Transparent Data Encryption (TDE)

Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) is a security feature that automatically encrypts data stored in a database to protect it from unauthorized access. It encrypts the data at rest—meaning when it's stored on disk—so that if someone gains access to the physical storage, they cannot read the data without the appropriate encryption key. TDE operates seamlessly and transparently, so authorized users and applications can access data without extra steps, while unauthorized parties see only encrypted, unreadable data. This helps safeguard sensitive information without disrupting normal database operations.