Information Technology | Database Performance Tuning and Optimization Services

FYI Docs boosts PostgreSQL performance and slashes cloud spend

Rapid growth caused intermittent slowdowns and outages for FYI Docs, an Australian accounting solutions company. Despite internal efforts, they were unable to solve the core PostgreSQL performance issues on AWS Aurora, which impacted customer onboarding and support.

As an AWS-recommended partner, Pythian conducted a database health check and identified the root cause. By implementing data table partitioning, we restored stable performance, cut cloud spend, and helped their team focus on developing their core product.

Customer
Overview
The challenge
The solution
Technologies used
Key outcomes

Customer

Rising data volumes, decreased cloud database performance, and increased cloud costs

As FYI Docs grew exponentially, their PostgreSQL database on AWS Aurora couldn't keep up. Performance degraded, causing slow response times and crashes that disrupted their sales, support, and training teams. At the same time, their cloud costs surged disproportionately, and no one knew why.

While temporary fixes provided brief relief, the core problems persisted, pulling valuable engineers away from product development. FYI Docs needed a partner to diagnose the root cause of both the performance and cost issues and implement a lasting solution.

Rapid growth putting a strain on databases

FYI Docs’ rapid growth, paired with the expansion of their PostgreSQL database on AWS Aurora, precipitated significant challenges that threatened to impact customer experience through database query slowdowns.

Increased and unpredictable cloud costs

FYI Docs saw their AWS Aurora PostgreSQL cloud costs rise disproportionately, despite forecasting their growth.

Poor database performance

At over three terabytes, the database caused slow response times, crashes, and errors for internal teams, threatening customer experience and hindering sales, support, and training.

Lack of a proactive solution

Existing temporary fixes were insufficient, and a lasting database performance solution was needed to prevent future disruptions.

Pythian's database performance optimization service resolved bottlenecks and managed rising cloud costs

Our database health check pinpointed the root cause of the problems: their 3TB+ PostgreSQL database had heavy indexing and unoptimized auto-vacuum processes, causing slow queries and runaway cloud costs.

After testing the fixes, we implemented key solutions like table partitioning and right-sizing their AWS instances. This immediately restored stable performance, cut I/O costs, and lowered their overall cloud spend, while giving their team the skills to manage the new environment.

Conducted a database health check

The database health check identified existing performance issues and recommended optimizations across security, configuration, stability, availability, and platform monitoring.

Solution prototyping and validation

Before full deployment, Pythian developed and demonstrated their recommended solutions on a test server. This conceptual phase allowed FYI Docs to see the proposed improvements in action.

Core database optimizations

Pythian implemented critical optimizations directly on FYI Docs' Australian and London production databases. This included partitioning large tables to improve query efficiency, and optimizing auto-vacuum processes for better maintenance.

Reducing instance size to better manage cloud costs

By right-sizing FYI Docs’ AWS cloud instances, Pythian supported them in saving on cloud infrastructure costs and equipped them with the insight necessary to better forecast cloud spend.

“Pythian was invaluable in resolving our database performance challenges. It came at the right time with the right experience for the project, allowing our team to focus on innovation and platform development. Collaborating with Pythian supports FYI Docs’ ability to scale our infrastructure over the next five years.”

Alan McLeod

CTO at FYI Docs

Improved database performance and reduced cloud costs

With the database bottlenecks eliminated, FYI Docs now has a stable and highly scalable platform. The constant query slowdowns and outages that once hindered their sales and support teams are gone. This renewed reliability gives them the confidence to focus on their hypergrowth trajectory, knowing their infrastructure can handle the demand.

Our partnership also equipped the FYI Docs internal team with the skills to manage the new architecture. Instead of spending their days on time-consuming database fixes, their engineers can now proactively focus on developing new features and enhancing their core product, adding direct value to the business.

Finally, the database optimizations delivered predictable and efficient cloud spending. This financial control, combined with unwavering system stability, gives their customer-facing teams the confidence they need to support and grow their client base without fear of technical interruptions.

Enhanced database performance and reliability

FYI Docs now benefits from significantly improved database performance, scalability, and stability—resulting from Pythian’s database performance tuning and optimization service.

Empowered and re-focused internal teams

Through close collaboration and knowledge transfer sessions, FYI Docs’ ability to proactively address architectural needs and greatly enhance future growth.

Predictable and efficient cloud costs

Pythian's database performance optimizations led directly to more predictable and efficient cloud costs. By reducing disk read frequency and fine-tuning auto-vacuum configurations, FYI Docs' cloud spending became more controlled and transparent.

Robust infrastructure for future growth

Pythian's partnership provided FYI Docs with a robust infrastructure. Their systems are now fully equipped to manage skyrocketing data volumes and support their rapidly growing customer base.

FYI Docs boosts PostgreSQL performance and slashes cloud spend

Accounting practices enjoy a more secure experience

Documents made more easily accessible

Platform users benefit from the performance improvement

Discover how FYI Docs' database optimization led to enhanced performance stability

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Overview

The challenge