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sp_addrolemember (Transact-SQL)

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Applies to: SQL Server Azure SQL Database Azure SQL Managed Instance Azure Synapse Analytics Analytics Platform System (PDW)

Adds a database user, database role, Windows login, or Windows group to a database role in the current database.

Important

This feature will be removed in a future version of Microsoft SQL Server. Avoid using this feature in new development work, and plan to modify applications that currently use this feature. Use ALTER ROLE instead.

Transact-SQL syntax conventions

Syntax

sp_addrolemember [ @rolename = ] 'role', [ @membername = ] 'security_account'

Note

This syntax is not supported by serverless SQL pool in Azure Synapse Analytics.

Arguments

[ @rolename= ] 'role'
Is the name of the database role in the current database. role is a sysname, with no default.

[ @membername= ] 'security_account'
Is the security account being added to the role. security_account is a sysname, with no default. security_account can be a database user, database role, Windows login, or Windows group.

Return Code Values

0 (success) or 1 (failure)

Remarks

A member added to a role by using sp_addrolemember inherits the permissions of the role. If the new member is a Windows-level principal without a corresponding database user, a database user will be created but may not be fully mapped to the login. Always check that the login exists and has access to the database.

A role cannot include itself as a member. Such "circular" definitions are not valid, even when membership is only indirectly implied by one or more intermediate memberships.

sp_addrolemember cannot add a fixed database role, fixed server role, or dbo to a role.

Only use sp_addrolemember to add a member to a database role. To add a member to a server role, use sp_addsrvrolemember (Transact-SQL).

Permissions

Adding members to flexible database roles requires one of the following:

  • Membership in the db_securityadmin or db_owner fixed database role.

  • Membership in the role that owns the role.

  • ALTER ANY ROLE permission or ALTER permission on the role.

Adding members to fixed database roles requires membership in the db_owner fixed database role.

Examples

A. Adding a Windows login

The following example adds the Windows login Contoso\Mary5 to the AdventureWorks2022 database as user Mary5. The user Mary5 is then added to the Production role.

Note

Because Contoso\Mary5 is known as the database user Mary5 in the AdventureWorks2022 database, the user name Mary5 must be specified. The statement will fail unless a Contoso\Mary5 login exists. Test by using a login from your domain.

USE AdventureWorks2022;  
GO  
CREATE USER Mary5 FOR LOGIN [Contoso\Mary5] ;  
GO

B. Adding a database user

The following example adds the database user Mary5 to the Production database role in the current database.

EXEC sp_addrolemember 'Production', 'Mary5';

Examples: Analytics Platform System (PDW)

C. Adding a Windows login

The following example adds the login LoginMary to the AdventureWorks2022 database as user UserMary. The user UserMary is then added to the Production role.

Note

Because the login LoginMary is known as the database user UserMary in the AdventureWorks2022 database, the user name UserMary must be specified. The statement will fail unless a Mary5 login exists. Logins and users usually have the same name. This example uses different names to differentiate the actions affecting the login vs. the user.

-- Uses AdventureWorks2022
  
CREATE USER UserMary FOR LOGIN LoginMary ;  
GO  
EXEC sp_addrolemember 'Production', 'UserMary'

D. Adding a database user

The following example adds the database user UserMary to the Production database role in the current database.

EXEC sp_addrolemember 'Production', 'UserMary'

See Also

Security Stored Procedures (Transact-SQL)
sp_addsrvrolemember (Transact-SQL)
sp_droprolemember (Transact-SQL)
sp_grantdbaccess (Transact-SQL)
System Stored Procedures (Transact-SQL)
Database-Level Roles