Creating the Database Master Key (DMK)

The first step in the TDE process is to create the DMK. None of the TDE steps can be done from the SQL GUI; they must all be run as TSQL scripts. It is recommended to create the scripts in advance and then run them one at a time, such as what is illustrated in Figure 17.10.

Figure 17.10. Creating the DMK.

The TSQL script for creating the DMK is as follows. Change the password value to one specific to your organization and store the password in a safe place:

After the DMK is created, it can then be used to create the TDE Certificate.