REVOKE Server Permissions (Transact-SQL)

Applies to: SQL Server Azure SQL Managed Instance

Removes server-level GRANT and DENY permissions.

Transact-SQL syntax conventions

Syntax

REVOKE [ GRANT OPTION FOR ] permission  [ ,...n ]   
    { TO | FROM } <grantee_principal> [ ,...n ]  
        [ CASCADE ]  
    [ AS <grantor_principal> ]   
  
<grantee_principal> ::= SQL_Server_login   
        | SQL_Server_login_mapped_to_Windows_login  
    | SQL_Server_login_mapped_to_Windows_group  
    | SQL_Server_login_mapped_to_certificate  
    | SQL_Server_login_mapped_to_asymmetric_key  
    | server_role  
  
<grantor_principal> ::= SQL_Server_login   
    | SQL_Server_login_mapped_to_Windows_login  
    | SQL_Server_login_mapped_to_Windows_group  
    | SQL_Server_login_mapped_to_certificate  
    | SQL_Server_login_mapped_to_asymmetric_key  
    | server_role  

Arguments

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

{ TO | FROM } <grantee_principal> Specifies the principal from which the permission is being revoked.

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

GRANT OPTION FOR
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.

SQL_Server_login
Specifies a SQL Server login.

SQL_Server_login_mapped_to_Windows_login
Specifies a SQL Server login mapped to a Windows login.

SQL_Server_login_mapped_to_Windows_group
Specifies a SQL Server login mapped to a Windows group.

SQL_Server_login_mapped_to_certificate
Specifies a SQL Server login mapped to a certificate.

SQL_Server_login_mapped_to_asymmetric_key
Specifies a SQL Server login mapped to an asymmetric key.

server_role
Specifies a user-defined server role.

Remarks

Permissions at the server scope can be revoked only when the current database is master.

REVOKE removes both GRANT and DENY permissions.

Use REVOKE GRANT OPTION FOR to revoke the right to regrant the specified permission. If the principal has the permission with the right to grant it, the right to grant the permission will be revoked, and the permission itself will not be revoked. But if the principal has the specified permission without the GRANT option, the permission itself will be revoked.

Information about server permissions can be viewed in the sys.server_permissions catalog view, and information about server principals can be viewed in the sys.server_principals catalog view. Information about membership of server roles can be viewed in the sys.server_role_members catalog view.

A server is the highest level of the permissions hierarchy. The most specific and limited permissions that can be revoked on a server are listed in the following table.

Server permission	Implied by server permission
ADMINISTER BULK OPERATIONS	CONTROL SERVER
ALTER ANY AVAILABILITY GROUP Applies to: SQL Server (SQL Server 2012 (11.x) through current version).	CONTROL SERVER
ALTER ANY CONNECTION	CONTROL SERVER
ALTER ANY CREDENTIAL	CONTROL SERVER
ALTER ANY DATABASE	CONTROL SERVER
ALTER ANY ENDPOINT	CONTROL SERVER
ALTER ANY EVENT NOTIFICATION	CONTROL SERVER
ALTER ANY EVENT SESSION	CONTROL SERVER
ALTER ANY LINKED SERVER	CONTROL SERVER
ALTER ANY LOGIN	CONTROL SERVER
ALTER ANY SERVER AUDIT	CONTROL SERVER
ALTER ANY SERVER ROLE Applies to: SQL Server (SQL Server 2012 (11.x) through current version).	CONTROL SERVER
ALTER RESOURCES	CONTROL SERVER
ALTER SERVER STATE	CONTROL SERVER
ALTER SETTINGS	CONTROL SERVER
ALTER TRACE	CONTROL SERVER
AUTHENTICATE SERVER	CONTROL SERVER
CONNECT ANY DATABASE Applies to: SQL Server (SQL Server 2014 (12.x) through current version).	CONTROL SERVER
CONNECT SQL	CONTROL SERVER
CONTROL SERVER	CONTROL SERVER
CREATE ANY DATABASE	ALTER ANY DATABASE
CREATE AVAILABILITY GROUP Applies to: SQL Server (SQL Server 2012 (11.x) through current version).	ALTER ANY AVAILABILITY GROUP
CREATE DDL EVENT NOTIFICATION	ALTER ANY EVENT NOTIFICATION
CREATE ENDPOINT	ALTER ANY ENDPOINT
CREATE SERVER ROLE Applies to: SQL Server (SQL Server 2012 (11.x) through current version).	ALTER ANY SERVER ROLE
CREATE TRACE EVENT NOTIFICATION	ALTER ANY EVENT NOTIFICATION
EXTERNAL ACCESS ASSEMBLY	CONTROL SERVER
IMPERSONATE ANY LOGIN Applies to: SQL Server (SQL Server 2014 (12.x) through current version).	CONTROL SERVER
SELECT ALL USER SECURABLES Applies to: SQL Server (SQL Server 2014 (12.x) through current version).	CONTROL SERVER
SHUTDOWN	CONTROL SERVER
UNSAFE ASSEMBLY	CONTROL SERVER
VIEW ANY DATABASE	VIEW ANY DEFINITION
VIEW ANY DEFINITION	CONTROL SERVER
VIEW SERVER STATE	ALTER SERVER STATE

Permissions

Requires CONTROL SERVER permission or membership in the sysadmin fixed server role.

Examples

A. Revoking a permission from a login

The following example revokes VIEW SERVER STATE permission from the SQL Server login WanidaBenshoof.

USE master;  
REVOKE VIEW SERVER STATE FROM WanidaBenshoof;  
GO  

B. Revoking the WITH GRANT option

The following example revokes the right to grant CONNECT SQL from the SQL Server login JanethEsteves.

USE master;  
REVOKE GRANT OPTION FOR CONNECT SQL FROM JanethEsteves;  
GO  

The login still has CONNECT SQL permission, but it can no longer grant that permission to other principals.

See Also

GRANT (Transact-SQL)
DENY (Transact-SQL)
DENY Server Permissions (Transact-SQL)
REVOKE Server Permissions (Transact-SQL)
Permissions Hierarchy (Database Engine)
sys.fn_builtin_permissions (Transact-SQL)
sys.fn_my_permissions (Transact-SQL)
HAS_PERMS_BY_NAME (Transact-SQL)