In Always Encrypted, the key that actually encrypts column values; it sits encrypted in the database metadata and the driver retrieves it, so clients never receive it directly.
Also called CEK.
Read more: Microsoft Learn
In the Ultra Transcenders books
Each book explains Column encryption key in context, with comparison tables and the common traps.
Terms in this definition
- Always Encrypted
Client-side encryption of SQL columns using keys never revealed to the database engine, meaning cloud administrators and DBAs only ever see ciphertext.
- Index field attributes
Settings applied to each field in an Azure AI Search index:
searchablefor full text,retrievableto return it,filterablefor exact-match$filter,sortable,facetablefor counts, andkeyfor the unique document ID. - VALUES
Returns in DAX the distinct column values, or table rows, still visible after filters are applied, sometimes with an extra blank entry. CALCULATE often takes the result as a table filter.
- Schema
The middle part of a Unity Catalog name (
catalog.schema.table), grouping tables, views, volumes, functions and models inside a catalog. A grant on it covers everything in it now and later, and nothing inside can be reached withoutUSE SCHEMA. - Metadata
Describes data rather than being the data itself, for instance how a file is laid out or what rows each chunk contains, so tools can read things efficiently.