The Simple Talk Podcast

Kristyna Ferris turned down grad school, learned Power BI, moved into the data world - and never looked back. In this chat with Steve Jones, Kristyna explains why she did it, what she's learned, and even why her first DBA changed her password!

Plus: being a Microsoft MVP, the importance of self-learning, being inspired to get involved with the community, and Kristyna's passion for Lego, movies, and more!

Data on Wheels: https://dataonwheels.wordpress.com/

Watch or listen to every episode of the Simple Talk podcast: https://www.red-gate.com/simple-talk/podcasts/

Taking the initiative. Prioritizing relationships. Doing the work nobody else wants to do. These are just some of the elements that contributed to Chris Yates' rise from a developer to a DBA and, eventually, a Senior Vice President. As he explains to Steve Jones, "you are the CEO of your own brand."

Also in the episode: discover Chris' thoughts on AI, the importance of community, and the one thing he'd now do differently if he were to start from scratch.

Watch or listen to every episode of the Simple Talk podcast: https://www.red-gate.com/simple-talk/podcasts/

Simple Talk, and the Simple Talk podcast, is brought to you by Redgate Software: https://www.red-gate.com/

Are engineering teams quietly accepting more risk? Redgate's 2026 State of the Database Landscape report reveals that people are increasingly willing to accept more risk to be more productive and take full advantage of AI's capabilities.

Steve Jones, Kellyn Gorman, Grant Fritchey and Pat Wright share their thoughts on that in today's episode. They share stories from their own careers, debate on whether the decline of the DBA 'gatekeeper' role has weakened security practices, how AI is amplifying the problem - and much more.

Read the 2026 State of the Database Landscape here: https://www.red-gate.com/solutions/state-of-database-landscape/2026/

Watch or listen to all episodes of the Simple Talk podcast at: https://www.red-gate.com/simple-talk/podcasts/

How do organizations protect sensitive data in test and development environments without slowing delivery? That's the question Kellyn Gorman and Microsoft MVP Hamish Watson discuss in this episode – exploring test data management (TDM), data masking, and governance in 2026. Topics include: why non‑production systems are a major security risk, the limitations of DIY and AI‑generated masking scripts, and how automated TDM helps teams stay compliant while supporting DevOps and CI/CD.

Learn more about Redgate Test Data Manager here.

Download Redgate's 2026 State of the Database Landscape report here.

Listen or watch every episode of the Simple Talk podcast at https://www.red-gate.com/simple-talk/podcasts

Steve visits Microsoft Data Platform MVP and data consultant Matt Gordon near his home in Lexington, KY. They discuss his love of making databases go faster, AI, the pros and cons of MS Fabric, data quality, community involvement, and much more. Plus, learn all about Matt's passion for motorsport and what he currently races on the track.

Want to see Matt's car and learn more about his racing adventure? Watch from 27 minutes in the video here.

Check out Lean TECHniques at https://leantechniques.com/

Listen or watch every episode of the Simple Talk podcast at https://www.red-gate.com/simple-talk/podcasts

Steve is joined by business intelligence architect and author Tim Mitchell. They discuss why SSIS will never die, the general pros of cons of integration services, the evolution from XML to JSON, how AI can help with coding, and taekwondo – among other topics! Recorded on-site at PASS Data Community Summit 2025.

Visit Tim's website

PASS Data Community Summit – join us in 2026!

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Steve is joined by Cindy Gross to discuss leadership coaching in the technology industry – what it is, how it works, and the many benefits it brings. Recorded on-site at PASS Data Community Summit 2025 in Seattle.

Cindy is an executive coach and Adaptive Leadership Expert with 25 years in the US tech industry. As a former SQL Server Master (MCM) and expert in cross-organizational navigation at Microsoft, she transformed her focus from complex technical systems to empowering leaders within systemic chaos.

Today, through Befriending Dragons, she guides indispensable Keystone Leaders struggling with burnout, equipping organizations with her Leadership Navigation System to befriend Leadership Friction and convert Leadership Debt into strategic leverage, thus ensuring critical talent retention. As a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and the Delaware Tribe of Indians, Cindy integrates the Cherokee principle of collective leadership, Gadugi, into her work.

Cindy's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cindygross

Learn more about Befriending Dragons: https://BefriendingDragons.com

Befriending Dragons' schedule: https://befriendingdragons.com/meet

Cindy's email: [email protected]

Cindy's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/befriendingdragons

Listen or watch every episode of the Simple Talk podcast at https://www.red-gate.com/simple-talk/podcasts

Rollbacks act as an 'undo' for databases, but why are they important, what happens if you can't roll back, and how do you prevent even needing to in the first place? Steve, Kellyn, Grant & Pat try to answer these questions – and more.

Recorded on-site at Redgate HQ in Cambridge, UK.

Watch or listen to every episode of the Simple Talk podcast at: www.red-gate.com/simple-talk/podcasts

Steve, Kellyn & Grant are joined by new Redgate Advocate, Pat Wright, for a wide-ranging discussion about what to expect in the database world in 2026 – from AI and when the bubble may burst, to community events (including the upcoming rebrand of SQL Saturday), the importance of connection, and much more…

Recorded on-site at Redgate HQ in Cambridge, UK.

Watch or listen to every episode of the Simple Talk podcast at: www.red-gate.com/simple-talk/podcasts

Steve Jones, Kellyn Gorman and Grant Fritchey discuss what surprised them most in the database/tech world in 2025, ruminate on the good, bad and ugly of AI, and ponder where it goes next. Recorded on-site at PASS Summit 2025 in Seattle.

Watch or listen to every episode of the Simple Talk podcast at: www.red-gate.com/simple-talk/podcasts

Simple Talk is a free learning resource brought to you by Redgate Software, featuring thousands of articles covering databases, AI, Cloud, DevOps and much more: www.red-gate.com/simple-talk