Edit

Share via

Configure SQL Server Agent

  • Article

Applies to: SQL Server Azure SQL Managed Instance

Important

On Azure SQL Managed Instance, most, but not all SQL Server Agent features are currently supported. Enabling and disabling SQL Server Agent is currently not supported in SQL Managed Instance. SQL Agent is always running. See SQL Managed Instance T-SQL differences from SQL Server for details.

This topic describes how to specify some configuration options for SQL Server Agent during installation of SQL Server. The full set of SQL Server Agent configuration options is only available within SQL Server Management Studio, SQL Server Management Objects (SMO), or the SQL Server Agent stored procedures.

Before you begin

Limitations and restrictions

  • Select SQL Server Agent in Object Explorer of SQL Server Management Studio to administer jobs, operators, alerts, and the SQL Server Agent service. However, Object Explorer only displays the SQL Server Agent node if you have permission to use it.

  • Auto-restart should not be enabled for the SQL Server service or the SQL Server Agent service on failover cluster instances.

Security

Permissions

To perform its functions, SQL Server Agent must be configured to use the credentials of an account that is a member of the sysadmin fixed server role in SQL Server. The account must have the following Windows permissions:

  • Log on as a service (SeServiceLogonRight)

  • Replace a process-level token (SeAssignPrimaryTokenPrivilege)

  • Bypass traverse checking (SeChangeNotifyPrivilege)

  • Adjust memory quotas for a process (SeIncreaseQuotaPrivilege)

For more information about the Windows permissions required for the SQL Server Agent service account, see Select an Account for the SQL Server Agent Service and Setting Up Windows Service Accounts.

To configure SQL Server Agent

  1. Select the Start button, and then, on the Start menu, select Control Panel.
  2. In Control Panel, select System and Security, select Administrative Tools, and then select Local Security Policy.
  3. In Local Security Policy, select the chevron to expand the Local Policies folder, and then Select the User Rights Assignment folder.
  4. Right-click a permission that you want to configure for use with SQL Server and select Properties.
  5. In the permission's properties dialog box, verify that the account under which SQL Server Agent runs is listed. If not, select Add User or Group, enter the account under which SQL Server Agent runs in the Select Users, Computers, Service Accounts, or Groups dialog box, and then Select OK.
  6. Repeat for each permission that you want to add to run with SQL Server Agent. When finished, select OK.