SQL Data Catalog 2.0 provides a simple, policy-driven approach to data protection, through data masking. It can now automatically generate the static masking sets that Data Masker will use to protect your entire database, directly from the data classification metadata held within the catalog. Read more
SQL Clone 4 introduces a new access control feature called Teams, allowing granular control over the SQL Server instances, images and clones to which each group of users has access. I’ll explain how Teams makes it easier to manage the safe distribution of database copies throughout the organization, to the various teams that need them Read more
What if you have several people in the team who are responsible for data security across your databases, and they need to work together to develop and maintain the data masking configurations, which must then be applied consistently as part of an automated provisioning process? How should they do it? The solution turns out to be simple: source control. Read more
How to avoid database build failures, caused by circular cross-database object references, by restoring or provisioning copies of all required databases to the development, build, or test SQL Server instance. Read more
The first time you approach the task of data masking, it can seem daunting. You've identified your sensitive columns, but how do you decide on the best data masking strategy? Which rules do you need in your data masking set? Data Masker for SQL Server makes it easy to decide. Read more
If we want the behavior and performance of our test databases to mimic that observed in production, then we must consider not only the database but also the server. Grant Frtichey reviews the server-level objects, settings and features that we may need to consider, and then shows how to 'synchronize' the linked servers, user logins and SQL Agent jobs, as part of an automated provisioning process, using SQL Provision. Read more
Grant Fritchey shows how to provision a group of interdependent databases, masked to protect sensitive or personal data, to each machine in an Azure-based test cell. Read more
Phil Factor provides a PowerShell script to disconnect your laptop without risking error 21, if you're working with SQL Clone and need to go offline. The same script will then bring the clone database back online smoothly, once you're reconnected. Read more
Phil Factor demonstrates how to use SQL Clone to create 'disposable' SQL Server databases, for development and testing work. You can spin up a clone, use it to unit test your code, messing up the clone in the process, then reset the clone in seconds, ready for the next test. Read more
Phil Factor uses SQL Clone, PowerShell and Visio to build a live 'clone network' diagram showing when there was last activity on each clone, and the number of object changes made to each one, alongside useful metadata such as the clone and image sizes, who created them and when. Read more