Encryption of the SQL Server objects

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Encryption of the SQL Server objects

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SSCrazy

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September 22, 2015 at 1:37 pm

#303321

Hi,
I am a SQL DBA for the middle size Company in Florida.
We are a software Company running SQL Server 2008-2012 on the backend and .NET application on the frontend.
Our Management Team is very concerned about the security of our intellectual property.
So it was suggested (not by DBA's) to encrypt the objects in the Company's SQL Server databases (including stored procedures, functions, views, etc....)
I personally do not thing, that this is a good idea, because of many reasons, i.e.:
1. I do not see how we would be able to use the Performance Monitoring Tools (internal and external).
2. I'm not sure how the Backup and Restore processes would be affected since we are utilizing the external tools for these purposes.
3. I can see the option of TFS Server failure and a risk of loosing the latest scripts.
4. I would think that there should be a performance hit to the application due to the encrypted values.
5. I also can see, that with some effort, the experience folks can decrypt the scripts if needed.
6. And many other small problems, that I'm not mentioning here.
That's why I wanted to hear the opinion of the SQL Server community.
I would be very interested to know if this strategy has been ever used in the Corporate or any other environments, and what are the cons and pros.
Your attention to this question is greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
Alex

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Luis Cazares SSC Guru Points: 183706 More actions · Answer 1

Duplicate post. All replies should go to the following thread: http://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1721931-2799-1.aspx

Luis C.
General Disclaimer:
Are you seriously taking the advice and code from someone from the internet without testing it? Do you at least understand it? Or can it easily kill your server?

How to post data/code on a forum to get the best help: Option 1 / Option 2

Lowell SSC Guru Points: 323518 More actions · Answer 2

--whopps removing and moving to other post.

Lowell

--help us help you! If you post a question, make sure you include a CREATE TABLE... statement and INSERT INTO... statement into that table to give the volunteers here representative data. with your description of the problem, we can provide a tested, verifiable solution to your question! asking the question the right way gets you a tested answer the fastest way possible!