Bespoke database development
We design and build custom databases for organisations that have outgrown their spreadsheets – or inherited something they don’t fully understand. If you’ve got a data problem, let’s talk about it.
No commitment. No sales pressure. Just a conversation.
Sound familiar?
Something that worked perfectly well a few years ago has quietly stopped being good enough. The right answer usually isn’t obvious until someone with the right experience has had a proper look – and that’s what the first conversation is for.
It grew one column at a time until no one’s quite sure what breaks if they touch it.
It works, just about, and nobody quite understands it any more.
The numbers exist – they’re just trapped in systems that won’t talk to each other.
These aren’t unusual situations. They’re the starting point for most of the projects we take on – and what they have in common is that the right answer usually isn’t obvious until someone has had a proper look.
01 / new build
You have a process that’s outgrown your tools – spreadsheets that have become unwieldy, a system that doesn’t talk to another, a database written for Access 95 that won’t run on your new computers, or a report nobody can produce without losing half a day. You need something built from scratch that fits the way your organisation actually works.
02 / rescue
You’ve inherited a database – or you’re responsible for one whose author has since left. It works, mostly. But you don’t fully understand it, you’re nervous about changing anything, and you’re not sure whether it needs fixing, extending, or replacing. You need someone to look at it honestly and tell you the truth.
Inherited something you don’t understand?
We’re often the call people make when the person who built their system has moved on – retired, changed jobs, or simply become unavailable. It can feel embarrassing to admit an organisation depends on something nobody fully understands. It isn’t. It’s just what happens when a good solution outlasts the person who created it.
We can assess what you’ve got, explain it in plain English, and tell you honestly whether it needs fixing, extending, or replacing. We won’t push you toward a rebuild if the existing system is basically sound – and if it does need rebuilding, we’ll tell you why before anyone commits to anything.
Talk to us about what you’ve inherited →How a project works
Every project follows a process that keeps you informed and in control at every stage.
We understand your situation and whether we’re the right fit. No charge, no agenda beyond that.
Before we touch any technology, we meet the people who’ll actually use the system – not just the person commissioning it.
A specific, written estimate before any work begins – something you can take to your finance director. Wondering how we arrive at that figure? →
We build in stages, with early versions you can actually use. If something isn’t right, you tell us before it’s too late.
You own everything – the code, the documentation, all of it. And almost every client starts a wish list the day after go-live.
Organisations we’ve built for
Across education, healthcare, government, retail and professional services.
Case study · Imperial College London
We’ve built and maintained the Examinations databases for both the departments of Chemical Engineering and Aeronautics at Imperial College London for well over a decade – a multi-user system handling complex data across departments, on SQL Server and Microsoft Access.
It’s still running, still growing, and still supported.
Read the full case studies →The IT Service to developed two separate databases for us here in the Department of Chemical Engineering. The first database handles our unique exams system, and we were so happy with the result, and the service we received, that we asked them to build a second one relating to departmental resources. I would have no hesitation in re-engaging with them.
If we were ever to disappear tomorrow, you’d have everything you need to hand the project to someone else. That’s a promise, not a selling point.
Incidentally
We build in Microsoft – Access for smaller systems, SQL Server and .NET for larger or web-based ones. If you’re looking for PHP or open-source development, we’re probably not your people – but we’ll tell you that in the first five minutes rather than waste anyone’s time.
Not sure which applies to you? Don’t worry – that’s exactly the kind of question the first conversation is designed to answer.
Ready to talk?
The first step is a free 30-minute conversation. We can usually tell you whether we're the right fit and give you a rough sense of what's involved. No commitment, no obligation, no sales pressure – just a conversation.
