Ronald de Groot

SQL Server 2025 & Azure DBA | Change Event Streaming, Performance Tuning, AI-driven Automation

Apeldoorn, Gelderland, Netherlands

About

Azure & SQL Server DBA with 25+ years of hands-on database work, currently focused on SQL Server 2025's newest capabilities — Change Event Streaming, backup compression, and performance tuning at scale. Extensive background in data warehouse design and ETL development using SSIS, alongside deep BI experience (Analysis Services). I've worked extensively with SQL Server's AI features — vector search, DiskANN, and AI-assisted query/index tooling — building practical tooling rather than just writing about it: a live CES stream visualizer (.NET 8), a SQL Server Agent job visualizer, and AI-driven automation for index and performance analysis (sp_BlitzIndex). I write regularly about what I find — cost-based parallelism internals, migration patterns off SQL Server 2016, backup/restore strategy — over at dbaronald.com / dbaronald.nl and on GitHub. Open to freelance/consulting engagements in Azure SQL migration, performance tuning, and DBA automation.

Experience

  • Open Data BV (27 yrs 7 mos)
    • Owner
      Jan 1999 - Present · 27 yrs 7 mos

    • BI/DBA
      1999 - 2020 · 21 yrs

  • Azure DBA at Stichting BKR
    Jul 2021 - Dec 2024 · 3 yrs 6 mos

    Migrated several databases to Azure and created Azure Cost Management.

  • SQL Server Consultant at Dutch Flower Group
    May 2021 - May 2021 · 1 mo

    SQL Server Performance tuning Quick scan.

  • Data Warehouse Consultant at Van 't Hek Groep BV
    Apr 2021 - May 2021 · 2 mos

    Ontwerpen en bouwen van een datawarehouse om boor- en hei informatie inzichtelijk te maken.

  • Database Administrator at Greenchoice
    Jun 2020 - Jul 2020 · 2 mos

    Inrichten van Open Data's Remote DBA (o.a. Ola Hallengren, SSIS en Reporting) voor Greenchoice.