StraightforwardSQL

Blog Post

Advent of Code 2022

Foreword
Advent of Code is an annual event in which participants solve a series of coding puzzles. It typically begins on December 1 and runs through the end of the...

2022-12-23 (first published: )

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Blog Post

T-SQL Tuesday #156 - Wrap Up

Foreword
Thank you everyone for participating! There is a total of 15 submissions and thanks to them, I’ve widened my perspective.
The order of the posts is chosen at random.
Greg Moore
Contribution|Blog|Twitter
Greg...

2022-11-17

25 reads

Blog Post

My Toolbox - Everything

Foreword
Not everything in the general sense, but a tool called Everything by voidtools (Download link). Usually, I have to make this distinction when googling.
No matter how great is my...

2022-09-27

44 reads

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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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

See possible answers