Texas A&M Technology Services provides a full spectrum of database development and conversion services. Our database consultants can upgrade an existing database, normalize an existing database for optimum performance, or design a new high-performance database solution for your business process.

Database Development

We provide professional database design, development and integration services for all major database platforms. Our database consulting team has hands-on experience in a wide variety of business technologies and environments. We can help identify and resolve problems with your existing business processes, information systems and technology utilization, resulting in a more efficient database development process. This process involves identifying information needing to be stored by an application, determining a logical data structure and creating an information storage plan. Experienced database design consultants can help evaluate existing Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL, Oracle and Microsoft Access databases, and create new relational databases to manage important business data.

Database Conversions

Applications often begin with Microsoft Access databases, which are relatively simple to implement and suitable for small offices. Because of its limitations, an Access database may struggle to effectively support a site as it grows and changes. We can manage the transition to a more robust database management system that can support larger multi-user applications and systems:

• Maintain data integrity and security.
• Examine and minimize risk.
• Reduce database size by purging old data in compliance with university rules and standard administrative procedures for records management.
• Reorganize and cleanse data to reduce access time.
• Consolidate multiple databases into a single, high-performance database.
• Perform data field mapping between the source and target data structures.
• Document data structures and relationships.

Getting Started

To request this service, email bsps@tamu.edu or call 979.845.8300.

Texas A&M University (Part 02) rates are displayed below. See General Computing Rates for TAMUS, Non-TAMUS, and Auxiliary Rates.

Additional Details

We can provide flexible support based on your needs. For more on contract, non-contract, project based and ad-hoc support options, view IT Support Options and Pricing.

Database Consulting Methodology

• Requirements Definition: Quality database design and database application software development is predicated on accurate definitions of business process requirements. Whether you are building a smart client desktop application or the latest database-driven website, a clear requirements document is the first step in successful software development life cycle methodology for any qualified database consulting professional.

• Use Cases: The project requirements document is intended to define the actual deliverables of the project, but it does not contain enough detailed information to be used as a development guideline. The business processes need to be broken down into individual tasks, and requirements and attributes of these tasks need to be defined. This is commonly done through a process called use cases.

• Database Design: Once the requirements are known and use cases defined, the database design consultant can begin the actual process of building the database model. This involves a database architect assembling all of the required data elements and then defining database tables based upon database normalization rules. Additional design elements include the analysis of appropriate key structures and other integral database schema objects necessary for optimal database performance and reliability.

• Build Test Requirements: Using the information defined in the requirements, use case and database design processes, the database consultant can build a test plan of required activities. In addition to the final testing, these activities include component and unit test criteria necessary to identify dependencies required in the development plan.

• Create Development Plan: Now that the project requirements are known, how the users interact with the identified requirements, what the necessary database looks like, and how the resulting product will be tested, the development plan is created. This contains information on the technologies and development standards to be used, the components to be developed, the development steps to be executed and the required sequence of the development events.