CREATE CERTIFICATE (Transact-SQL)

Artikel
11/19/2024

Applies to: SQL Server Azure SQL Database Azure SQL Managed Instance Azure Synapse Analytics SQL database in Microsoft Fabric

Adds a certificate to a database in SQL Server.

This feature is incompatible with database export using Data Tier Application Framework (DACFx). You must drop all certificates before exporting.

Note

In SQL Server 2022 (16.x), certificates with private keys can be backed up or restored directly to and from files or binary blobs using the public key pairs (PKCS) #12 or personal information exchange (PFX) format. All system-generated certificates have a minimum strength of RSA-3072 in SQL Server 2022 (16.x).

The PKCS #12 or PFX format is a binary format for storing the server certificate, any intermediate certificates, and the private key in one file. PFX files usually have extensions such as .pfx and .p12. This makes it easier for customers to adhere to the current security best practice guidelines and compliance standards that prohibit RC4 encryption, by eliminating the need to use conversion tools such as PVKConverter (for the PVK or DER format).

Transact-SQL syntax conventions

Note

This syntax is not supported by serverless SQL pool in Azure Synapse Analytics.

Syntax

-- Syntax for SQL Server and Azure SQL Database  
  
CREATE CERTIFICATE certificate_name [ AUTHORIZATION user_name ]   
    { FROM <existing_keys> | <generate_new_keys> }  
    [ ACTIVE FOR BEGIN_DIALOG = { ON | OFF } ]  
  
<existing_keys> ::=   
    ASSEMBLY assembly_name  
    | {   
        [ EXECUTABLE ] FILE = 'path_to_file'  
        [ WITH [FORMAT = 'PFX',]
          PRIVATE KEY ( <private_key_options> ) ]   
      }  
    | {   
        BINARY = asn_encoded_certificate  
        [ WITH PRIVATE KEY ( <private_key_options> ) ]  
      }  
<generate_new_keys> ::=   
    [ ENCRYPTION BY PASSWORD = 'password' ]   
    WITH SUBJECT = 'certificate_subject_name'   
    [ , <date_options> [ ,...n ] ]   
  
<private_key_options> ::=  
      {   
        FILE = 'path_to_private_key'  
         [ , DECRYPTION BY PASSWORD = 'password' ]  
         [ , ENCRYPTION BY PASSWORD = 'password' ]    
      }  
    |  
      {   
        BINARY = private_key_bits  
         [ , DECRYPTION BY PASSWORD = 'password' ]  
         [ , ENCRYPTION BY PASSWORD = 'password' ]    
      }  
  
<date_options> ::=  
    START_DATE = 'datetime' | EXPIRY_DATE = 'datetime'

-- Syntax for Parallel Data Warehouse  
  
CREATE CERTIFICATE certificate_name   
    { <generate_new_keys> | FROM <existing_keys> }  
    [ ; ]  
  
<generate_new_keys> ::=   
    WITH SUBJECT = 'certificate_subject_name'   
    [ , <date_options> [ ,...n ] ]   
  
<existing_keys> ::=   
    {   
      FILE ='path_to_file'  
      WITH PRIVATE KEY   
         (   
           FILE = 'path_to_private_key'  
           , DECRYPTION BY PASSWORD ='password'   
         )  
    }  
  
<date_options> ::=  
    START_DATE ='datetime' | EXPIRY_DATE ='datetime'

Arguments

certificate_name
Is the name for the certificate in the database.

AUTHORIZATION user_name
Is the name of the user that owns this certificate.

ASSEMBLY assembly_name
Specifies a signed assembly that has already been loaded into the database.

[ EXECUTABLE ] FILE = 'path_to_file'
Specifies the complete path, including file name, to a DER-encoded file that contains the certificate. If the EXECUTABLE option is used, the file is a DLL that has been signed by the certificate. path_to_file can be a local path or a UNC path to a network location. The file is accessed in the security context of the SQL Server service account. This account must have the required file-system permissions.

Important

Azure SQL Database does not support creating a certificate from a file or using private key files.

BINARY = asn_encoded_certificate
ASN encoded certificate bytes specified as a binary constant.
Applies to: SQL Server 2012 (11.x) and later.

WITH FORMAT = 'PFX'
Applies to: SQL Server 2022 (16.x) and later
Specifies generating a certificate from a PFX file. This clause is optional.

WITH PRIVATE KEY
Specifies that the private key of the certificate is loaded into SQL Server. This clause is invalid when the certificate is being created from an assembly. To load the private key of a certificate created from an assembly, use ALTER CERTIFICATE.

FILE ='path_to_private_key'
Specifies the complete path, including file name, to the private key. path_to_private_key can be a local path or a UNC path to a network location. The file is accessed in the security context of the SQL Server service account. This account must have the necessary file-system permissions.

Important

This option is not available in a contained database or in Azure SQL Database.

BINARY = private_key_bits
Applies to: SQL Server (Starting with SQL Server 2012 (11.x)) and Azure SQL Database.

Private key bits specified as binary constant. These bits can be in encrypted form. If encrypted, the user must provide a decryption password. Password policy checks aren't performed on this password. The private key bits should be in a PVK file format.

DECRYPTION BY PASSWORD = 'key_password'
Specifies the password required to decrypt a private key that is retrieved from a file. This clause is optional if the private key is protected by a null password. Saving a private key to a file without password protection isn't recommended. If a password is required but no password is specified, the statement fails.

ENCRYPTION BY PASSWORD = 'password'
Specifies the password used to encrypt the private key. Use this option only if you want to encrypt the certificate with a password. If this clause is omitted, the private key is encrypted using the database master key. password must meet the Windows password policy requirements of the computer that is running the instance of SQL Server. For more information, see Password Policy.

SUBJECT = 'certificate_subject_name'
The term subject refers to a field in the metadata of the certificate as defined in the X.509 standard. The subject should be no more than 64 characters long, and this limit is enforced for SQL Server on Linux. For SQL Server on Windows, the subject can be up to 128 characters long. Subjects that exceed 128 characters are truncated when they're stored in the catalog, but the binary large object (BLOB) that contains the certificate retains the full subject name.

START_DATE = 'datetime'
Is the date on which the certificate becomes valid. If not specified, START_DATE is set equal to the current date. START_DATE is in UTC time and can be specified in any format that can be converted to a date and time.

EXPIRY_DATE = 'datetime'
Is the date on which the certificate expires. If not specified, EXPIRY_DATE is set to a date one year after START_DATE. EXPIRY_DATE is in UTC time and can be specified in any format that can be converted to a date and time. SQL Server Service Broker checks the expiration date. Backup with Encryption using certificates also checks the expiration date and won't allow a new backup to be created with an expired certificate, but will allow restores with an expired certificate. However, expiration isn't enforced when the certificate is used for database encryption or Always Encrypted.

ACTIVE FOR BEGIN_DIALOG = { ON | OFF }
Makes the certificate available to the initiator of a Service Broker dialog conversation. The default value is ON.

Remarks

A certificate is a database-level securable that follows the X.509 standard and supports X.509 V1 fields. CREATE CERTIFICATE can load a certificate from a file, a binary constant, or an assembly. This statement can also generate a key pair and create a self-signed certificate.

The Private Key must be <= 2500 bytes in encrypted format. Private keys generated by SQL Server are 1024 bits long through SQL Server 2014 (12.x) and are 2048 bits long beginning with SQL Server 2016 (13.x). Private keys imported from an external source have a minimum length of 384 bits and a maximum length of 4,096 bits. The length of an imported private key must be an integer multiple of 64 bits. Certificates used for TDE are limited to a private key size of 3456 bits.

The entire Serial Number of the certificate is stored but only the first 16 bytes appear in the sys.certificates catalog view.

The entire Issuer field of the certificate is stored but only the first 884 bytes in the sys.certificates catalog view.

The private key must correspond to the public key specified by certificate_name.

When you create a certificate from a container, loading the private key is optional. But when SQL Server generates a self-signed certificate, the private key is always created. By default, the private key is encrypted using the database master key. If the database master key doesn't exist and no password is specified, the statement fails.

The ENCRYPTION BY PASSWORD option isn't required when the private key is encrypted with the database master key. Use this option only when the private key is encrypted with a password. If no password is specified, the private key of the certificate will be encrypted using the database master key. If the master key of the database can't be opened, omitting this clause causes an error.

You don't have to specify a decryption password when the private key is encrypted with the database master key.

Note

Built-in functions for encryption and signing do not check the expiration dates of certificates. Users of these functions must decide when to check certificate expiration.

A binary description of a certificate can be created by using the CERTENCODED (Transact-SQL) and CERTPRIVATEKEY (Transact-SQL) functions. For an example that uses CERTPRIVATEKEY and CERTENCODED to copy a certificate to another database, see example B in the article CERTENCODED (Transact-SQL).

The MD2, MD4, MD5, SHA, and SHA1 algorithms are deprecated in SQL Server 2016 (13.x). Up to SQL Server 2016 (13.x), a self-signed certificate is created using SHA1. Starting with SQL Server 2017 (14.x), a self-signed certificate is created using SHA2_256.

Permissions

Requires CREATE CERTIFICATE permission on the database. Only Windows logins, SQL Server logins, and application roles can own certificates. Groups and roles can't own certificates.

Examples

A. Creating a self-signed certificate

The following example creates a certificate called Shipping04. The private key of this certificate is protected using a password.

CREATE CERTIFICATE Shipping04   
   ENCRYPTION BY PASSWORD = 'pGFD4bb925DGvbd2439587y'  
   WITH SUBJECT = 'Sammamish Shipping Records',   
   EXPIRY_DATE = '20201031';  
GO

B. Creating a certificate from a file

The following example creates a certificate in the database, loading the key pair from files.

CREATE CERTIFICATE Shipping11   
    FROM FILE = 'c:\Shipping\Certs\Shipping11.cer'   
    WITH PRIVATE KEY (FILE = 'c:\Shipping\Certs\Shipping11.pvk',   
    DECRYPTION BY PASSWORD = 'sldkflk34et6gs%53#v00');  
GO

Important

Azure SQL Database does not support creating a certificate from a file.

C. Creating a certificate from a signed executable file

CREATE CERTIFICATE Shipping19   
    FROM EXECUTABLE FILE = 'c:\Shipping\Certs\Shipping19.dll';  
GO

Alternatively, you can create an assembly from the dll file, and then create a certificate from the assembly.

CREATE ASSEMBLY Shipping19   
    FROM 'c:\Shipping\Certs\Shipping19.dll'   
    WITH PERMISSION_SET = SAFE;  
GO  
CREATE CERTIFICATE Shipping19 FROM ASSEMBLY Shipping19;  
GO

Important

Azure SQL Database does not support creating a certificate from a file.

Important

Starting with SQL Server 2017 (14.x), the 'CLR strict security' server configuration option prevents loading assemblies without first setting up the security for them. Load the certificate, create a login from it, grant UNSAFE ASSEMBLY to that login, and then load the assembly.

D. Creating a self-signed certificate

The following example creates a certificate called Shipping04 without specifying an encryption password. This example can be used with Analytics Platform System (PDW).

CREATE CERTIFICATE Shipping04   
   WITH SUBJECT = 'Sammamish Shipping Records';  
GO

E. Creating a certificate from a PFX file

CREATE CERTIFICATE Shipping04
    FROM FILE = 'c:\storedcerts\shipping04cert.pfx'
    WITH 
    FORMAT = 'PFX', 
	PRIVATE KEY (
        DECRYPTION BY PASSWORD = '9n34khUbhk$w4ecJH5gh'
	);

Dela via

CREATE CERTIFICATE (Transact-SQL)

Syntax

Arguments

Remarks

Permissions

Examples

A. Creating a self-signed certificate

B. Creating a certificate from a file

C. Creating a certificate from a signed executable file

D. Creating a self-signed certificate

E. Creating a certificate from a PFX file

See Also

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