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Experimental dark theme for Azure PlantUML diagrams
This year, I had the opportunity to contribute to the Azure PlantUML project, which enables “diagrams-as-code” with icons that support the majority of Azure services. PlantUML has solid integration with VS Code and is a great choice for creating high quality diagrams that integrate seamlessly into git repositories. My work involved modernizing the sprite (icon) generation code as well as adding new icons…and throwing out a few old ones. This gave me a deeper level of understanding of how PlantUML works and how it can be customized.
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Introducing the Microsoft Data Encryption SDK: Protecting CSV Files
About two months ago, Microsoft quietly published a new GitHub repo titled Microsoft Data Encryption SDK (MDE SDK). It includes sample code for encrypting and decrypting Apache Parquet files using the same encryption algorithm implemented in SQL Always Encrypted. This is significant because it represents an expansion of Microsoft’s vision for column level encryption beyond SQL server to popular data formats and, eventually, other data engines as well. As the repo describes, the idea recognizes that enterprise data needs to flow across various systems for processing, analytics, and a variety of other uses. For some organizations, this reality represents a significant challenge to data protection. Column level encryption offers an additional layer of assurance that sensitive data remains confidential.