Why Is My Query Slow? 3 possible causes
Making queries faster is like going to the DMV — we all procrastinate until things slow down so much it’s painful.
Assume you have a query that's in crisis mode, and we need to figure out what we...
State Shift LLC
Mentor
Rising Codementor
US$8.00
For every 15 mins
ABOUT ME
Beginner Friendly SQL Mentor and Data Engineer
Beginner Friendly SQL Mentor and Data Engineer
Nice to meet you!
If you're looking for clear, concise explanations of data engineering concepts—especially SQL—I can help. I specialize in making complex topics approachable, from understanding syntax and logic to writing performant queries.
Areas of Focus:
- SQL (my specialty)
- Explaining syntax and the reasoning behind it
- Tuning queries for performance
- Designing databases for speed and reliability
Most of my work is with Snowflake, but I can help with SQL across nearly any platform unless your question is deeply vendor-specific
Business Intelligence:
- Power BI
- Tableau
- Business Objects
- SSRS
ETL/ELT Tools:
- dbt
- Some experience with IBM DataStage
Why Work With Me:
I hold a degree in fine arts, which shaped how I teach. I blend creativity with logic and adapt sessions to your background and learning style.
In my current role, I’ve helped save over $10,000 in Snowflake costs through query and architecture optimization.
Whether you're brand new to SQL or trying to optimize enterprise-scale pipelines, I’ll meet you where you are.
Let’s build your skills and confidence—step by step.Send me a message to get started today!
Eastern Time (US & Canada) (-04:00)
Joined April 2025
EXPERTISE
11 years experience
**SQL Experience**
I have over a decade of hands on experience with SQL, from Microsoft Access and SQL Server to Snowflake.
**Experienc...
**SQL Experience**
I have over a decade of hands on experience with SQL, from Microsoft Access and SQL Server to Snowflake.
**Experience highlights:**
- I can break down SQL syntax and logic in a way that’s approachable for you, whether you're just starting out or are a seasoned professional
- I focus on writing performant queries and helping others understand how to improve their own
- I’ve helped design and refactor database structures to support fast, stable analytics workflows
- I enjoy teaching not just the "what" and the "how", but the "why" of SQL - how can we get the right answer today, but more importantly, how can I empower **you** to come up with the right answer **tomorrow**!
3 years experience
have worked with Snowflake since 2022.
**Experience highlights:**
- I've led numerous training sessions on Snowflake features and how ...
have worked with Snowflake since 2022.
**Experience highlights:**
- I've led numerous training sessions on Snowflake features and how to use them more efficiently and effectively
- I regularly help colleagues troubleshoot queries that aren't working or performing well
- I especially enjoy performance tuning and problem-solving, and will work with you collaboratively to find clear, optimized solutions
7 years experience
Performance tuning is an area that I am particularly passionate about. Most "problems" faced in real world data engineering could be avo...
Performance tuning is an area that I am particularly passionate about. Most "problems" faced in real world data engineering could be avoided with better-informed query writing.
This is another area where my multidiscplinary approach differentiates my teaching style. I use analogies and comparisons to bring abstract concepts like "partition pruning" to life!
**Areas of expertise:**
- Query profile analysis (Snowflake)
- Query writing pattern best practices (SARGability, indexing, etc.)
- Indexing concepts - clustered vs. nonclustered, etc.
10 years experience
I have been an instructor ever since my college days, when I was a music instructor for side income.
Whether teaching technique on an ...
I have been an instructor ever since my college days, when I was a music instructor for side income.
Whether teaching technique on an instrument or best data practices, I always focus on explaining concepts, not dictating answers, and explaining those concepts in a way that you understand so that you can apply them the next time when we're not working together and you encounter a similar problem.
4 years experience
I have worked with:
- Business Objects: Web Intelligence and Design Studio/Lumira
- Business Warehouse (BW)
- R3
- Information Design T...
I have worked with:
- Business Objects: Web Intelligence and Design Studio/Lumira
- Business Warehouse (BW)
- R3
- Information Design Tool (IDT)
- Universe Design Tool (UDT)
While SAP is not my primary focus at this time, I could offer potential help to clients troubleshooting complex Universe-based queries.
5 years experience
I have worked extensively with SQL Server in previous roles, including building complex reporting that consumes from SQL Server databases...
I have worked extensively with SQL Server in previous roles, including building complex reporting that consumes from SQL Server databases to designing the databases themselves.
11 years experience
I am not an Excel VBA expert, but for general formula-based questions, I have a very thorough understanding of Excel, and I can help you ...
I am not an Excel VBA expert, but for general formula-based questions, I have a very thorough understanding of Excel, and I can help you come up with a more efficient workflow by showing you helpful tips like keyboard shortcuts you might not be using or formula techniques you didn't know about.
REVIEWS FROM CLIENTS
State's profile has been carefully vetted and approved as a Codementor. Connect with State now, and leave a review for them once you're done!
SOCIAL PRESENCE
EMPLOYMENTS
Lead Data Engineer
A Major Midwest Regional Bank
2022-08-01-Present
**Current Role**
I work for a financial organization with over 15,000 employees worldwide. I sit within the company’s enterprise data or...
**Current Role**
I work for a financial organization with over 15,000 employees worldwide. I sit within the company’s enterprise data organization, where I focus on implementing a data mesh strategy for modern, scalable reporting.
**Key Responsibilities:**
- Build reusable data products in Snowflake and dbt that support reporting across the organization
- Administer a complex Snowflake environment with hundreds of databases and hundreds of terabytes of data
- Partner with engineers to troubleshoot and optimize problematic queries, whether due to errors or long runtimes
- Teach and advocate for the principles of data mesh—an emergent approach that enables data producers to own their pipelines and deliver flexible, scalable outputs without bottlenecks through centralized IT
- Upskill colleagues on best practices in SQL, query performance, and database design
- Work with legacy platforms as needed - Business Objects, DB2, etc. - to help business units with migrating from legacy to modern tech stacks
DataStage
Snowflake
DB2 SQL
View more
DataStage
Snowflake
DB2 SQL
DBT
Sap bobi
View more
Business Intelligence Developer
A Fortunate 500 Life Insurance Company
2021-08-01-2022-08-01
In this role, I and a colleague co-adminstered a Cognos environment used for reporting throughout the organization.
**Highlights:**
- ...
In this role, I and a colleague co-adminstered a Cognos environment used for reporting throughout the organization.
**Highlights:**
- Refactored the reporting environment to remove hours of manual work required previously via automation
- Was instrumental in refactoring major budget reports sent directly to the CEO quarterly by improving the efficiency of back-end queries
Oracle SQL
SQL Server 2014
Cognos BI
View more
Oracle SQL
SQL Server 2014
Cognos BI
View more
Database Developer
A Fintech's TAMP Division
2019-09-01-2021-08-01
In this role, I worked in the TAMP (Turnkey Asset Management Platform) division of a regional financial technology firm. This organizati...
In this role, I worked in the TAMP (Turnkey Asset Management Platform) division of a regional financial technology firm. This organization provides full end to end portfolio management platforms to registered investment advisors.
**Highlights:**
- Maintained a complex back office reporting engine database used to receive data feeds from numerous financial custodians so that customers were able to use the platform with up to date data
- Worked on front-facing queries used by other divisions of the company to return customer information, either to troubleshoot / reconcile data issues or to make queries more efficient
- Developed a fully automated, flexible archiving procedure in which an engineer could supply parameters to a procedure containing table names, and the procedure would handle automated periodic archival to save on storage (this was pre-cloud!)
- Maintained SSRS reports used for internal reporting
SSRS
SQL Server 2014
SSRS Reports
View more
SSRS
SQL Server 2014
SSRS Reports
View more
PROJECTS
Creating a Snowflake Center of Excellence
2024
I was in charge of creating training materials for the engineering community at my employer so that engineers understood what to avoid wh...
I was in charge of creating training materials for the engineering community at my employer so that engineers understood what to avoid when building databases and writing queries.
I wanted to demystify performance tuning - SARGability, clusters....it turns people off when the concepts shouldn't.
The end result was a series of intranet directories containing articles I wrote, with examples to see concepts in action, runnable against a mock up database created just for use with training materials.
Snowflake
View more
Snowflake
View more
Workday Financial Data Product
2023
My team was tasked initially with figuring out how to keep financial reports needed by the organization online after a migration of all o...
My team was tasked initially with figuring out how to keep financial reports needed by the organization online after a migration of all of our financial data into Workday. This by itself was a major task because we had to figure out how to allow users to report on data that would look very different after it was in Workday.
Then, we were later brought in to help with building dbt pipelines for the Snowflake data products that these reports would be built on.
This involves:
- using dbt and Snowflake to create reporting solutions with accurate data that would serve as data sources for intelligence reporting
- modifying Universes in Business Objects that were previously pointed to old source systems but now had to also include Workday data
**Outcome:**
- Successful release of data product AND reports with no major outages
- We had to compromise on some of the code that was delivered when Workday went live to meet deadlines, but I led efforts to refactor this code at a later time to make pipelines faster
Snowflake
DBT
View more
Snowflake
DBT
View more