Database encryption where key can be provided in connection string

I have certain information being stored in a MySQL database that warrant开发者_如何学编程s being stored in an encrypted form. However my .Net application can't absorb the perfomance hit of doing the encryption and decryption at the application layer.

Is there any MySQL function that allows an ecryption key to be specified in the connection string and then have the MySQL database do the encrption operations?

do you mean

AES_ENCRYPT

and

AES_DECRYPT

you can pass the key when you run the query

you can see an example

EDIT:

another option to use

DES_ENCRYPT() and DES_DECRYPT()

The key file can be specified with the --des-key-file server option