Stop running your business on fragile spreadsheets. We design and build custom databases in PostgreSQL, MySQL, and SQLite - with proper data modelling, migration from Excel, and performance built in from the start. Your data becomes searchable, reportable, and shareable across your team.
Database development is the process of designing and building a structured data store that replaces fragile spreadsheets and gives your business a single source of truth. For UK SMEs, ajairu.dev builds custom databases in PostgreSQL, MySQL, and SQLite with proper data modelling, indexing, and backup strategies. Fixed-price from £8,000 with delivery in 4 to 8 weeks.
Spreadsheets are great for analysis. They are terrible for running a business. Here is why.
If your business runs on spreadsheets, you are not alone - most UK SMEs start that way. But spreadsheets have a ceiling. When two people edit the same file, you get conflicts. When someone accidentally deletes a row, data is lost. When your dataset grows past a few thousand rows, everything slows down. Formulas break, links break, and "who has the latest version?" becomes a daily question.
A database solves all of these problems. Multiple people can work on the same data simultaneously without conflicts. Every change is logged. Data is validated on entry - no more typos in critical fields. You can search, filter, and report on millions of records instantly. And your data is structured, meaning you can connect it to websites, APIs, reporting tools, and other systems. A database is the foundation that everything else in your digital infrastructure is built on. It is also the difference between data you trust and data you fear. When a customer asks for their order history, your team can answer in seconds, not by opening six spreadsheets and hoping they find the right one. When you need to produce a compliance report, the data is there, structured, and exportable. When you want to add a new system - a website, a mobile app, a reporting dashboard - it connects to your database and works immediately because the data is clean and well-structured.
Three excellent open-source databases. We help you choose the one that fits your business.
Best for: Most UK SMEs. Our default recommendation.
PostgreSQL is the most powerful open-source relational database. It handles complex queries, large datasets, JSON data, full-text search, and geospatial data. It is extremely reliable, ACID-compliant, and has excellent documentation. If you are not sure which database to choose, PostgreSQL is the answer. It scales from a small business database to enterprise workloads without changing technology.
Ideal for: Complex data relationships, large datasets, analytics, and systems that will grow.
Best for: Web applications and simpler data models.
MySQL is the world's most popular open-source database. It is simpler than PostgreSQL, very fast for straightforward queries, and supported by virtually every web hosting provider and CMS. If your database is relatively simple - customers, orders, products - and you want maximum compatibility with existing tools, MySQL is a solid choice.
Ideal for: Web applications, e-commerce, content management, and simpler data models.
Best for: Small applications, mobile apps, and prototypes.
SQLite is a file-based database - no server required. It is embedded directly into your application, making it perfect for mobile apps, desktop tools, and small-scale systems. Zero configuration, zero administration, and the entire database is a single file. Surprisingly powerful for its size, but not suited for high concurrency or very large datasets.
Ideal for: Mobile apps, embedded systems, prototypes, and small datasets.
All three are open source - no licence fees. We help you choose based on your data and growth plans. Book a free call.
From data modelling to performance tuning, we cover the full lifecycle.
We design your database schema - tables, relationships, constraints, and indexes - based on how your business actually works. Proper normalisation eliminates data duplication. Foreign key constraints prevent orphaned records. Your data structure is clean, logical, and built to last.
We extract data from Excel, Google Sheets, Access databases, and CSV files. We clean, normalise, and validate the data before importing it into your new database. No data is lost, no duplicates are created, and your team can verify everything before we go live.
Proper indexing, query optimisation, and caching ensure your database stays fast as it grows. We benchmark with your real data volume and optimise before deployment. Monitoring alerts on slow queries before they become problems. Your database handles growth without slowing down.
Role-based access control, encrypted connections, and automated backups. Your data is protected from unauthorised access and recoverable if anything goes wrong. GDPR-compliant data handling, including right-to-be-forgotten and data export capabilities built in.
Real-time dashboards and scheduled reports built on top of your database. See KPIs, trends, and anomalies at a glance. Export to spreadsheets or PDF. Automated email reports for stakeholders. Your data becomes actionable insight, not just stored information.
Your database is accessible via custom APIs, so websites, mobile apps, and other systems can read and write data securely. Your database becomes the single source of truth that powers everything else in your business - no more data silos.
A well-designed database lasts for years. A badly designed one causes pain forever. Here is how we do it right.
Data is stored without duplication. Each piece of information lives in one place and one place only. When a customer changes their address, you update it once - not in seven different spreadsheets. Normalisation eliminates data inconsistencies and makes your database maintainable as it grows.
Indexes are the difference between a query that takes 10 milliseconds and one that takes 10 seconds. We index every column that is searched, filtered, or joined. We use the right index type for each use case - B-tree for exact matches, GIN for full-text search, GiST for geospatial data. Your database stays fast as data grows.
Foreign key constraints ensure relationships between data are always valid. You cannot have an invoice for a customer that does not exist. You cannot delete a customer with outstanding orders without handling them first. Your data is consistent and trustworthy - no orphaned records, no broken relationships.
We design databases that handle growth. Partitioning splits large tables into manageable chunks. Materialised views pre-compute expensive queries. Connection pooling handles many concurrent users. Read replicas distribute query load. Your database that works for 10,000 records today will still work for 10 million in three years.
A proven 4-step process that ensures your database is right for your business.
We analyse your current data - spreadsheets, existing databases, manual processes. We identify what data you have, what you need, and how it relates. We document your reporting and access requirements. No assumptions - we understand your data landscape.
We design the database schema - tables, relationships, constraints, indexes, and security model. You see the entity-relationship diagram and approve the design before any code is written. You know exactly how your data will be structured.
We build the database, migrate your data, and create the application layer (APIs, reports, dashboards). You can test with real data throughout. Data validation ensures nothing is lost or duplicated during migration.
We deploy to production with backups, monitoring, and performance tuning. Your team gets training and documentation. 30 days of post-launch support is included. You own the database and all the code.
Fixed-price engagements. You know the total cost before we start. No day rates, no surprise billing.
All prices are fixed - you approve the scope before we start. See all our bespoke software development services or book a free discovery call.
Full source code, database schema, and documentation. No licence fees (PostgreSQL, MySQL, and SQLite are open source), no vendor lock-in. Your team can maintain and extend the database independently, or we can provide ongoing support from £350/month.
We have migrated hundreds of UK SMEs from Excel and Access to proper databases. We clean, validate, and normalise your data so nothing is lost. Your team gets a searchable, reportable, multi-user system - and you never have to ask "who has the latest version?" again.
Proper indexing, query optimisation, and caching are designed in from the start - not bolted on when things slow down. We benchmark with your real data volume and optimise before deployment. Your database stays fast as it grows, whether that is 10,000 records or 10 million.
Straight answers to the questions UK SMEs ask us about database development.
A custom database with schema design, data migration from spreadsheets, and basic reporting starts from £5,000. A database with a web interface, dashboards, and system integration typically costs £10,000 to £18,000. Enterprise database platforms with APIs, automation, and analytics range from £20,000 to £35,000+. All projects are fixed-price - you know the total cost before we start.
It depends on your scale and use case. PostgreSQL is our default recommendation for most UK SMEs - it is powerful, reliable, and handles complex queries and large datasets with ease. MySQL is simpler and widely supported, good for straightforward web applications. SQLite is a lightweight file-based database ideal for smaller applications, mobile apps, or prototypes - no server required. We help you choose based on your data volume, complexity, and growth plans.
Yes. Spreadsheet-to-database migration is one of the most common projects we do for UK SMEs. We extract data from Excel, clean and normalise it, design a proper relational database schema, and import everything with data validation. Your team gets a proper database with search, filtering, reporting, and multi-user access - no more version control nightmares, broken formulas, or "who has the latest spreadsheet?" problems.
Every database we build is designed for performance from the start. We use proper indexing (B-tree, GIN, GiST as appropriate), query optimisation, connection pooling, and caching where beneficial. For large datasets, we implement partitioning and materialised views. We benchmark with your real data volume and optimise before deployment. For ongoing performance, we set up monitoring that alerts on slow queries before they become problems.
Yes, entirely. You own the database schema, all stored procedures, the application code, and the data. No licence fees (PostgreSQL, MySQL, and SQLite are all open source), no vendor lock-in. Your team can maintain and extend the database independently, or we can provide ongoing support from £350/month. The database is your asset, not a rental.
Book a free 30-minute discovery call. We will review your current data, design a database schema that fits your business, and give you a fixed-price quote - with honest advice about whether you need a custom database or an off-the-shelf tool would do.