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ALTER ROLE (Transact-SQL)

SQL Server 2012

Adds members to a database role or changes the name of a user-defined database role.

Topic link icon Transact-SQL Syntax Conventions


          

ALTER ROLE role_name
{
      [ ADD MEMBER database_principal ]
    | [ DROP MEMBER database_principal ]
    | WITH NAME = new_name
}

Arguments

role_name: Is the name of the role to be changed.
ADD MEMBER database_principal: Adds the specified database principal to the database role. database_principal can be a user or a user-defined database role. database_principal cannot be a fixed database role, or a server principal.
DROP MEMBER database_principal: Removes the specified database principal from the database role. database_principal can be a user or a user-defined database role. database_principal cannot be a fixed database role, a server principal.
WITH NAME =new_name: Specifies the new name of the user-defined role. This name must not already exist in the database. You cannot change the name of fixed database roles.

Remarks

Changing the name of a database role does not change ID number, owner, or permissions of the role.

Database roles are visible in the sys.database_role_members and sys.database_principals catalog views.

Caution
Beginning with SQL Server 2005, the behavior of schemas changed. As a result, code that assumes that schemas are equivalent to database users may no longer return correct results. Old catalog views, including sysobjects, should not be used in a database in which any of the following DDL statements have ever been used: CREATE SCHEMA, ALTER SCHEMA, DROP SCHEMA, CREATE USER, ALTER USER, DROP USER, CREATE ROLE, ALTER ROLE, DROP ROLE, CREATE APPROLE, ALTER APPROLE, DROP APPROLE, ALTER AUTHORIZATION. In such databases you must instead use the new catalog views. The new catalog views take into account the separation of principals and schemas that was introduced in SQL Server 2005. For more information about catalog views, see Catalog Views (Transact-SQL).

Caution

Beginning with SQL Server 2005, the behavior of schemas changed. As a result, code that assumes that schemas are equivalent to database users may no longer return correct results. Old catalog views, including sysobjects, should not be used in a database in which any of the following DDL statements have ever been used: CREATE SCHEMA, ALTER SCHEMA, DROP SCHEMA, CREATE USER, ALTER USER, DROP USER, CREATE ROLE, ALTER ROLE, DROP ROLE, CREATE APPROLE, ALTER APPROLE, DROP APPROLE, ALTER AUTHORIZATION. In such databases you must instead use the new catalog views. The new catalog views take into account the separation of principals and schemas that was introduced in SQL Server 2005. For more information about catalog views, see Catalog Views (Transact-SQL).

Permissions

Requires ALTER ANY ROLE permission on the database, or ALTER permission on the role, or membership in the db_securityadmin.

Examples

A. Changing the Name of a Database Role

The following example changes the name of role buyers to purchasing.

Transact-SQL

USE AdventureWorks2012;
ALTER ROLE buyers WITH NAME = purchasing;
GO

B. Adding and Removing Role Members

The following example creates a role named Sales, adds and then removes a user named Barry.

Transact-SQL

CREATE ROLE Sales;
ALTER ROLE Sales ADD MEMBER Barry;
ALTER ROLE Sales DROP MEMBER Barry;

Reference

CREATE ROLE (Transact-SQL)

DROP ROLE (Transact-SQL)

sp_addrolemember (Transact-SQL)

sys.database_role_members (Transact-SQL)

sys.database_principals (Transact-SQL)

Concepts

Principals (Database Engine)

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