Simple Talks

Simple Talks, a Redgate Software podcast, features hosts Louis Davidson, Steve Jones, Grant Fritchey, Ryan Booz and Kellyn Gorman as they discuss technology adoption, career stories, industry challenges and more. From database management and DevOps, to data security and programming techniques, it’s a must-listen for tech industry professionals and enthusiasts. www.red-gate.com/simple-talk/ www.red-gate.com/simple-talk/podcasts/

Coffee chat with Scott Stauffer 01/23/2025

Coffee chat with Scott Stauffer It is the start of season 2, and we are kicking it off with Scott Stauffer talking about coffee, video games, the glorious innovation of technology over our years, guide dogs, AI, and so much more. Without giving away too much, in the show there is a discussion about guide dogs. This part of the recording went on too long, so it was cut for the main show, but as our first Simple Talks Extra, if you want to see a more complete version of this section, you can view it here: , and see our entire discussion on the topic! Scott can be followed or contacted at https://www.linkedin.com/scottstauffer/ Guide dog organization mentioned: https://bcandalbertaguidedogs.com/ SQL Bits presentation (Service Dogs in the Cabin - Web Scraping Puppy Data with Microsoft Fabric): https://sqlbits.com/sessions/event2024/Service_Dogs_in_the_Cabin-Web_Scraping_Puppy_Data_with_Microsoft_Fabric-1st_Leg https://sqlbits.com/sessions/event2024/Service_Dogs_in_the_Cabin-Web_Scraping_Puppy_Data_with_Microsoft_Fabric-2nd_Leg /episode/index/show/fe379ec8-358e-4d37-91db-66aa30c2da42/id/34968420

Ending the Season Together 12/19/2024

Ending the Season Together Today, all the hosts (Louis Davidson, Ryan Booz, Kellyn Gorman, Steve Jones, and Grant Fritchey) get together for a festive adjacent discussion about AI, content, books, community, vector, PIVOTing, observability, and we end up with a brief discussion on gluten-free gingerbread men (because we did!) All this, though absolutely none of us broke into song like a Hope/Crosby musical! For more episodes of Simple Talks, visit Check out Simple Talk at www.simple-talk.com /episode/index/show/fe379ec8-358e-4d37-91db-66aa30c2da42/id/34528190

Coffee chat with Mala Mahadevan 12/05/2024

Coffee chat with Mala Mahadevan In this coffee chat episode of Simple Talks, Louis spends nearly an hour chatting with SQL Server community champion Mala Mahadevan. Learn how Mala got into computing despite her passion for horticulture, her favorite thing about working in technology, and a love for national parks. And stick around to the end where Mala and Louis share their frustrations about a SQL Server feature they both love but really want to see enhanced, so it will be a great feature worthy of use by everyone, everywhere. You can find Mala online on: LinkedIn: Website: For more episodes of Simple Talks, visit Check out Simple Talk at /episode/index/show/fe379ec8-358e-4d37-91db-66aa30c2da42/id/34261615

How is Oracle different from other data platforms? 11/21/2024

How is Oracle different from other data platforms? In this Advochats episode of Simple Talks, we welcome a new Advocate to the podcast - Kellyn Gorman! And since Kellyn is the Oracle Advocate, this week's show focuses on how Oracle differs from other data platforms that the advocates have used. More episodes of Simple Talks can be found at: https://www.red-gate.com/simple-talk/podcasts/ Check out Simple Talk at: www.simple-talk.com /episode/index/show/fe379ec8-358e-4d37-91db-66aa30c2da42/id/34075546

Coffee chat with Aaron Bertrand 11/07/2024

Coffee chat with Aaron Bertrand On this episode of Simple Talks, Louis hangs out with Aaron Bertrand and talks hockey, curling, football, hybrid cars and even some technology. One of the big (non-sports) themes of the episode is that Aaron is a problem-solver and is interested in how issues can be overcome with technology - even if his focus now and in the conceivable future is being a top-level expert with some of the aspects of SQL Server. /episode/index/show/fe379ec8-358e-4d37-91db-66aa30c2da42/id/33752662

Data masking and subsetting 10/22/2024

Data masking and subsetting What’s data masking? What’s subsetting? Get past the jargon as Redgate advocates Grant, Steve & Ryan break down these processes, explain why they’re important, how they work, and their personal experiences of both. /episode/index/show/fe379ec8-358e-4d37-91db-66aa30c2da42/id/33564102

Coffee chat with Kevin Feasel 10/10/2024

Coffee chat with Kevin Feasel On this episode of Simple Talks, Louis sits down with Kevin Feasel and talks database design, conferences, battle tech games, and a lot more. Kevin has one of the most interesting origin stories so far in this series. He is a Data Platform Microsoft MVP and is the model of a great member of the data community. Also on the podcast, Louis learns a few new words and phrases, and for those of you watching on video, you can see him accidentally take himself out of the video a few times as well. Where to find Kevin: CuratedSQL.com LinkedIn: kevin-feasel-5047167 Twitter/X: @feaselkl Blog: https://36chambers.wordpress.com/ User Group: Check out Simple Talks on Spotify: Visit the Simple Talk website: https://www.red-gate.com/simple-talk/ /episode/index/show/fe379ec8-358e-4d37-91db-66aa30c2da42/id/33402127

AI today and in the future 09/26/2024

AI today and in the future Ryan, Grant & Steve discuss all things AI, from driverless taxis in San Francisco and Redgate’s PromptAI software, to the current concerns around AI and the potential impact on the future workforce. /episode/index/show/fe379ec8-358e-4d37-91db-66aa30c2da42/id/33199477

Coffee chat with Tonie Huizer 09/12/2024

Coffee chat with Tonie Huizer Louis is joined by Redgate author, business owner and conference speaker Tonie Huizer for coffee and a chat. Tonie discusses how he got into technology, why he loves automation, and how speaking about whiskey has more in common with conference speaking than you may think. He also gives a taster of his upcoming PASS Data Community Summit sessions and teases an exciting new Simple Talk series for 2025. /episode/index/show/fe379ec8-358e-4d37-91db-66aa30c2da42/id/33005742

SQL Server and Postgres 08/29/2024

SQL Server and Postgres Steve, Grant and Ryan return to Simple Talks to discuss SQL Server and Postgres. The advocates share their experiences with both systems, highlighting what works and what doesn’t. From time series and Query Store to extended events, tooling and log shipping - this is a quick-fire deep dive into the pros, cons and differences between the two. There’s also conversation around making the transition from one system to the other, and Ryan reflects on his challenging introduction to Postgres…on the first day of a new job. Check out Grant and Ryan’s PostgreSQL articles on Simple Talk: Learning PostgreSQL with Grant - Transforming and Analyzing Data in PostgreSQL by Ryan Booz ...and for Simple Talk’s extensive SQL Server content - /episode/index/show/fe379ec8-358e-4d37-91db-66aa30c2da42/id/32789762

Coffee chat with Jason Romans 08/15/2024

Coffee chat with Jason Romans Host Louis Davidson is joined by regular Simple Talk contributor and community speaker Jason Romans for coffee and a chat. From his early days owning a Commodore 64, juggling retail work with his studies and becoming an ‘accidental DBA’, all the way up to his current position as a Business Intelligence engineer, Jason has quite a few stories to tell. Other topics discussed include a shared love of theme parks, the travel benefits of attending conferences, and the challenges of sharing a name with ‘JSON’… /episode/index/show/fe379ec8-358e-4d37-91db-66aa30c2da42/id/32572157

The Evolution of Database DevOps 08/01/2024

The Evolution of Database DevOps Steve, Grant and Ryan discuss the evolution of Database DevOps, from its origins to its significance today. They discuss what they were doing at the time of its inception as a concept and how it impacted their day-to-day, while also looking at the various pieces that make up the Database DevOps puzzle – from automation to testing - and where it may go next. /episode/index/show/fe379ec8-358e-4d37-91db-66aa30c2da42/id/32346667

Coffee chat with Huxley Kendell 07/18/2024

Coffee chat with Huxley Kendell Host Louis Davidson meets with fellow Redgater, Solutions Engineer Huxley Kendell, to chat about his experiences studying computer science, the opportunities that provided him, and how all of this led him to the path he’s pursuing now. Listen in to this episode for discussions including LLMs and AI, Coding and Career paths, all the way to Dungeons and Dragons. References/Links: /episode/index/show/fe379ec8-358e-4d37-91db-66aa30c2da42/id/32194252

The power of community events and networking 07/04/2024

The power of community events and networking In this episode of Simple Talks, Steve, Ryan and Grant delve into the latest happenings in their world of travel and events. From major conferences to smaller user groups, here’s an overview of recent and upcoming events such as PASS Data Community Summit, PGConf, THAT conference, SQL Bits and local developer meetups. They discuss key takeaways, the impact these gatherings have on the industry and the benefits of building a diverse professional network and how it can open doors to new opportunities. References: PASS Data Community Summit 2024: THAT Conference: Redgate Summits: SQL Saturday: PGConf: /episode/index/show/fe379ec8-358e-4d37-91db-66aa30c2da42/id/32014907

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