SQL Server encryption and recovery guides
Practical explanations of how SQL Server stores encrypted modules, how DBAs find them, and how to recover a definition you are entitled to see.
WITH ENCRYPTION: what it protects
Why the option hides module text from metadata functions, what it does not protect, and the operational cost of using it.
Read the guide →6 min read
Find encrypted objects in a database
A catalog query that lists encrypted procedures, views, triggers and functions — plus the caveats that create false positives.
Read the guide →6 min read
Decrypt a stored procedure
A documented workflow: confirm authorization, check for recoverable source, then decrypt and verify the output.
Read the guide →7 min read
Recover lost source code
What to check before decrypting, how to verify a recovered definition, and how to prevent the situation next time.
Read the guide →7 min read
These guides describe how to recover code from databases you own or are explicitly permitted to administer. Recovering a third-party vendor's source code may breach your licence with that vendor and, depending on your jurisdiction, the law. When in doubt, ask the database owner in writing before you start. Read the authorized-use policy.