Your reports rely on data loads that must succeed every night. If something goes wrong, someone needs to spot it and take action before the first user opens a dashboard. We keep your TimeXtender environment running, keep it up to date, and coordinate with TimeXtender when the issue lies with the platform.
When a run fails, you receive an email. That is the easy part. The hard part is that the email arrives at four in the morning, and by nine someone needs to have read it, understood it, and resolved the issue. In many organizations, that responsibility falls to one person. If that person is in a meeting or on vacation, the alert may be there, but the data load still is not running.
We provide that follow-up. Every morning, we check whether the data loads have succeeded and address anything that went wrong. The cause is usually familiar: a timeout, a deadlock, an unavailable source system, or an API enforcing rate limiting. Sometimes it is an Excel file where someone has added a column. These are not unusual problems, but they do need to be resolved before the day begins.
More troublesome are the errors that do not trigger an alert. A source may fail to pass on updates and deletes, causing your data warehouse to gradually drift out of sync with reality. Everything shows green, but the figures are no longer correct. We have seen cases where the number of rows in the data warehouse no longer matched the source, even though no run had ever failed. You only find issues like these by checking for them specifically from time to time.
A TimeXtender environment that no one manages will not remain stable. Sources change, data volumes grow, and all kinds of things are added but never cleaned up. That is why we review your environment on a fixed schedule.
When things are going well, most of this goes unnoticed—and that is exactly the point. An environment left unmanaged for a year will usually have failed long before then. Fixing problems afterward always costs more than maintaining the environment in advance.
TimeXtender regularly releases new versions and hotfixes. That is not a problem as long as someone tracks each release and assesses whether it is relevant to your environment. If no one does, updates keep getting postponed. Eventually, you end up on a version that does not include the solution to your problem or is no longer supported.
We track new releases, assess whether an update solves something in your situation or introduces additional risk, and implement it at a suitable time. This work is covered by the Technical Updates add-on, with hours reserved specifically for it. The same applies to maintenance of the underlying environment, such as the VMs running TimeXtender.
We support both TimeXtender in the cloud and the traditional on-premises installation.
You can find almost everything about Qlik and Power BI online. TimeXtender is different: the documentation is limited and the community is small. What we know about TimeXtender, we worked out ourselves—often by getting it wrong first. We have been a TimeXtender partner since 2016, and our consultants are certified as TimeXtender Solutions Architects. Read more about our TimeXtender work on our TimeXtender Consulting page.
In practice, the real value lies mainly in knowing what not to do: which design choices will cause problems later, which shortcut in a load will come back with interest two years from now, and where you should avoid using an incremental load. You will not find those things in any manual.
If a problem really lies with TimeXtender itself, we take it up with their support team. We investigate the issue, substantiate the support request, and monitor its progress. That is not necessarily faster than handling it yourself, but you do not have to spend time on it, and we know how to navigate the process.
Are you bringing a TimeXtender environment that someone else set up? We start with an assessment. We review the setup, data loads, performance, and underlying infrastructure so that both sides understand what we are taking over.
This almost always produces a list of items that need attention. We address anything urgent and include the rest in a plan. What we will not do is quietly manage a setup that we know will run into problems six months from now.
TimeXtender support is available through the same support packages as our other platforms: Starter, Booster, and Premium, with fixed response times and a monthly hours allowance. Starting at €950 per month. The full comparison, including the Technical Updates add-on that you will almost certainly need for TimeXtender, is available on our Support & Management page.
Not sure which package is right for you? We will look at the number of sources, the complexity of your data loads, and what you already handle in-house.
We would be happy to take a look with you and discuss what stands out, how urgent it is, and the most sensible next step.
You receive an alert, and so do we. Every morning, we check whether all data loads completed successfully and address anything that went wrong. It is usually resolved before the first user opens a report. If the cause is more than an isolated incident—for example, a source that changes structurally—we will let you know and discuss what is needed.
Two things. First, continuity: if your administrator is on vacation or leaves the company, management continues. Second, another perspective. Many of our support hours are spent advising on the approach rather than handling tickets. Your own team remains in control; we help during peak periods and are available when you want to discuss ideas.
Yes, both. An on-premises installation requires more maintenance, such as updates to TimeXtender itself and to the VMs it runs on. This is covered by the Technical Updates add-on.
We will take it up with their support team. We investigate the issue, substantiate the support request, and follow it through. This is not necessarily faster than doing it yourself, but it saves you time, and we know who to contact.
That is the most difficult scenario. A source that does not pass on updates or deletions will not generate an error message, but it will gradually cause your data warehouse to fall out of sync. That is why we check for schema drift every month and assess whether your data volumes are behaving as expected.
No, they are covered by the Technical Updates add-on, with hours reserved specifically for this work. This is deliberately kept separate: an upgrade is planned work that requires preparation and a round of testing, and you do not want it to use up the hours you need when something breaks.
Yes. We start with an assessment of the setup, data loads, performance, and infrastructure. You will then know what is in place, what needs attention, and in what order.
Whether something has gone wrong and needs immediate attention or you want to know if your environment is still healthy, Barry and Eric are happy to help you think it through. Email us, call us, or schedule an appointment directly at a time that works for you.