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REVOKE Database Permissions (Transact-SQL)

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

Revokes permissions granted and denied on a database.

Transact-SQL syntax conventions

Syntax

REVOKE [ GRANT OPTION FOR ] <permission> [ ,...n ]    
    { TO | FROM } <database_principal> [ ,...n ]   
        [ CASCADE ]  
    [ AS <database_principal> ]  
  
<permission> ::=    
permission | ALL [ PRIVILEGES ]  
  
<database_principal> ::=   
      Database_user   
    | Database_role   
    | Application_role   
    | Database_user_mapped_to_Windows_User   
    | Database_user_mapped_to_Windows_Group   
    | Database_user_mapped_to_certificate   
    | Database_user_mapped_to_asymmetric_key   
    | Database_user_with_no_login

Arguments

permission
Specifies a permission that can be denied on a database. For a list of the permissions, see the Remarks section later in this topic.

ALL
This option does not revoke all possible permissions. Revoking ALL is equivalent to revoking the following permissions: BACKUP DATABASE, BACKUP LOG, CREATE DATABASE, CREATE DEFAULT, CREATE FUNCTION, CREATE PROCEDURE, CREATE RULE, CREATE TABLE, and CREATE VIEW.

PRIVILEGES
Included for ISO compliance. Does not change the behavior of ALL.

GRANT OPTION
Indicates that the right to grant the specified permission to other principals will be revoked. The permission itself will not be revoked.

Important

If the principal has the specified permission without the GRANT option, the permission itself will be revoked.

CASCADE
Indicates that the permission being revoked is also revoked from other principals to which it has been granted or denied by this principal.

Caution

A cascaded revocation of a permission granted WITH GRANT OPTION will revoke both GRANT and DENY of that permission.

AS <database_principal> Specifies a principal from which the principal executing this query derives its right to revoke the permission.

Database_user
Specifies a database user.

Database_role
Specifies a database role.

Application_role
Applies to: SQL Server 2008 (10.0.x) and later, SQL Database

Specifies an application role.

Database_user_mapped_to_Windows_User
Applies to: SQL Server 2008 (10.0.x) and later

Specifies a database user mapped to a Windows user.

Database_user_mapped_to_Windows_Group
Applies to: SQL Server 2008 (10.0.x) and later

Specifies a database user mapped to a Windows group.

Database_user_mapped_to_certificate
Applies to: SQL Server 2008 (10.0.x) and later

Specifies a database user mapped to a certificate.

Database_user_mapped_to_asymmetric_key
Applies to: SQL Server 2008 (10.0.x) and later

Specifies a database user mapped to an asymmetric key.

Database_user_with_no_login
Specifies a database user with no corresponding server-level principal.

Remarks

The statement will fail if CASCADE is not specified when you are revoking a permission to a principal that was granted that permission with the GRANT OPTION specified.

A database is a securable contained by the server that is its parent in the permissions hierarchy. The most specific and limited permissions that can be revoked on a database are listed in the following table, together with the more general permissions that include them by implication.

Database permission Implied by database permission Implied by server permission
ADMINISTER DATABASE BULK OPERATIONS
Applies to: SQL Database.		 CONTROL CONTROL SERVER
ALTER CONTROL ALTER ANY DATABASE
ALTER ANY APPLICATION ROLE ALTER CONTROL SERVER
ALTER ANY ASSEMBLY ALTER CONTROL SERVER
ALTER ANY ASYMMETRIC KEY ALTER CONTROL SERVER
ALTER ANY CERTIFICATE ALTER CONTROL SERVER
ALTER ANY COLUMN ENCRYPTION KEY ALTER CONTROL SERVER
ALTER ANY COLUMN MASTER KEY DEFINITION ALTER CONTROL SERVER
ALTER ANY CONTRACT ALTER CONTROL SERVER
ALTER ANY DATABASE AUDIT ALTER ALTER ANY SERVER AUDIT
ALTER ANY DATABASE DDL TRIGGER ALTER CONTROL SERVER
ALTER ANY DATABASE EVENT NOTIFICATION ALTER ALTER ANY EVENT NOTIFICATION
ALTER ANY DATABASE EVENT SESSION
Applies to: Azure SQL Database.		 ALTER ALTER ANY EVENT SESSION
ALTER ANY DATABASE SCOPED CONFIGURATION
Applies to: SQL Server 2016 (13.x) and later, SQL Database.		 CONTROL CONTROL SERVER
ALTER ANY DATASPACE ALTER CONTROL SERVER
ALTER ANY EXTERNAL DATA SOURCE ALTER CONTROL SERVER
ALTER ANY EXTERNAL FILE FORMAT ALTER CONTROL SERVER
ALTER ANY EXTERNAL LIBRARY
Applies to: SQL Server 2017 (14.x).		 CONTROL CONTROL SERVER
ALTER ANY FULLTEXT CATALOG ALTER CONTROL SERVER
ALTER ANY MASK CONTROL CONTROL SERVER
ALTER ANY MESSAGE TYPE ALTER CONTROL SERVER
ALTER ANY REMOTE SERVICE BINDING ALTER CONTROL SERVER
ALTER ANY ROLE ALTER CONTROL SERVER
ALTER ANY ROUTE ALTER CONTROL SERVER
ALTER ANY SCHEMA ALTER CONTROL SERVER
ALTER ANY SECURITY POLICY
Applies to: Azure SQL Database.		 CONTROL CONTROL SERVER
ALTER ANY SERVICE ALTER CONTROL SERVER
ALTER ANY SYMMETRIC KEY ALTER CONTROL SERVER
ALTER ANY USER ALTER CONTROL SERVER
AUTHENTICATE CONTROL AUTHENTICATE SERVER
BACKUP DATABASE CONTROL CONTROL SERVER
BACKUP LOG CONTROL CONTROL SERVER
CHECKPOINT CONTROL CONTROL SERVER
CONNECT CONNECT REPLICATION CONTROL SERVER
CONNECT REPLICATION CONTROL CONTROL SERVER
CONTROL CONTROL CONTROL SERVER
CREATE AGGREGATE ALTER CONTROL SERVER
CREATE ASSEMBLY ALTER ANY ASSEMBLY CONTROL SERVER
CREATE ASYMMETRIC KEY ALTER ANY ASYMMETRIC KEY CONTROL SERVER
CREATE CERTIFICATE ALTER ANY CERTIFICATE CONTROL SERVER
CREATE CONTRACT ALTER ANY CONTRACT CONTROL SERVER
CREATE DATABASE CONTROL CREATE ANY DATABASE
CREATE DATABASE DDL EVENT NOTIFICATION ALTER ANY DATABASE EVENT NOTIFICATION CREATE DDL EVENT NOTIFICATION
CREATE DEFAULT ALTER CONTROL SERVER
CREATE FULLTEXT CATALOG ALTER ANY FULLTEXT CATALOG CONTROL SERVER
CREATE FUNCTION ALTER CONTROL SERVER
CREATE MESSAGE TYPE ALTER ANY MESSAGE TYPE CONTROL SERVER
CREATE PROCEDURE ALTER CONTROL SERVER
CREATE QUEUE ALTER CONTROL SERVER
CREATE REMOTE SERVICE BINDING ALTER ANY REMOTE SERVICE BINDING CONTROL SERVER
CREATE ROLE ALTER ANY ROLE CONTROL SERVER
CREATE ROUTE ALTER ANY ROUTE CONTROL SERVER
CREATE RULE ALTER CONTROL SERVER
CREATE SCHEMA ALTER ANY SCHEMA CONTROL SERVER
CREATE SERVICE ALTER ANY SERVICE CONTROL SERVER
CREATE SYMMETRIC KEY ALTER ANY SYMMETRIC KEY CONTROL SERVER
CREATE SYNONYM ALTER CONTROL SERVER
CREATE TABLE ALTER CONTROL SERVER
CREATE TYPE ALTER CONTROL SERVER
CREATE VIEW ALTER CONTROL SERVER
CREATE XML SCHEMA COLLECTION ALTER CONTROL SERVER
DELETE CONTROL CONTROL SERVER
EXECUTE CONTROL CONTROL SERVER
EXECUTE ANY EXTERNAL SCRIPT
Applies to: SQL Server 2016 (13.x).		 CONTROL CONTROL SERVER
INSERT CONTROL CONTROL SERVER
KILL DATABASE CONNECTION
Applies to: Azure SQL Database.		 CONTROL ALTER ANY CONNECTION
REFERENCES CONTROL CONTROL SERVER
SELECT CONTROL CONTROL SERVER
SHOWPLAN CONTROL ALTER TRACE
SUBSCRIBE QUERY NOTIFICATIONS CONTROL CONTROL SERVER
TAKE OWNERSHIP CONTROL CONTROL SERVER
UNMASK CONTROL CONTROL SERVER
UPDATE CONTROL CONTROL SERVER
VIEW ANY COLUMN ENCRYPTION KEY DEFINITION CONTROL VIEW ANY DEFINITION
VIEW ANY COLUMN MASTER KEY DEFINITION CONTROL VIEW ANY DEFINITION
VIEW DATABASE STATE CONTROL VIEW SERVER STATE
VIEW DEFINITION CONTROL VIEW ANY DEFINITION

Permissions

The principal that executes this statement (or the principal specified with the AS option) must have CONTROL permission on the database or a higher permission that implies CONTROL permission on the database.

If you are using the AS option, the specified principal must own the database.

Examples

A. Revoking permission to create certificates

The following example revokes CREATE CERTIFICATE permission on the AdventureWorks2022 database from user MelanieK.

Applies to: SQL Server 2008 (10.0.x) and later

USE AdventureWorks2022;  
REVOKE CREATE CERTIFICATE FROM MelanieK;  
GO

B. Revoking REFERENCES permission from an application role

The following example revokes REFERENCES permission on the AdventureWorks2022 database from application role AuditMonitor.

Applies to: SQL Server 2008 (10.0.x) and later, SQL Database

USE AdventureWorks2022;  
REVOKE REFERENCES FROM AuditMonitor;  
GO

C. Revoking VIEW DEFINITION with CASCADE

The following example revokes VIEW DEFINITION permission on the AdventureWorks2022 database from user CarmineEs and from all principals to which CarmineEs has granted VIEW DEFINITION permission.

USE AdventureWorks2022;  
REVOKE VIEW DEFINITION FROM CarmineEs CASCADE;  
GO

See Also

sys.database_permissions (Transact-SQL)
sys.database_principals (Transact-SQL)
GRANT Database Permissions (Transact-SQL)
DENY Database Permissions (Transact-SQL)
Permissions (Database Engine)
Principals (Database Engine)