Sql-Server

During a recent consulting engagement, I was asked about how to use column-based encryption in SQL Server. In this article, which is the second part of a two-part series, let’s explore how to get started using column-based encryption.

In the previous post , I provided background information about encryption and certificates.

If you’re not very familiar with these technologies, you should read that previous post before this one.

Encryption Technologies in SQL Server

Way back in SQL Server 2005, Microsoft introduced an amazing array of technologies. I suspect that many SQL Server professionals aren’t aware of just how many technologies were introduced in that release. It’s not surprising that professionals are still learning about a number of these technologies, even 20 years later. In particular, questions regarding certificates, keys, and column-based encryption still draw blank responses from most SQL Server professionals.

2025-11-22

SSMS has the ability to work with different encodings when you are opening or saving files.

When you use File and Open, note that beside the Open button is a drop-down arrow:

The Open With option leads to this:

 

In that screen, you can choose an existing value or click Add to add another program that you want to use for opening files of that type:

As an example, you might want to use a different XML or JSON editor.

2025-11-19

During a recent consulting engagement, I was asked about how to use column-based encryption in SQL Server. In this article which is the first of a two-part series, let’s explore the technologies involved and how to get started with using column-based encryption. Next time, we’ll continue with using these technologies for column-based encryption.

Encryption Terminology

Encryption is the science of hiding secrets. Information that needs to be protected (often called plaintext) is converted (or encrypted) to a form (often called ciphertext) that is difficult for another person to read within a reasonable period of time.

2025-11-18

It was great to catch up with Simon Sabin today and to have him on another SQL Down Under podcast.

Simon is the founder of Sabin.io where he revolutionizes the data practices of his clients.

Simon has a track record spanning diverse sectors like finance, retail, insurance, and motor sports and is recognized as a data expert. I’ve known Simon for a long time. He was a Data Platform MVP from 2005 to 2024, and a fellow member of the Microsoft Regional Director program.

2025-11-18

This is the twelfth tale in a series of stories about data. I hope you enjoy the series.

Today’s tale relates to a SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) package. It used the same architecture as other packages and on the same server, and even though it said it was successful, nothing happened. Let’s discuss why.

Some background information

At the site, a separate SSIS server (using an earlier version of SQL Server i.e., 2014) had been deployed. The server was used to run all the organization’s SSIS packages. These packages connected to several data sources:

2025-11-17

Several times, I’ve seen situations where a user who’s working interactively in SSMS ends up causing deadlocks and causing issues for an application that’s in use. This is even more likely for users who hold locks for long periods of time, and who work directly with production systems.

At best, they might just cause an application to hang. At worst, they might cause a poorly-designed application to terminate.

Why would a user hold locks for a long time? Many users work in what’s called chained mode, where they automatically start a transaction when they make any sort of update. Some other database engines default to that behavior, but you can choose that as a session option in SQL Server as well.

2025-11-15

This post describes how the object dependency tracking views provide more reliable insights into object dependencies than previous methods such as the use of the sp_depends system stored procedure.

During a recent consulting engagement, I was asked about the best way to determine which stored procedures and views made use of a particular table. In the past, the methods available from within SQL Server were not very reliable. Way back in SQL Server 2008, significant improvements were made in this area, yet I see so few people using them, at least not directly. Many will use them indirectly via SSMS.

2025-11-14

The SQL Server team has been working towards making databases more standalone, and less dependent on the server, for quite a while. SQL Server 2012 was the first version that had a concept of a contained database. The thinking was that you should be able to move databases around to different servers and, in that case, users would follow with the database because they didn’t have a dependency on logins, which was the case up until then.

2025-11-11

This second article in a two-part series shows you how to control the execution context of stored procedures. This time, it’s by using digital signatures and code signing.

During a recent consulting engagement, I noticed that the client needed to control the security context a stored procedure was running under but was using a convoluted method to do so. Changing the security context that stored procedures run under is a common requirement, letting users execute code via stored procedures that they aren’t allowed to execute directly.

2025-11-10

As soon as I started working with a recent version of SSMS, I realized that I didn’t like how heavy the grid lines were in the output:

I really wanted the data to be the focus, not the lines. They seemed much darker than on the previous versions. Note that this is a personal preference. I can imagine some people preferring them as they now are. Fortunately, though, you can now change the color of the lines. In Tools, Options, Fonts and Colors, in the Grid Output section, there is now an entry for Grid Results Lines.

2025-11-07