SQL Ledger: Protecting Data in Azure SQL
Learn how you can set up and use Ledger tables in an Azure SQL Database to verify the integrity of your database changes.
2022-09-07
9,346 reads
security
Can We Please Stop Sending Passwords Over the Wire?
While analyzing SQL Server's network protocol, I came across a weird fact: when a database client logs in using SQL Server authentication (as opposed to Windows authentication), it has to send the user's password to the server, in blatant violation of common security guidelines. At first, I couldn't believe it; SQL Server generally does an […]
2022-03-02
5,564 reads
Query control made easy
Overview As we all know, data security is a never-ending battle. Every day, we hear of new data breaches. It's a hard problem, and there is no single solution, other than a defense in depth. Let's look at one of those defenses for databases: query control. Query control is a simple idea: most applications access […]
2022-01-07
4,030 reads
SQL Server Data Classification Comes Alive
Overview Microsoft SQL Server 2012 introduced a feature called data classification, which allows you to mark certain columns with labels, indicating that these columns contain sensitive or special-handling data. For instance, you may want to mark a column containing credit card numbers as "confidential", or sales numbers as "management only". The problem is that you […]
2021-12-10
5,243 reads
SQL Server Data Masking: a comparison with Gallium Data
Introduction In SQL Server 2016, Microsoft introduced a new feature called dynamic data masking, which allows you to mask the values of certain columns and keep that data hidden from certain users, without having to modify your applications. Let's take a look at how SQL Server does data masking, and compare it to the way Gallium Data […]
2021-12-03
1,962 reads
Ransomware: A world under threat
Ransomware has threatened many organizations over the past few years. In this article, Robert Sheldon explains the history of ransomware and what needs to be done to protect against it.
2021-11-22
SQL Server Row-Level Security: A Comparison with Gallium Data
A quick look at how the native SQL Server Row-Level Security compares with Gallium Data's solution for limiting access to rows of data.
2021-11-15
3,131 reads
State of Database Monitoring Report 3
Database professionals are spending 1/3 of their time on security tasks each day and say it’s their biggest professional challenge this year. Learn how 2500+ database professionals are reacting to these unprecedented demands in our third database monitoring insights report.
2021-11-08
Cybersecurity threats
Not a week goes by without news of a new cyberattack. In this article, Robert Sheldon explains the cybersecurity threats in today’s world.
2021-10-29
Azure Databricks Access Controls and Row Level Security
Azure Databricks has a number of Access Controls and Row Level Security options that we will explore in this article.
2021-06-18
Blogs
Rolling Back a Broken Release
By Steve Jones
We had an interesting discussion about deployments in databases and how you go forward...
A bespoke reporting solution doesn’t have to cost the earth
By ChrisJenkins
You could be tolerating limited reporting because there isn’t an off the shelf solution...
Presenting with Visual Studio Code
A while back I wrote a quick post on setting up key mappings in...
Forums
Lots of FKs
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Real-time On-prem SQL Server Data in Excel – Over the Internet
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Real-time On-prem SQL Server Data...
Can You Let Go of Determinism
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Can You Let Go of...
Question of the Day
Lots of FKs
In SQL Server 2025, what are the most outgoing and incoming FK references a table can have?
See possible answers