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title: "ALTER ROLE (Transact-SQL) | Microsoft Docs"
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# ALTER ROLE (Transact-SQL)
[!INCLUDE[tsql-appliesto-ss2008-asdb-xxxx-xxx_md](../../includes/tsql-appliesto-ss2008-asdb-xxxx-xxx-md.md)]

  Adds or removes members to or from a database role, or changes the name of a user-defined database role.  
  
> [!NOTE]  
>  To alter roles in [!INCLUDE[ssSDW](../../includes/sssdw-md.md)] or [!INCLUDE[ssPDW](../../includes/sspdw-md.md)], use [sp_addrolemember (Transact-SQL)](../../relational-databases/system-stored-procedures/sp-addrolemember-transact-sql.md) and [sp_droprolemember (Transact-SQL)](../../relational-databases/system-stored-procedures/sp-droprolemember-transact-sql.md).  
  
 ![Topic link icon](../../database-engine/configure-windows/media/topic-link.gif "Topic link icon") [Transact-SQL Syntax Conventions](../../t-sql/language-elements/transact-sql-syntax-conventions-transact-sql.md)  
  
## Syntax  
  
```  
-- Syntax for SQL Server (starting with 2012) and Azure SQL Database  
  
ALTER ROLE  role_name  
{  
       ADD MEMBER database_principal  
    |  DROP MEMBER database_principal  
    |  WITH NAME = new_name  
}  
[;]  
```  
  
 
```  
-- Syntax for SQL Server 2008 only  
  
-- Change the name of a user-defined database role  
ALTER ROLE role_name   
    WITH NAME = new_name  
[;]  
```  
  
## Arguments  
 *role_name*  
 **APPLIES TO:**  [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)] (starting with 2008), [!INCLUDE[ssSDSfull](../../includes/sssdsfull-md.md)]  
  
 Specifies the database role to change.  
  
 ADD MEMBER *database_principal*l  
 **APPLIES TO:**  [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)] (starting with 2012), [!INCLUDE[ssSDSfull](../../includes/sssdsfull-md.md)]  
  
 Specifies to add the database principal to the membership of a database role.  
  
-   *database_principal* is a database user or a user-defined database role.  
  
-   *database_principal* cannot be a fixed database role or a server principal.  
  
DROP MEMBER *database_principal*  
 **APPLIES TO:**  [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)] (starting with 2012), [!INCLUDE[ssSDSfull](../../includes/sssdsfull-md.md)]  
  
 Specifies to remove a database principal from the membership of a database role.  
  
-   *database_principal* is a database user or a user-defined database role.  
  
-   *database_principal* cannot be a fixed database role or a server principal.  
  
WITH NAME = *new_name*  
 **APPLIES TO:**  [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)] (starting with 2008), [!INCLUDE[ssSDSfull](../../includes/sssdsfull-md.md)]  
  
 Specifies to change the name of a user-defined database role. The new name must not already exist in the database.  
  
 Changing the name of a database role does not change ID number, owner, or permissions of the role.  
  
## Permissions  
 To run this command you need one or more of these permissions or memberships:  
  
-   **ALTER** permission on the role  
-   **ALTER ANY ROLE** permission on the database  
-   Membership in the **db_securityadmin** fixed database role  
  
Additionally, to change the membership in a fixed database role you need:  
  
-   Membership in the **db_owner** fixed database role  
  
## Limitations and restrictions  
 You cannot change the name of a fixed database role.  
  
## Metadata  
 These system views contain information about database roles and database principals.  
  
-   [sys.database_role_members (Transact-SQL)](../../relational-databases/system-catalog-views/sys-database-role-members-transact-sql.md)  
  
-   [sys.database_principals (Transact-SQL)](../../relational-databases/system-catalog-views/sys-database-principals-transact-sql.md)  
  
## Examples  
  
### A. Change the name of a database role  
 **APPLIES TO:**  [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)] (starting with 2008), [!INCLUDE[ssSDS](../../includes/sssds-md.md)]  
  
 The following example changes the name of role `buyers` to `purchasing`. [!INCLUDE[AdWorks-example](../../includes/adworks-example-md.md)]  
  
```tsql  
ALTER ROLE buyers WITH NAME = purchasing;  
```  
  
### B. Add or remove role members  
 **APPLIES TO:**  [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)] (starting with 2012), [!INCLUDE[ssSDS](../../includes/sssds-md.md)]  
  
 This example creates a database role named `Sales`. It adds a database user named Barry to the membership, and then shows how to remove the member Barry. [!INCLUDE[AdWorks-example](../../includes/adworks-example-md.md)]  
  
```tsql  
CREATE ROLE Sales;  
ALTER ROLE Sales ADD MEMBER Barry;  
ALTER ROLE Sales DROP MEMBER Barry;  
```  
  
## See Also  
 [CREATE ROLE (Transact-SQL)](../../t-sql/statements/create-role-transact-sql.md)   
 [Principals (Database Engine)](../../relational-databases/security/authentication-access/principals-database-engine.md)   
 [DROP ROLE (Transact-SQL)](../../t-sql/statements/drop-role-transact-sql.md)   
 [sp_addrolemember (Transact-SQL)](../../relational-databases/system-stored-procedures/sp-addrolemember-transact-sql.md)   
 [sys.database_role_members (Transact-SQL)](../../relational-databases/system-catalog-views/sys-database-role-members-transact-sql.md)   
 [sys.database_principals (Transact-SQL)](../../relational-databases/system-catalog-views/sys-database-principals-transact-sql.md)