drop-role-transact-sql.md

title	DROP ROLE (Transact-SQL) | Microsoft Docs
ms.custom	SQL2016_New_Updated
ms.date	10/28/2015
ms.prod	sql-non-specified
ms.reviewer
ms.suite
ms.technology	database-engine
ms.tgt_pltfrm
ms.topic	language-reference
f1_keywords	DROP ROLE DROP_ROLE_TSQL
dev_langs	TSQL
helpviewer_keywords	deleting roles database roles [SQL Server], removing removing roles DROP ROLE statement roles [SQL Server], removing dropping roles
ms.assetid	1f6f13ae-56a2-4ef1-93f5-8e6151b83e1d
caps.latest.revision	50
author	BYHAM
ms.author	rickbyh
manager	jhubbard

DROP ROLE (Transact-SQL)

[!INCLUDEtsql-appliesto-ss2008-xxxx-asdw-pdw_md]

Removes a role from the database.

Transact-SQL Syntax Conventions

Syntax

-- Syntax for SQL Server  
  
DROP ROLE [ IF EXISTS ] role_name  

-- Syntax for Azure SQL Data Warehouse and Parallel Data Warehouse  
  
DROP ROLE role_name  

Arguments

IF EXISTS

Applies to: [!INCLUDEssNoVersion] ([!INCLUDEssSQL15] through current version).

Conditionally drops the role only if it already exists.

role_name
Specifies the role to be dropped from the database.

Remarks

Roles that own securables cannot be dropped from the database. To drop a database role that owns securables, you must first transfer ownership of those securables or drop them from the database. Roles that have members cannot be dropped from the database. To drop a role that has members, you must first remove members of the role.

To remove members from a database role, use ALTER ROLE (Transact-SQL).

You cannot use DROP ROLE to drop a fixed database role.

Information about role membership can be viewed in the sys.database_role_members catalog view.

Caution

[!INCLUDEssCautionUserSchema]

To remove a server role, use DROP SERVER ROLE (Transact-SQL).

Permissions

Requires ALTER ANY ROLE permission on the database, or CONTOL permission on the role, or membership in the db_securityadmin.

Examples

The following example drops the database role purchasing from AdventureWorks2012.

USE AdventureWorks2012;  
DROP ROLE purchasing;  
GO  

Examples: [!INCLUDEssSDWfull] and [!INCLUDEssPDW]

The following example drops the database role purchasing from AdventureWorks2008R2.

-- Uses AdventureWorks  
  
DROP ROLE purchasing;  
GO  

See Also

CREATE ROLE (Transact-SQL)
ALTER ROLE (Transact-SQL)
Principals (Database Engine)
EVENTDATA (Transact-SQL)
sp_addrolemember (Transact-SQL)
sys.database_role_members (Transact-SQL)
sys.database_principals (Transact-SQL)
Security Functions (Transact-SQL)