Hashing FAQs, Tips, and Examples
- 02 Oct 2025
- 2 Minutes to read
- DarkLight
Hashing FAQs, Tips, and Examples
- Updated on 02 Oct 2025
- 2 Minutes to read
- DarkLight
Article summary
Did you find this summary helpful?
Thank you for your feedback!
FAQs
What Are Hashing Algorithms?
Hashing algorithms are functions that take text input and return a hash code, or message fingerprint, of that input. The resulting hash code is a fixed length and will vary widely with small variations in input.
Why Are Hashing Algorithms Used?
One of the primary features of hashing algorithms is that they are one-way functions, which means that it is nearly impossible to determine the original input based only on the hash code. Hashing algorithms power the security behind applications like internet banking, and they are what allow Jornaya to receive data in a way that protects consumer privacy.
What Algorithms Are Compatible With Jornaya Activate?
MD5 and SHA-256 are two popular algorithms that Jornaya Activate supports. Many databases and programming languages have built-in functions that will hash database content for you.
MD5 algorithm always produces 32-character strings
SHA-256 algorithm always produces 64-character strings
If the hashed fields being sent to Jornaya are not 32 or 64 characters, please check that a supported hashing algorithm is being used.
How Is Hashing Different From Encryption?
Encryption turns data into a series of unreadable characters that aren't of a fixed length. The key difference between encryption and hashing is that encrypted strings can be reversed back into their original, decrypted form if you have the right key.
Tips
Upper and lower case values produce different hash values
Solution: Use lower-case values for Jornaya Activate
Leading/trailing white spaces will modify the hash values
Solution: Strip leading/trailing white spaces out prior to hashing
All characters impact the hash
Solution:
Strip out parentheses, hyphens, and/or periods from phone numbers
NOTE: Periods and "@" symbols for email addresses should remain
Examples
Below are example hashes that can be used to confirm the hashing logic is returning the expected outputs.
Example 1: MySQL To Hash A Single Email Address
SELECT SHA2('test@example.com', 256) as email01;
RESULT:
email01 |
|---|
973dfe463ec85785f5f95af5ba3906eedb2d931c24e69824a89ea65dba4e813b |
Example 2: MySQL To Hash A Single Email Address With Trailing Whitespace
SELECT SHA2('test@example.com ', 256) as email02;
RESULT:
email01 |
|---|
1f0a3bbdda1b7eb2c6688ac0ff5213b8e1fdc6cb9b0e419314262e0c98e8b517 |
NOTE
The resulting hash changes completely when a single space is added to the end of the email address before applying the hashing algorithm.
Example 3: MySQL To Hash A 10-digit Phone Number
SELECT SHA2('6105551212', 256) as phone01;
RESULT:
phone01 |
|---|
230d628373ef5c69d80b0efe374cf9b5676fadba1946f78dd5d895c70290e8ee |
Example 4: MySQL To Hash A 10-digit Phone Number With Hyphens
SELECT SHA2('610-555-1212', 256) as phone02;
RESULT:
phone02 |
|---|
c6a14a90387c06a0963360aafd01f7b401447cbe47cf4ae5c00d2a5c07891892 |
NOTE
The resulting hash completely changes by including hyphens within the phone number, before applying the hashing algorithm.
Example 5: Microsoft SQL Server To Hash A Signal Email Address
SELECT ISNULL(
CONVERT(varchar(255), HASHBYTES('SHA2_256', 'test@example.com'), 2), ''
) AS email01;
RESULT:
email01 |
|---|
973dfe463ec85785f5f95af5ba3906eedb2d931c24e69824a89ea65dba4e813b |
Explanation:
HASHBYTES('SHA2_256', 'test@example.com') produces the hash value in binary.
CONVERT(varchar(255), HASHBYTES('SHA2_256', 'test@example.com'), 2) converts
the binary output to a varchar.ISNULL(CONVERT(varchar(255), HASHBYTES('SHA2_256', 'test@example.com'), 2), '')
the hash value if available or an empty string.
Example 6: SAS To Hash A Single Email Address
proc sql;
CREATE table temp_table AS
SELECT
sha256 (strip('test@example.com')) as email01 format $hex64. length=64
FROM &source_table;
quit;
RESULT:
email01 |
|---|
973dfe463ec85785f5f95af5ba3906eedb2d931c24e69824a89ea65dba4e813b |
Explanation:
Create a temporary table 'temp_table' to store the result of the SQL query.
The source of the consumer's PII is source_table
strip('test@example.com') strips all whitespace from the input
sha256 (strip('test@example.com')) as email01 format $hex64. length=64 hashes the
input, converting the default binary as a 64-character-long hexadecimal string.
Was this article helpful?
