SQL Server 2022 Ledger Database: Ensuring Database Security and Integrity

While working in an SQL Server environment, what a user looks for is security and trust. To ensure this data safety, the SQL Server 2022 ledger database is introduced. This is an exceptional feature in SQL Server that offers an evident record of all the transactions in the database. The ledger databases use blockchain-like technology to verify that the data stored has not been altered or manipulated in any way. 

Let’s now take a deeper look at what ledger tables or databases are, and check whether they are secure for the data or not. 

What is SQL Server 2022 Ledger Database? Overview 

The SQL ledger database can be specified as a feature that ensures complete data transparency and security. This feature offers users a complete record of the transactions done in their databases. The prominent feature of SQL Ledger is that it uses a blockchain-like technology to maintain and provide a cryptographically verifiable record of any and all database changes.  Furthermore, this feature allows database administrators to protect their data by storing the historical data transparently. This lets users verify and know that their data has not been tampered with or altered.  

When we talk about traditional database systems, the database administrators or users having high privileged permissions could make changes in the database without anyone knowing. With the SQL Server 2022 ledger database, this issue has been resolved, as it uses technology like cryptography to ensure that the data has not been changed or altered. With this feature, the trust and security of the database for the users and database administrators increase. Here are some of the benefits of ledger databases:

• Every data and transaction can be easily tracked and is permanent.
• Any old data can be verified using encryption.
• The database audits and data verification can be done automatically. 

If we have to conclude the definition of what an SQL Ledger database is, we can say that it is like a digital footprint. It helps the admins or database administrators to detect any changes and also find out who made them. Let’s now move to what ledger tables in SQL are and how do they work.

Understanding SQL Server Ledger Tables & Their Working

As we learned so far, the SQL Server 2022 ledger database can be explained as a feature that uses cryptography and blockchain-like technology to store data in a more secure and transparent way. This feature helps maintain data integrity and further detects if any data has been tampered with in the SQL Server database. Now, moving on with the SQL ledger tables, let’s learn what they are.

SQL Server ledger tables are the core of ledger databases. These tables are used to make the data tamper-resistant in the database. Once a ledger table in SQL Server is created, it records all the changes, such as INSERTS, UPDATES, and DELETES, and further stores the older version of data in the history table. 

Now it’s time to learn the working of SQL ledger tables. Below is the explanation of how it works. 

With each transaction in the ledger table, a cryptographic hash is generated. The cryptographic hash can be specified as a unique digital signature. These hashes are further stored in a Merkle Tree structure. The hashes are linked together and are stored in a sequence; hence, any changes made to any transaction will change the sequence and will be easily identifiable. 

The top hash in the table is called root-hash, is stored in the SQL Server ledger database and summarizes all the previous records in the table. Now, these ledger tables also have two types. Let’s learn more about them to get a clearer idea. 

Types of SQL Server 2022 Ledger Tables: Explained

Here are the two types of ledger tables in SQL Server:

• Updatable Ledger Table
• Append-Only Ledger Table

We will now take a thorough look at what these tables are and what the difference is between the two. 

Updatable SQL Ledger Table: As the name suggests, the data stored in this table can be modified effectively while maintaining a history of every change made in a history table, managed by the system itself. This helps to securely record every change, further making it easier to verify and track the updates from time to time. 

Append-Only Ledger Table: When it comes to Append-only tables, these tables allow only the new rows to be inserted. This prevents any updates or deletes in the table. All the entries in the table are cryptographically linked, offering a permanent, tamper-proof record for the users. These SQL Ledger tables are better for audit logs and maintaining compliance records. 

After learning the types of tables, let’s now move to understanding the commands that will help users and database administrators to create these ledger tables, and further carry out necessary operations. 

Steps to Create SQL Ledger Tables

We will now discuss the commands that will help with the creation of these tables and further perform desired operations.

1. To create a ledger database in SQL Server, use the following command:
   

   CREATE DATABASE [LedgerDatabaseName]
   WITH LEDGER = ON;

2. Next, for the creation of the ledger table, use the given command:
   

   CREATE TABLE [LedgerTableName]
   (
   [PrimaryKeyColName] INT PRIMARY KEY,
   [Column1] NVARCHAR(100),
   [Column2] DECIMAL(18,2)
   )
   WITH (LEDGER = ON);

3. Once the table is created, now its time to add data in it. Here is the command to insert data:
   

   INSERT INTO [LedgerTableName] VALUES ([Value1], [Value2]);

4. To check the SQL Server Ledger History, we will use the given command:
   

    SELECT * FROM sys.database_ledger_history;

Benefits and Key Features of SQL Server 2022 Ledger Database Explained

Key Features: 

Here are the key features of using SQL Ledger tables and a database for database security:

• The primary feature offered by SQL Ledger is the tamper-resistant records. It means that the data stored in these databases or tables can not be altered. And even if they get tampered with, they can be easily detected. 
• Another key feature of using Ledger tables is the ease of verifying old records. It stores all the previous records, allowing users to check the older data whenever required. 
• When it comes to technicalities, the major advantage of using this feature is that it uses cryptographic hashes and a sequential structure like a Merkle Tree. This helps to keep the data in order and further ensures data authenticity. 
• As we discussed earlier, using the SQL Ledger database can help greatly with compliance regulations and with meeting the audit requirements. 

These are the key features of the SQL Server ledger tables and databases. Now, moving on to the benefits of using them. 

Benefits of Using SQL Ledger Database:  

• One of the major benefits provided by the SQL ledger feature is the data integrity enhancement.  It ensures that no data is tampered with within the storage and further remains intact for the users. 
• In the SQL Server 2022 Ledger Database, every transaction change is stored and can be tracked easily. This allows users to trace any changes made and keep the data transparent for the users. 
• We have learned that the ledger tables in SQL Server use blockchain-like technology to store data. This minimizes the requirement for any additional infrastructure for data security purposes.

Conclusion

With the help of this technical write-up, we have discussed and learned about SQL Server 2022 Ledger Database. We have also discussed how these files help with data security and preserving data integrity. Additionally, we have discussed the features and benefits of using these databases for their promising data security.