Michael Paycer - Resume and Professional Background
Michael Paycer · Résumé

Senior SQL Server DBA & Developer

20+ years administering and developing on Microsoft SQL Server 2000–2025 — high availability and disaster recovery, upgrades and migrations, and performance tuning, on-premises and across Azure and AWS.

Summary

Professional Summary

Senior SQL Server DBA with 20+ years of hands-on experience administering and developing on Microsoft SQL Server 2000 through 2025. Specialist in high availability and disaster recovery (Always On Availability Groups, multi-subnet failover clustering), version upgrades and migrations, and performance tuning. Has designed, migrated, and supported database environments on-premises and in Azure and AWS for organizations ranging from small businesses to enterprises operating 4,000+ locations — keeping critical databases fast, available, and recoverable.

High Availability & DRPerformance TuningUpgrades & MigrationsSSIS / SSRSPowerShell AutomationAzure SQLAWS RDSBackup & RecoveryMentoring
Experience · Consulting

SMARTSense Consulting, LLC

Principal Consultant / SQL Server DBA · April 2014 – Present · St. Cloud, MN. An independent SQL Server consulting practice delivering database administration, development, and cloud infrastructure. Selected long-term contract engagements:

Jan 2019 – May 2026
Charlotte, NC
Contract

Blumenthal Performing Arts

SQL Server Database Administrator
  • Led migration from SQL Server 2008 to SQL Server 2017 — all databases, SSRS reports and subscriptions, SSIS packages, linked servers, and custom jobs.
  • Owned backup, restore, monitoring, and recovery testing across a seven-year engagement, ensuring data integrity and availability.
  • Tuned SSRS reports for measurable gains in responsiveness and execution time.
  • Recovered a corrupted GFI mail database, restoring functionality with no data loss.
Jun 2021 – Jul 2023
New York, NY
Contract

Cloudacio

SQL Server Database Administrator
  • Delivered SQL Server 2012 to 2019 migrations covering databases, SSRS, SSIS packages, and linked servers.
  • Diagnosed and resolved performance and deadlock issues using Redgate Monitor.
  • Configured and supported database mirroring for high availability; built PowerShell disaster-recovery scripts and tested routine backup and restore operations.
Dec 2019 – Sep 2022
Norfolk, VA
Contract

TeamingPro / Bynexa, Inc.

AWS / SQL Administrator
  • Built and managed Production and Development AWS infrastructure.
  • Developed C# federal data-collection services with tailored normalization and cleanup logic.
  • Improved SQL Server performance through indexing, statistics maintenance, and defragmentation.
Sep 2018 – Sep 2022
Olathe, KS
Contract

Cenetric, Inc.

Data Architect
  • Designed and implemented an Azure ETL system consolidating 15 feeds from 20+ U.S. suppliers and distribution centers, with deduplication and cleansing for analytics on pricing, inventory, invoices, and POS data across 4,000+ restaurants.
  • Replaced an external data broker with the in-house system, delivering substantial cost savings.
  • Mentored data analysts and system administrators in Azure SQL and T-SQL; built supporting serverless functions in C#.
Aug 2015 – Oct 2016
Walled Lake, MI
Contract

ACA Track, Inc.

ETL / SQL Developer, then Data Administrator
  • Built 75+ client-specific databases using a custom ETL framework for CSV, Excel, and XML sources.
  • Managed SQL Azure infrastructure and the VIP Concierge data service; conducted internal security audits and oversaw 1094/1095 state reporting.
Experience · Employment

Full-Time Employment

Aug 2024 – Apr 2025
La Crosse, WI
Full-time

Kwik Trip

Database Analyst III
  • Deployed three-node, multi-subnet Always On Availability Group clusters with Change Data Capture (CDC) and full disaster-recovery configuration for QA and Production — seamless failover with minimal downtime.
  • Mentored DBAs in Always On, performance tuning, SSRS, and troubleshooting, lifting the team's capability in HA, reporting, and incident response.
  • Optimized queries, stored procedures, and indexing alongside senior-level DBAs.
  • Collaborated with the Availability and Recovery team to design Rubrik backup policies based on data importance, retention, and capacity.
Jan 2015 – Aug 2019
Apple Valley, MN
Full-time

InvigorIT Healthcare Solutions

SQL Server DBA / Developer
  • Developed and customized NextGen EHR database objects for clinical templates.
  • Tuned existing templates, stored procedures, and indexes to improve application response times.
Apr 2014 – Jan 2018
Cheyenne, WY
Full-time

Wyoming Network, Inc.

SQL Programmer / Consultant
  • Built T-SQL components — tables, views, triggers, and stored procedures — supporting 50+ ASP.NET (C#) applications.
  • Enhanced applications by integrating new web features that expanded client functionality.
Jun 2014 – Nov 2014
Sartell, MN
Full-time

Country Manor Campus

IT Administrator / Supervisor
  • Oversaw all IT services — Active Directory, file, email, database, and Mitel phone systems — while supervising three IT assistants.
  • Streamlined import/export workflows using SQL Server, PowerShell, and batch scripts; managed disaster recovery for critical databases and community emergency call systems.
May 2006 – Jun 2013
St. Cloud, MN
Full-time

Central Minnesota Educational Research and Development Council (cmERDC)

Programmer / Analyst
  • Managed SQL Server 2000–2012 installations, configuration, patching, and task automation; optimized query and database performance with SQL Server Agent, Profiler, Tuning Advisor, and DMVs.
  • Developed SSIS packages, SSRS reports, and business logic via triggers, stored procedures, and functions.
  • Built ASP.NET web applications in C# supporting analysts and network technicians.
  • Maintained Windows Server 2000–2012 environments; automated disk and SAN backups using Task Scheduler, batch files, and VBScript.
Skills

Technical Skills

Databases & Reporting

Microsoft SQL Server 2000–2025 (SSMS, SSRS, SSIS), Azure SQL, AWS RDS, MySQL, MariaDB, DB2, MS Access

High Availability & DR

Always On Availability Groups, Windows Failover Clustering, database mirroring, replication, backup & recovery testing, Rubrik

Languages & Scripting

T-SQL, PowerShell, C#, VB.NET, ADO.NET

ETL Tools

SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS), Alteryx

Cloud Infrastructure

Azure (VMs, Blob Storage, Function Apps, Queue Messaging, Azure SQL); AWS (EC2, RDS, S3, CloudFront, CodeDeploy, Lambda); Oracle Cloud

Monitoring Tools

Redgate Monitor, Quest Spotlight, SentryOne (SolarWinds), Dynatrace

Platforms & Tools

Windows Server 2000–2025, IIS, Visual Studio, GitHub, Beyond Compare, MS365, ITGlue; JIRA, ServiceNow, Trello, Monday.com

Education

Education

St. Cloud, MN

St. Cloud Technical & Community College

A.A.S., Database Administration and Development  ·  A.A.S., Microcomputer Programming  ·  A.A.S., Computer Programming (AS/400)
Credentials

Certifications

MCTS: SQL Server Development  ·  MCP: Querying SQL Server 2014  ·  CompTIA A+  ·  CWNP CWNA

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