• Glad it worked and nice test.

    Apologies if I didn't explain well.

    The cert protects a key that is actually used to encrypt the backup. This key is stored in the backup, separate from the cert, for security reasons.

    Certs used for TDE and backup encryption need to be in master, protected with a Database Master Key in master. This DMK has nothing to do with a Database Master Key you may have in your individual databases.