In this tutorial, I'll show you how to configure the column encryption in SQL server 2017. To practice, I've created a new database, then add a category table to the new database.

Encrypting column data in SQL Server will help protect your data. To encrypt the columns in the table, you need to right click on the table that you want to encrypt columns, then select Encrypt Columns

encrypt column in sql server

Click Next

encrypt columns in sql server

Select your encryption type, then click Next

encrypt column in sql server

Click Next to continue

encrypt column sql server

Click Next to continue

encrypt column sql server

See your summary, then click Finish button

encrypt column sql server

Waiting for your SQL Server encryption to complete, then logging back into your SQL Server. You can query your category table to see how to it works

select *from Categories

You will get the query result as an encrypted CategoryName column

encrypt column sql server

As you can see, CategoryName is encrypted. You will not be able to insert or update data directly into the Category table from SQL Management Studio, but you can delete data from table has encrypted columns

To insert, update, delete you can excute from your application, but you should add Column Encryption Setting=Enabled to your connection string.

encrypt column sql server

Add Column Encryption Setting=Enabled to your SQL Server login, you can see your data is not encrypted