Grant Fritchey

Grant Fritchey is a SQL Server MVP with over 20 years’ experience in IT including time spent in support and development. Grant has worked with SQL Server since version 6.0 back in 1995. He has developed in VB, VB.Net, C# and Java. Grant has authored books for Apress and Simple-Talk, and joined Red Gate as a Product Advocate in January 2011. Find Grant on Twitter @GFritchey or on his blog as the Scary DBA.

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Blog Post

Positivity

I’m sitting in the classroom of SQL Cruise listening to Tim Ford (b|t) explain mechanisms for monitoring indexes. It’s a...

2016-02-04

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Blogs

Resolving SQL Server Transaction Log Issues Efficiently

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Transaction log issues are one of the quietest ways a healthy database turns into...

Adding an HTTP MCP Server to VSCode

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I wrote earlier this week about the SQL MCP Server using the Data API...

Microsoft announces new cybersecurity AI multi-model

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Yesterday, July 27, 2026, Microsoft announced a new cybersecurity effort called Project Perception. Included...

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Forums

Symmetric Key Encryption

By Steve Jones - SSC Editor

Comments posted to this topic are about the item Symmetric Key Encryption

The “Successful Login” Dilemma: Why Your Login Auditing Strategy Might Be Hurting Your Server

By Pablo Echeverria

Comments posted to this topic are about the item The “Successful Login” Dilemma: Why...

Building Your Own Software

By Steve Jones - SSC Editor

Comments posted to this topic are about the item Building Your Own Software

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Question of the Day

Symmetric Key Encryption

If I run this statement in SQL Server 2025, how is the password encrypted? 

CREATE SYMMETRIC KEY MySymmetricKey
WITH ALGORITHM = AES_256,
KEY_SOURCE = 'My secret key source passphrase',
IDENTITY_VALUE = 'My secret identity value'
ENCRYPTION BY PASSWORD = 'S&perS#cretP@ssword7';
GO

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