DENY Server Permissions (Transact-SQL)
Applies to: 
SQL Server
Azure SQL Database
Azure SQL Managed Instance
Denies permissions on a server.
Transact-SQL syntax conventions
Syntax
DENY permission [ ,...n ]
TO <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 denied on a server. For a list of the permissions, see the Remarks section later in this topic.
CASCADE
Indicates that the permission is denied to the specified principal and to all other principals to which the principal granted the permission. Required when the principal has the permission with GRANT OPTION.
TO <server_principal>
Specifies the principal to which the permission is denied.
AS <grantor_principal>
Specifies the principal from which the principal executing this query derives its right to deny the permission.
Use the AS principal clause to indicate that the principal recorded as the denier of the permission should be a principal other than the person executing the statement. For example, presume that user Mary is principal_id 12 and user Raul is principal 15. Mary executes DENY SELECT ON OBJECT::X TO Steven WITH GRANT OPTION AS Raul; Now the sys.database_permissions table will indicate that the grantor_prinicpal_id of the deny statement was 15 (Raul) even though the statement was actually executed by user 13 (Mary).
The use of AS in this statement does not imply the ability to impersonate another user.
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 server role.
Remarks
Permissions at the server scope can be denied only when the current database is master.
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 denies 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 |
The following three server permissions were added in SQL Server 2014 (12.x).
CONNECT ANY DATABASE Permission
Grant CONNECT ANY DATABASE to a login that must connect to all databases that currently exist and to any new databases that might be created in future. Does not grant any permission in any database beyond connect. Combine with SELECT ALL USER SECURABLES or VIEW SERVER STATE to allow an auditing process to view all data or all database states on the instance of SQL Server.
IMPERSONATE ANY LOGIN Permission
When granted, allows a middle-tier process to impersonate the account of clients connecting to it, as it connects to databases. When denied, a high privileged login can be blocked from impersonating other logins. For example, a login with CONTROL SERVER permission can be blocked from impersonating other logins.
SELECT ALL USER SECURABLES Permission
When granted, a login such as an auditor can view data in all databases that the user can connect to. When denied, prevents access to objects unless they are in the sys schema.
Permissions
Requires CONTROL SERVER permission or ownership of the securable. If you use the AS clause, the specified principal must own the securable on which permissions are being denied.
Examples
A. Denying CONNECT SQL permission to a SQL Server login and principals to which the login has regranted it
The following example denies CONNECT SQL permission to the SQL Server login Annika and to the principals to which she has granted the permission.
USE master;
DENY CONNECT SQL TO Annika CASCADE;
GO
B. Denying CREATE ENDPOINT permission to a SQL Server login using the AS option
The following example denies CREATE ENDPOINT permission to the user ArifS. The example uses the AS option to specify MandarP as the principal from which the executing principal derives the authority to do so.
USE master;
DENY CREATE ENDPOINT TO ArifS AS MandarP;
GO
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)