A key element to the usability of data is the design of the database it resides in. Correctly designed, one can quickly manipulate or get fast reports from it. If the design is bad for the purpose or simply missing, any operation on the database will be slow and may become very complicated and hard to manage. This could ultimately result in a data cemetery, which may even be hard to get rid of.
Design of databases, as with every other technical design job, takes experience and foresight – because it has to balance parameters like size, software, normality and performance for the current and also future situations. Even the best hardware will hit its limits eventually! It is wise to act before getting close to such limits.
If you want to start a new database or you have one that needs optimisation, I can help in both scenarios and (re)design it, custom fit to your needs.