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Lesson 2: Configure permissions on database objects

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Applies to: SQL Server Azure SQL Database Azure SQL Managed Instance Analytics Platform System (PDW) SQL database in Microsoft Fabric

Note

The Get Started Querying with Transact-SQL learning path provides more in-depth content, along with practical examples.

Granting a user access to a database involves three steps. First, you create a login. The login lets the user connect to the SQL Server Database Engine. Then you configure the login as a user in the specified database. And finally, you grant that user permission to database objects. This lesson shows you these three steps, and shows you how to create a view and a stored procedure as the object.

Note

This lesson relies on objects created in Lesson 1 - Create database objects. Complete Lesson 1 before continuing on to lesson 2.

Prerequisites

To complete this tutorial, you need SQL Server Management Studio and access to a SQL Server instance.

If you don't have access to a SQL Server instance, select your platform from the following links. If you choose SQL Authentication, use your SQL Server login credentials.

We are listening: If you find something outdated or incorrect in this article, such as a step or a code example, please tell us. You can click the This page button in the Feedback section at the bottom of this page. We read every item of feedback about SQL, typically the next day. Thanks.

Create a login

To access the Database Engine, users require a login. The login can represent the user's identity as a Windows account or as a member of a Windows group, or the login can be a SQL Server login that exists only in SQL Server. Whenever possible you should use Windows Authentication.

By default, administrators on your computer have full access to SQL Server. For this lesson, we want to have a less privileged user; therefore, you will create a new local Windows Authentication account on your computer. To do this, you must be an administrator on your computer. Then you grant that new user access to SQL Server.

Create a new Windows account

  1. Select Start, select Run, in the Open box, type %SystemRoot%\system32\compmgmt.msc /s and then select OK to open the Computer Management program.
  2. Under System Tools, expand Local Users and Groups, right-click Users, and then select New User.
  3. In the User name box type Mary.
  4. In the Password and Confirm password box, type a strong password, and then select Create to create a new local Windows user.

Create a SQL login

In a Query Editor window of SQL Server Management Studio, type and execute the following code replacing computer_name with the name of your computer. FROM WINDOWS indicates that Windows authenticates the user. The optional DEFAULT_DATABASE argument connects Mary to the TestData database, unless the connection string indicates another database. This statement introduces the semicolon as an optional termination for a Transact-SQL statement.

CREATE LOGIN [computer_name\Mary]
    FROM WINDOWS
    WITH DEFAULT_DATABASE = [TestData];
GO

This authorizes a user name Mary, authenticated by your computer, to access this instance of SQL Server. If there is more than one instance of SQL Server on the computer, you must create the login on each instance that Mary must access.

Note

Because Mary is not a domain account, this user name can only be authenticated on this computer.

Grant access to a database

The Mary account now has access to this instance of SQL Server, but doesn't have permission to access the databases. The account doesn't even have access to the default database TestData until you authorize the account as a database user.

To grant Mary access, switch to the TestData database, and then use the CREATE USER statement to map the login to a user named Mary.

Create a user in a database

Type and execute the following statements (replacing computer_name with the name of your computer) to grant Mary access to the TestData database.

USE [TestData];
GO

CREATE USER [Mary] FOR LOGIN [computer_name\Mary];
GO

Now, Mary has access to both SQL Server and the TestData database.

Create views and stored procedures

As an administrator, you can execute the SELECT from the Products table and the vw_Names view, and execute the pr_Names procedure; however, Mary can't. To grant Mary the necessary permissions, use the GRANT statement.

Grant permission to stored procedure

Execute the following statement to give Mary the EXECUTE permission for the pr_Names stored procedure.

GRANT EXECUTE ON pr_Names TO Mary;
GO

In this scenario, Mary can only access the Products table by using the stored procedure. If you want Mary to be able to execute a SELECT statement against the view, then you must also execute GRANT SELECT ON vw_Names TO Mary. To remove access to database objects, use the REVOKE statement.

Note

If the table, the view, and the stored procedure are not owned by the same schema, granting permissions becomes more complex.

About GRANT

You must have EXECUTE permission to execute a stored procedure. You must have SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE permissions to access and change data. The GRANT statement is also used for other permissions, such as permission to create tables.

Next steps

The next article teaches you how to remove database objects you created in the other lessons.

Go to the next article to learn more:

Lesson 3: Delete database objects