The first important feature we will discuss of cross feature support is the ability to use Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) on memory-optimized objects. TDE, as the name suggests, allows a database administrator to apply an encryption mechanism to an entire database. This encryption will protect all the data stored inside the database. The encryption is designed in such a way that should the database fall into the wrong hands (or the data and log files are copied or a backup is misplaced), then the data inside those files will be completely encrypted. Any encryption key(s) and certificate(s) will be stored separately from the database files themselves. The scope of this book does not allow for a full excursion into the inner-workings of TDE; however, it is enough to know that should you wish to use this simple but effective encryption solution, you are able to use memory-optimized objects in such a database without restriction.

For developers wishing to implement In-Memory OLTP using the newest security features introduced in SQL Server 2016: Always Encrypted, Row-Level Security, and Dynamic Data Masking (all explained in detail in Chapter 8, Tightening Security), you can also rest assured that memory-optimized tables can also take advantage of these improved security features.