantage. As Ben noted, “It’s based on data that they’ve already been collecting.” Teams can begin investigating migration options within their existing monitoring environment, avoiding the additional evaluation, approval, and data-collection work that a separate analysis tool could introduce.  The data also provides them with an evidence-based analysis they can provide to any AWS specialists who may be supporting them with their migration

With the AWS credentials and historical data in place, Ben described being able to get an analysis group running in around half an hour, with initial answers then available. Crucially, this 30-minute setup applies regardless of how many instances are being analyzed, a stark contrast to the old manual process which compounded by an hour for every single instance added to the scope. The recommendations gave him something concrete to investigate and discuss, including a target instance size and an estimated daily AWS cost.

Ben saw particular value for teams unfamiliar with AWS: “This is what Redgate Monitor recommends as the target instance size. This is what Redgate estimates it will cost.” That information helps turn a broad migration discussion into a more focused assessment of suitability and affordability.

Making the remaining checks clearer

The cloud-readiness findings helped Ben identify issues requiring attention before a move to Amazon RDS. These can include the need to upgrade an older SQL Server version or account for a different version at the destination.

He also valued the notes explaining the limits of the assessment. “It gives you notes and says what this analysis doesn’t check for,” he said. The analysis does not perform a complete inspection of every application dependency; its accompanying guidance directs users to areas needing their own review.

Ben highlighted linked servers as one example. In the functionality he evaluated, their use was not automatically checked, but the notes prompted further investigation. That distinction gives him a more useful basis for planning: recommendations supported by collected data, alongside a clearer view of the work still required.

The Results

The immediate benefit for DataPaws Consulting was a faster, more structured assessment process. Ben could review recommended Amazon RDS options and readiness findings together, reducing the manual effort needed to assemble an initial view.

“It’s really saved a lot of time,” he said, adding that the report makes it much easier for a customer to understand why a particular instance might be suitable for migrating straight away, and which need further investigation. For a consultant, that supports both the technical recommendation and the conversation with the customer about what to do next.

The evaluation highlighted three practical benefits:

• More time for detailed advice: Less time spent on the initial analysis leaves greater scope to investigate dependencies and help customers address the issues identified.
• Better-informed sizing decisions: Historical workload data provides evidence for recommendations, helping assess the risk of too much or too little capacity.
• Clearer migration preparation: Readiness findings and guidance on additional checks help establish what needs attention before a customer commits to Amazon RDS.

These benefits also matter as plans evolve. Ben noted that a migration project can run for several months while developers continue changing applications. Keeping workload assumptions and dependency checks current remains part of the assessment process throughout that period.

Ben’s wider experience with Redgate Monitor also reinforced the value of continuity as environments change. In his existing work monitoring hybrid estates, he values having alerts, reports, custom configurations, and API integrations together. By using a single tool for both on-premises monitoring and cloud migration advice, teams avoid the hassle of rebuilding pipelines or redeveloping API hooks for a completely separate cloud monitoring tool. That provides a stable operational foundation for teams planning their next infrastructure change, alongside the migration analysis itself.

Looking ahead

Ben sees an opportunity to use cloud migration advice earlier in modernization discussions. A customer considering an upgrade to an older on-premises server can investigate Amazon RDS with an initial view of recommended capacity, estimated cost, and readiness requirements.

For teams occupied with day-to-day operations, making that first assessment easier can help them consider options they might otherwise struggle to find time to research. “Having the assessment built into Redgate Monitor makes it easy to configure and quickly gives us evidence-based recommendations. That’s a huge win when helping clients understand migration risks, costs, and modernization opportunities,” Ben said.

For DataPaws Consulting, Redgate Monitor brings more of the evidence needed for those conversations into one place, helping Ben focus his expertise on assessing the findings and guiding customers toward an appropriate migration plan.