The database key was gone, and with it, every encrypted row turned into a wall of noise. Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) is supposed to protect sensitive information at rest. When combined with a Git-based workflow for configuration files and migration scripts, it can also become a point of failure if reset without a plan.
Git reset changes tracked files and removes commits. If those commits held critical TDE configuration, certificates, or key metadata, a reset can break your ability to decrypt data. The reset may roll back the encryption setup to an earlier state or remove scripts that generated the keys. The effect is immediate: data remains physically present but becomes unreadable without the correct key hierarchy.
To avoid disaster, understand how TDE works. Transparent Data Encryption encrypts the physical files of the database using a master key, certificates, and potentially asymmetric keys stored in a secure location. Resetting Git to a previous commit can overwrite or delete these artifacts if they are part of your code repository. Even if you stored binaries or backups, the master key sequence must match exactly. Without alignment between the database and the Git state, decryption fails.
Best practice is to avoid storing encryption keys or certificates directly in Git. Use secure key management services and keep TDE configuration automated through environment-specific deployment scripts that rebuild keys when necessary. If you must keep references in Git, treat them as immutable and protect them from resets with branching strategies, hooks, and signed tags. Always backup your TDE keys outside of Git.