Tom on the web ...

Master Datasmith?

Well, I could style myself a data analyst/systems integrator/reporting analyst/DBA/business analyst/programmer but I'd end up all /'d out. I hope the term datasmith conveys the craft nature of my work with data, for it is a craft that I'm particularly good at (hence the master adjective) and also take great pride in. Read more ...

Gobán Saor

The (or more correctly An) Gobán Saor was a stone mason (or sometimes a black smith) who according to Irish mythology by virtue of his craft (building castles, moving mountains, that sort of thing) was able to live a free life moving from commission to commission and from royal court to royal court.

My father who came from a long line of stone masons and master builders, told me many of these stories and also used to take me to a magical island in our local bogland that he called the Gobán Saor’s island. (Now better known as the discovery place of the Derrynaflan Chalice ). Continuing in the tradition of freelance craftsman (data mason rather than stone mason) I’ve used gobansaor as my nom de plume in forums, online apps etc. over the years, partially to keep a tradition alive but to be honest usually because I’m sure nobody else will have taken the name already :-)

Rates & Way of Working

If you have a specific well defined problem that needs solving or a complete project specification, I will quote a fixed price and work to a target delivery date if the price is approved.

Typical fixed-price "Menu":

Excel/VBA/PowerPivot "problem" consultancy.Maybe you need some help with a particular problem in Excel, VBA, ExcelDNA, ETL or PowerPivot You wish to do the work yourself, but need guidance. Priced per "problem". €75 (US$100)
A "task" requiring VBA code or VBA add-in.This would typically be a single contained task. Most likely delivered as a Macro enabled workbook or as a simple VBA add-in€150 (US$200)
More complex Excel add-in or PowerPivot solution.Might involve more complex tasks, interfacing with external systems or web services or need to be distributed and managed across multiple users or platforms. Most PowerPivot reporting solutions would also fall in this price range.€250- €750 (US$300 - US$1000)


For more complex projects (e.g "simple systems" or "mini datawarehouses", typically involving multiple tasks and players i.e. more moving parts than the examples above) or problems requiring further specification, I'll usually proceed with an initial period of consultancy charged at a fixed hourly rate followed by one or more deliverables specified at a fixed price with a delivery date.

I can also work on a virtual assistant basis or on a more traditional contractor (i.e. time-sheet) basis, contact me for my hourly consultancy rates.




VAT (EU Sales Tax):

Irish VAT (23%) applies for all Republic of Ireland customers and EU non-business customers. VAT will not apply to non-Irish EU businesses who are registered for VAT. VAT will also not apply to Non-EU customers (who provide address & relevant business registration details).

Terms:

Payment due on presentation of invoice (unless by prior agreement). Payment by PayPal (which also supports all major credit cards) or via bank transfer. Some fixed-price offerings and projects may require a element of pre-payment and/or stage-payments.

UK£ or other currency prices:

Prices can also be agreed in your own currency.