How to Use a Certificate from a Different Database Here are the requirements:


  Key-encrypting keys are stored separately from data-encrypting keys.  ( Certificate and the symmetric key should be stored separately – not within the same database)


I am using certificate based encryption so I made the certificate on the database I'll be using.  How do I access a certificate from a different database?
In SQL Server for column encryption, you typically use the Service Master Key to encrypt your Database Master Key, which, in turn, encrypts your Certificate, which encrypts your Symmetric Key, which encrypts your data.

See https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/relational-databases/security/encryption/encryption-hierarchy

For Transparent Database Encryption the hierarchy is a little different.  The Database Encryption Key in your database is encrypted by the Database Master Key in the Master Database.

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/relational-databases/security/encryption/transparent-data-encryption

In both cases the key used to encrypt/decrypt data is protected by an encryption chain that goes through the Master database.  I think both meet your requirement in effect.