This free online course teaches you the fundamentals of SQL Server 2014 and the steps for creating secure databases.

This is a fundamental-level course that begins by explaining the reason for and importance of storing your data in a relational database. It explains why security is the most important feature of SQL Server 2014. You will learn about essential security concepts in SQL Server 2014 and how your data is kept safe. The typical way of finding out how digital resources can be accessed by anyone is through the use of a username and password. ‘Authentication’ is the process of verifying that a principal is who they claim to be. The course explains how SQL Server uniquely identifies principals in order to authorize access to a database. When you use SQL Server login for authentication, clients’ applications have to provide a valid username and password to connect to the database. The course explains why SQL Server authentication is preferred to Windows authentication. You will learn about the procedures used in creating a SQL Server login. 

Contained databases are an interesting part of SQL Server 2014 because they implement new security features and elements. The course explains how they solve the problem of moving a database from one server to another. Authentication is an important part required for accessing the important parts of a database. You will learn about the roles of authorization and authentication to database objects. Understand the concept of ‘principals’, which are users or processes allowed to access secured objects. This course explains how to implement permissions to keep the server and the database secured. It also describes how SQL permission gives the principal some kind of access to a securable object. A schema is essentially a container for elements within the database. See how SQL Server allows for the assignment of default schemas for users and groups. The course explains how SQL servers are not able to automatically create a schema with the same name as the user. The principle of least privilege is a major step in securing a database. The material describes the few common permissions available in SQL Server and you will learn about the three types of statements that cover the kinds of permissions that can be assigned: GRANT, REVOKE and DENY.

Finally, see how SQL Server follows a procedure to ensure users have permissions to execute codes. The course also describes the concept of ‘exception’, which exists when a code owner has permissions on underlying objects. One of the most important layers that can be applied to any digital asset is encryption. The course explains the security features built into the SQL server that can be used to protect data objects. The process of encrypting data by the use of a key or password is explained. You will learn how important data is usually encrypted and study how to encrypt data containing sensitive information. Security issues associated with a database are quite common in SQL Server. A security mechanism that can help you understand how to attain the highest level of security for your data is called Defense in-Depth. The course also explains the types of encryption keys used in database systems. Start this course today and improve your skills in designing much more secure databases as an administrator, analyst or developer.