Kathi Kellenberger

Kathi Kellenberger is the Editor of Simple Talk and a Microsoft Data Platform MVP. She has worked with SQL Server for over 20 years and has authored, co-authored, or tech edited over a dozen technical books. Kathi is the co-leader of the PASS Women in Technology Virtual Group and a volunteer at LaunchCode. When Kathi isn’t working she enjoys spending time with family and friends, cycling, singing, and climbing the stairs of tall buildings. Be sure to check out her courses on Pluralsight.

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Kathi Kellenberger 08 January 2020

Capturing a Mind

Editorials

When the Netflix series Black Mirror began in 2011, I watched a few episodes. Recently, I “binge-watched” more to catch up. If you’re not familiar with the series, each episode is about technology, and how people must deal with it when it goes awry. For the most part, the technology featured in the series doesn’t … Read more

Editorials

Kathi Kellenberger 01 January 2020

Why the Database Must be Part of DevOps

According to Microsoft, DevOps is “the union of people, process, and products to enable continuous delivery of value to our end users.” The definition doesn’t mention any frameworks or specific tools, and it’s more about communication and culture than any technology. That said, automation and tooling are critical components of DevOps as it helps organizations … Read more

Kathi Kellenberger 04 December 2019

Distractions at Work

Editorials

Many jobs in technology, especially those that involve writing code, take concentration and focus. It’s often called being “in the zone.” For me, it feels like I’m inside a bubble where time goes at a different pace than the rest of the world. In fact, the rest of the world seems to disappear when I’m … Read more

Editorials

Kathi Kellenberger 20 November 2019

SSRS is Still Around

The other day, a friend asked me if Microsoft is discontinuing SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) now that Power BI is the premier MS reporting and dashboarding tool. It seems like more organizations are finding fewer reasons to use SSRS due to the ease of use and features of Power BI. Despite all the news … Read more

Kathi Kellenberger 11 November 2019

The Ignite Conference Brought News and Changes

Editorials

The first week of November was a big week for Microsoft. They made many announcements at the Ignite conference about what’s new and what will be available in the near future. It was also the week of PASS Summit, the largest Microsoft Data Platform conference in the world. PASS Summit was a fantastic conference as … Read more

Editorials

Kathi Kellenberger 23 October 2019

Moving on from Volunteer Projects

I can’t remember a time when I was not involved in side-projects, usually as a volunteer but also writing books or creating courses. New projects are like bright, shiny objects, and it’s easy to get involved in too many of them. Earlier this year, I found myself working on three books at the same time. … Read more

Kathi Kellenberger 17 October 2019

What Does PERCENTILE_CONT Do?

T-SQL Programming

In this article, Kathi Kellenberger takes on a logic puzzle in trying to understand how the windowing function, PERCENTILE_CONT, works. … Read more

T-SQL Programming

Kathi Kellenberger 06 October 2019

Lessons Learned From Modelling Clay

Editorials

I never allowed my children play with modelling clay in my home when they were young, but changed my mind when grandchildren arrived. I have the perfect table, a discarded fast food restaurant booth, so that the mess stays in one spot. There is one sturdy box to hold all the cans of dough and … Read more

Editorials

Kathi Kellenberger 01 October 2019

Reporting Services Basics: Adding Groups to Reports

Most SSRS reports are organized into grouping levels where it’s possible to add totals for each group. In this article, Kathi Kellenberger continues her SSRS series by walking through how to create both a Matrix and Table report. … Read more

Kathi Kellenberger 11 September 2019

The Data-Philes Team Meet the Time Traveler

The year is 1999, somewhere in Cambridge, UK. Kathi, a member of the Data-Philes team, is reading a memo sent from her manager. The memo talks about someone who disrupted a project management meeting in London. He claims he is from 20 years in the future. Chris walks in. Chris: Kathi, have you seen the … Read more

Kathi Kellenberger 27 August 2019

SQL in the City Streamed next week!

Blogs

I don’t know when I first heard about Redgate, but it might have been in 2005 when Steve Jones asked me to review their product, SQL Backup, for SQL Server Central. It was quite the coincidence when my manager asked me a few weeks later if I had heard of SQL Backup and would I … Read more

Blogs

Kathi Kellenberger 21 August 2019

Goodbye to the Microsoft Professional Program

I’ve worked with Microsoft technologies for over 20 years and, during that time, earned a good income to support my family and have a comfortable life. Despite that, Microsoft manages to break my heart again and again. Take the sad saga of the Windows Phone. I was working for Microsoft when the first Windows Phones … Read more

Kathi Kellenberger 12 August 2019

Hiding What You Shouldn’t See

Editorials

Back when I was working on a master’s degree, one of our professors told us a story about a colleague who learned how to navigate the Unix system. She was so thrilled about learning this new skill that, in her exuberance, she stumbled upon some hidden human resource files containing confidential information. Eventually, an administrator … Read more

Editorials

Kathi Kellenberger 02 August 2019

Reporting Services Basics: Parameters

Kathi Kellenberger continues her series on SSRS. In this article you learn how to use parameters that let your report users control how the reports are filtered.… Read more

Kathi Kellenberger 23 July 2019

Measuring the Right Things

In my previous career many years ago, I worked at a hospital along with about ten other pharmacists. The department manager came up with one primary metric for evaluating pharmacists: the average time taken to fill each drug order. While this system did produce a metric, it was the wrong one. The worst pharmacist in … Read more

Kathi Kellenberger 10 July 2019

SQL Server 2019: Features for the Rest of Us

Editorials

I was talking recently with a friend about features of SQL Server 2019 (still in CTP at the time of this writing). I thought that while Microsoft provides features that will benefit any size shop, the exciting new feature they are promoting is Big Data Clusters. This feature allows you to query data from many … Read more

Editorials

Kathi Kellenberger 05 July 2019

Reporting Services Basics: Understanding Data Sources and Datasets

Data sources and datasets are critical components of an SSRS report, but many people new to SSRS struggle to understand them. In this article, Kathi Kellenberger shows you how to create these components and explains when they should be shared vs. embedded. … Read more

Kathi Kellenberger 20 June 2019

The State of SQL Server Monitoring 2019

Blogs

UPDATE: Read the full report here. Recently, over 800 participants across a range of sectors and from all around the globe took part in a survey about the state of SQL Server monitoring. This survey from Redgate Software is the only one of its kind and is in its second year. Here are some significant … Read more

Blogs

Kathi Kellenberger 19 June 2019

Keeping Kids Busy During Long School Breaks

Editorials

Now that school is out for the summer, my grandson Thomas is spending quite a bit of time at our house. This year his parents decided that, at 12 years old, he was too old to go to a day-care/summer camp program. He will probably take over quite a bit of the yard work and … Read more

Editorials

Kathi Kellenberger 30 May 2019

Reporting Services Basics: Creating Your First Report

In this article, Kathi Kellenberger demonstrates how to create a project and report using the SSRS Report Wizard. The wizard is fine for getting started, but you’ll soon learn about its many limitations. She also explains how reports fit in projects and solutions.… Read more

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