Quick one today

Creating database master key is important and prerequisite to creating other certificates in a Sql Server database. Database Master key is at each database level and is stored in both the user database and in master database.

Some highlights of this database Master key:

1. It is a symmetric key
2. Used to protect other keys in the user databases
   • Private keys of certificates
   • Other symmetric keys
3. Encrypted by password
4. Algorithm used is AES_256
5. Backup this key and store off-site, if you can.

The copy of this database master key stored in master database and is encrypted with Service Master key stored at the instance level (master database).

Hope this helps,

_Sqltimes