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Asked: 2026-05-23T09:08:06+00:00

I have to make a local copy of a remote SQL Server database. I

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I have to make a local copy of a remote SQL Server database. I did this by using Tasks > Backup from Management Studio. I then locally restored the backup, which seems to have everything — tables, users, symmetric key, and certificate.

When I try to perform a select that requires me to open the symmetric key and decrypt by the certificate, I get this error:

Please create a master key in the database or open the master key in the session before performing this operation.

Why am I being asked for this, and why doesn’t it open automatically like it does on the remote server?

I’ve tried changing the master key, but without the original password, I can’t do much.

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1 Answer

  1. Editorial Team

    The problem is the SMK has changed (since the machine has changed). There’s an article explaining it here. Just export and import the SMK — bearing in mind that any encrypted data in your copied-to system will be unreadable.

    MSDN articles:

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