AI in the DBeaver Query Editor
You know I had to do it as soon as I found it was possible. Yes, I installed and enabled AI in the DBeaver Query Editor so I can...
2025-05-21 (first published: 2025-05-05)
263 reads
KDA: Echoes of Deception - Case 1
Another KDA case: Digitown’s utility bills suddenly doubled for no good reason. With the election coming up, I got pulled in to figure out what went wrong. I’ve got...
2025-05-30 (first published: 2025-05-02)
206 reads
Preparing for the TOGAF 9 Foundation Exam
Now that I've completed both TOGAF 9 tests, I am putting up a couple of quick posts on how I prepared for these Enterprise Architecture exams.
2025-05-02
37 reads
Advice I Like: Examining My Past Self
If you are not embarrassed by your past self, you have probably not grown up yet. – from Excellent Advice for Living While I’d like to think most of...
2025-05-02
26 reads
DevOps Day – Atlanta
No tour this year, but Redgate does have a few DevOps events scheduled. I’m hoping for more, and the first one for me this year is Atlanta. You can...
2025-05-01
27 reads
SQL Server Budgets: How to Justify Cost to Management
Ever tried to request SQL Server funding from the CFO? Your systems, your data, your customer experience – they all rely on that “invisible” database engine humming along behind...
2025-05-01
55 reads
Index Maintenance Can Change NORECOMPUTE Settings
I had a customer recently ask about a change in one of their constraints on production, where a new option appeared when they went to deploy some changes from...
2025-04-30
145 reads
So You Think You Should Get a Radio
This is not database related, so if you’re not interested in hearing about something besides SQL Server, PostgreSQL, DevOps, community or data management in general, time to move on....
2025-04-30
33 reads
Speaking at SQL Saturday Austin 2025
SQL Saturday Austin 2025 is in just a few days. I am honored to be speaking there, and glad to be going back. I’ve missed a number of the...
2025-04-29
65 reads
Updating SSMS is Easy (w/ v21)
I’ve been using the SSMS preview for v21. This is the next evolution of SSMS, where the VS shell is finally being updated. For many of us, SSMS has...
2025-04-28
145 reads
Blogs
Microsoft announces new cybersecurity AI multi-model
By Brian Kelley
Yesterday, July 27, 2026, Microsoft announced a new cybersecurity effort called Project Perception. Included...
Getting the SQL Server MCP Server Running
By Steve Jones
If you’ve wanted a SQL Server MCP server for your databases, it’s available. The...
Introducing azsql-migration-test: Test and Validate Azure SQL Database Migrations
Introducing azsql-migration-test, a small open-source CLI that validates your Azure SQL Database migrations against...
Forums
Symmetric Key Encryption
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
Comments posted to this topic are about the item The “Successful Login” Dilemma: Why...
Building Your Own Software
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Building Your Own Software
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'; GOSee possible answers