Someone you know (or work with) is a programmer, so they must be able to write me a custom database solution, right?   This common misperception is unfortunately the starting point for 95% of failed projects!   The reality: knowing how to program qualifies you to design a custom database system, just as much as knowing math qualifies you to manage someone's stock portfolio!   

Another all-too-common misperception is that it is less expensive to develop applications in-house.  While is is true that you pay less per hour or per body for in-house developers, that expense is overwhelmingly more expensive in the long run for about 80% of the cases we've seen.  Hiring PCA, with our experience, prior application examples, templates, and libraries is usually less expensive, sometimes considerably because we know what to do and what to watch out for straight away.  We've made all the mistakes before.  If you think that using a professional outside firm is expensive, wait until you see the real cost of going down the wrong path!  The old adage "You Get What You Pay For" applies to custom database solutions.  Developing a great solution to your needs is far less expensive than the cost of failure!

The practice of custom database solution design and development is a complex, multi-disciplinary profession that requires many years of experience.  Most in-house programmers lack the business experience to insure that your needs and ideas are compatible with your business objectives and budget.  Many programmers lack the real-world project management experience needed to meet critical business objectives.  And because many in-house programmers tend to recommend only what they know, it is hit-or-miss as to whether the solution is actually coded properly, and maintainable over time.

An experienced team costs less, involves much less risk, and produces a much higher quality outcome. PCA is frequently called on to take over internal application development or SQL development efforts that are stuck, failing, or just growing over budget and schedule. If you have already invested considerable time and money with internal developers, and lost confidence in their ability to deliver a critical business application, we specialize in picking up complex and heavily customized database projects, and quickly figuring out what needs to be done to get the project back on track.

PCA vs. Software Licensing

PCA vs. Offshore Development

PCA vs. In-house Developers