Any user in the server can query the value of the encrypted columns options using sp_helpconfig. For example, to find out if restricted decrypt permission is active, enter:
sp_helpconfig 'restricted decrypt permission'
The output is similar to:
0 - restricted decrypt permission disabled (default). 1 - restricted decrypt permission enabled Minimum Value Maximum Value Default Value Current Value Memory Used Unit Type ---------------- ----------- ---------- --------- ------- ------------ ------------- 0 1 0 0 0 switch dynamic
you can also run sp_helpconfig 'enable encrypted columns' to determine if encrypted columns in enabled on the server.
