About SQL Server users

MySQL   |  PostgreSQL   |  SQL Server

This page describes how Cloud SQL works with SQL Server users and roles. SQL Server roles enable you to control the access and capabilities of users who access a SQL Server instance.

For information about creating and managing Cloud SQL users, see Creating and managing users.

Note: See Other SQL Server users for additional information about users you create using Cloud SQL.

SQL Server roles and users

SQL Server roles can be a single role, or they can function as a group of roles.

A user is a role with the ability to log in (the role has the LOGIN permission). All roles created by Cloud SQL have the LOGIN permission, so Cloud SQL uses the terms "role" and "user" interchangeably. However, if you create a role with any client tool that is compatible with SQL Server, then the role doesn't necessarily receive the LOGIN permission.

Cloud SQL for SQL Server restricts access to certain server roles that provide advanced privileges. Examples of these roles are DbRootRole, serveradmin, securityadmin, setupadmin, diskadmin, and dbcreator.

All SQL Server users must have a password. Thus, you can't log in with a user that lacks a password.

Superusers and system stored procedures

Cloud SQL for SQL Server is a managed service, so it restricts access to certain system stored procedures and tables that require advanced privileges. In Cloud SQL, you cannot create or have access to users with superuser permissions.

Note: The sysadmin role is not supported. Therefore, you cannot run system stored procedures that require the sysadmin role. As one of the many examples, you cannot run the sp_OADestroy stored procedure because it requires the sysadmin role.

Default SQL Server users

When you create a new Cloud SQL for SQL Server instance, the default sqlserver user is already created for you, although you must set its password.

The sqlserver user is part of the CustomerDbRootRole role, and its permissions (privileges) include the following:

• ALTER ANY CONNECTION
• ALTER ANY LOGIN
• ALTER ANY SERVER ROLE
• ALTER SERVER STATE
• ALTER TRACE
• CONNECT SQL
• CREATE ANY DATABASE
• CREATE SERVER ROLE
• VIEW ANY DATABASE
• VIEW ANY DEFINITION
• VIEW SERVER STATE

You can also add cloudsql enable linked servers to your instance if you want to use it with linked servers. This flag grants the following permission to your server:

• ALTER ANY LINKED SERVER

Note: Cloud SQL for SQL Server doesn't support the sysadmin and dbcreator roles. Therefore, due to unavailable permissions, automated schema deployment using a DACPAC isn't supported.

Granting server permissions

When you grant privileges using any GRANT command, you must pass CustomerDbRootRole as, for example, the value of grantor_principal.

The following GRANT ALTER ANY LOGIN example is valid:

GRANT ALTER ANY LOGIN TO [Account] AS CustomerDbRootRole

The following GRANT ALTER ANY LOGIN example is invalid:

GRANT ALTER ANY LOGIN TO [Account]

Other SQL Server users

You can create other SQL Server users or roles. All users you create using Cloud SQL are granted the same database permissions as the sqlserver login. However, if you use a different process to create a user (rather than creating it using Cloud SQL), the user won't have the same permissions as the customer administrator accounts or the sqlserver user. For example, if you use the create login process, and add the login to the CustomerDbRootRole server role, the user won't have the same permissions as the customer administrator accounts or the sqlserver user. Therefore, you can use Cloud SQL to create a user if you intend the user to have the same database permissions as the sqlserver login. To validate the difference in permissions between any two accounts, you can use the following function: sys.fn_my_permissions.

Note: For reading audit files, Cloud SQL grants specific permissions to the sqlserver login, and that user can grant those permissions to other users. See Creating server audits.

Database imports: owner permissions

When you import a database, the treatment of the owner varies as follows, based on the type of owner:

• For an existing login that isn't sa: Cloud SQL keeps that owner and creates a user called sqlserver that maps to the login sqlserver. Cloud SQL grants the CONTROL and ALTER ANY USER permissions to that sqlserver user.
• For unknown logins, or logins that were system-created: Cloud SQL transfers ownership of the database to the sqlserver login.

Changing permissions for users

The ALTER ROLE command is available for changing user permissions. If you create a new user with a client, you can associate it with a different role or provide different permissions.

Troubleshooting

Error accessing database

When trying to access to a database you created, as a user you created, you get the following error:

The server principal USERNAME is not able to access the
database DATABASE_NAME under the current security context.

The issue might be

The user is not a member of the database.

Things to try

Connect to the database as the sqlserver user and add the new user, then give the new user the db_owner role for the database. For example:

EXEC sp_adduser 'user';
EXEC sp_addrolemember 'db_owner', 'user'

What's next

• Configure the user for your instance.
• Create and manage users.
• Create and manage databases.