A one-way function that converts data of any size into a fixed-length digest. Identical input always yields the identical digest, which makes it useful for detecting tampering and for storing passwords (usually salted); unlike encryption, the original cannot be recovered.
Read more: Microsoft Learn
In the Ultra Transcenders books
Each book explains Hashing in context, with comparison tables and the common traps.
Terms in this definition
- Encryption
Scrambling data so it cannot be read without the correct secret key, which is then used to turn it back again. Hashing, by contrast, cannot be reversed.
Related terms
- LM
An old password hashing and sign-in protocol. LANMAN has been deprecated, and Windows Server 2025 dropped NTLMv1 altogether.
- Partitioning policy
A KQL policy set on an eventhouse table to reorganise data extents once ingestion has finished, either by hashing one string or guid column or by splitting time into evenly sized datetime ranges. Without it, ingestion time determines grouping, and Microsoft Learn recommends using it in just a handful of particular query scenarios.
- Single-computer method
A way of uploading EDM data where hashing and uploading happen together, which means the unhashed source table has to be stored on a computer that connects to the tenant.