Way back in SQL Server 2005, Microsoft introduced an amazing array of technologies. I suspect that many SQL Server professionals aren’t aware of just how many technologies were introduced in that release. It’s not surprising that professionals are still learning about a number of these technologies, even 20 years later. In particular, questions regarding certificates, keys, and column-based encryption still draw blank responses from most SQL Server professionals.
What’s interesting is that, as far as technologies like Always Encrypted have taken us, one of the first things to get support in new twists on SQL Server (e.g., Synapse, Fabric) is column-level security.