New-DbaDbCertificate

Synopsis

Creates a new database certificate for encryption and security purposes

Description

Creates a new database certificate within a specified database using SQL Server Management Objects. Database certificates are essential for implementing Transparent Data Encryption (TDE), encrypting stored procedures and functions, securing Service Broker dialogs, and enabling column-level encryption. The certificate can be password-protected or secured by the database master key, with configurable expiration dates and subject information. If no database is specified, the certificate will be created in the master database.

Syntax

New-DbaDbCertificate
    [[-SqlInstance] <DbaInstanceParameter[]>]
    [[-SqlCredential] <PSCredential>]
    [[-Name] <String[]>]
    [[-Database] <String[]>]
    [[-Subject] <String[]>]
    [[-StartDate] <DateTime>]
    [[-ExpirationDate] <DateTime>]
    [-ActiveForServiceBrokerDialog]
    [[-SecurePassword] <SecureString>]
    [[-InputObject] <Database[]>]
    [-EnableException]
    [-WhatIf]
    [-Confirm]
    [<CommonParameters>]

Examples

Example: 1

PS C:\> New-DbaDbCertificate -SqlInstance Server1

You will be prompted to securely enter your password, then a certificate will be created in the master database on server1 if it does not exist.

Example: 2

PS C:\> New-DbaDbCertificate -SqlInstance Server1 -Database db1 -Confirm:$false

Suppresses all prompts to install but prompts to securely enter your password and creates a certificate in the ‘db1’ database

Optional Parameters

-SqlInstance

The target SQL Server instance or instances.

-SqlCredential

Login to the target instance using alternative credentials. Accepts PowerShell credentials (Get-Credential).
Windows Authentication, SQL Server Authentication, Active Directory - Password, and Active Directory - Integrated are all supported.
For MFA support, please use Connect-DbaInstance.

-Name

Specifies the name for the certificate. Defaults to the database name if not provided.
Use descriptive names that indicate the certificate’s purpose, such as ‘TDE_Certificate’ or ‘ColumnEncryption_Cert’.

-Database

Specifies the database where the certificate will be created. Defaults to master if not specified.
Use this when you need certificates in specific databases for TDE, column-level encryption, or Service Broker security.

-Subject

Specifies the certificate subject field for identification purposes. Defaults to ‘[DatabaseName] Database Certificate’.
Use meaningful subjects like ‘CN=MyApp TDE Certificate’ to help identify certificate purposes in production environments.

-StartDate

Specifies when the certificate becomes valid for use. Defaults to the current date and time.
Set future start dates when you need to prepare certificates in advance for scheduled encryption implementations.

-ExpirationDate

Specifies when the certificate expires and becomes invalid. Defaults to 5 years from the start date.
Plan expiration dates carefully as expired certificates will prevent access to encrypted data and require certificate renewal procedures.

-ActiveForServiceBrokerDialog

Enables the certificate for Service Broker dialog security and message encryption. Disabled by default.
Use this when implementing Service Broker applications that require encrypted message communication between services.

-SecurePassword

Specifies a password to encrypt the certificate’s private key. If not provided, the database master key protects the certificate.
Use passwords when you need to backup/restore certificates across instances or when the database master key is not available.

-InputObject

Accepts database objects from Get-DbaDatabase for pipeline operations.
Use this to create certificates across multiple databases efficiently by piping database objects from Get-DbaDatabase.

-EnableException

By default, when something goes wrong we try to catch it, interpret it and give you a friendly warning message.
This avoids overwhelming you with “sea of red” exceptions, but is inconvenient because it basically disables advanced scripting.
Using this switch turns this “nice by default” feature off and enables you to catch exceptions with your own try/catch.

-WhatIf

Shows what would happen if the command were to run. No actions are actually performed.

-Confirm

Prompts you for confirmation before executing any changing operations within the command.