Online Documentation for SQL Manager for SQL server

Certificates


In SQL Server 2005 and higher, data can be encrypted with a hierarchical encryption and key management infrastructure. Each layer encrypts the layer below it by using a combination of the following mechanisms for encryption: symmetric keys, asymmetric keys, certificates.

 

A Certificate is a digitally-signed statement that binds the value of a public key to the identity of the person, device or service that holds the corresponding private key. Certificates are database-level securable objects that follow the X.509 standard and support X.509 V1 fields. A certificate can be loaded from a file or assembly upon its creation.

 

 

Certificate Editor allows you to define certificate properties. It opens automatically when you create a new certificate and is available on editing an existing one.

 

To open a certificate in Certificate Editor, double-click it in the DB Explorer tree.