---
title: "CREATE SERVER AUDIT SPECIFICATION (Transact-SQL)"
description: CREATE SERVER AUDIT SPECIFICATION (Transact-SQL)
author: sravanisaluru
ms.author: srsaluru
ms.date: "03/23/2022"
ms.service: sql
ms.subservice: t-sql
ms.topic: reference
f1_keywords:
  - "CREATE_SERVER_AUDIT_SPECIFICATION_TSQL"
  - "CREATE SERVER AUDIT SPECIFICATION"
helpviewer_keywords:
  - "CREATE SERVER AUDIT SPECIFICATION statement"
dev_langs:
  - "TSQL"
---
# CREATE SERVER AUDIT SPECIFICATION (Transact-SQL)
[!INCLUDE [SQL Server - ASDBMI](../../includes/applies-to-version/sql-asdbmi.md)]

  Creates a server audit specification object using the [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)] Audit feature. For more information, see [SQL Server Audit (Database Engine)](../../relational-databases/security/auditing/sql-server-audit-database-engine.md).  
  
 :::image type="icon" source="../../includes/media/topic-link-icon.svg" border="false"::: [Transact-SQL syntax conventions](../../t-sql/language-elements/transact-sql-syntax-conventions-transact-sql.md)  
  
## Syntax  
  
```syntaxsql
CREATE SERVER AUDIT SPECIFICATION audit_specification_name  
FOR SERVER AUDIT audit_name  
{  
    { ADD ( { audit_action_group_name } )   
    } [, ...n]  
    [ WITH ( STATE = { ON | OFF } ) ]  
}  
[ ; ]  
```  
  
## Arguments
 *audit_specification_name*  
 Name of the server audit specification.  
  
 *audit_name*  
 Name of the audit to which this specification is applied.  
  
 *audit_action_group_name*  
 Name of a group of server-level auditable actions. For a list of Audit Action Groups, see [SQL Server Audit Action Groups and Actions](../../relational-databases/security/auditing/sql-server-audit-action-groups-and-actions.md).  
  
 WITH **(** STATE **=** { ON | OFF } **)**  
 Enables or disables the audit from collecting records for this audit specification.  
  
## Remarks  
 An audit must exist before creating a server audit specification for it. When a server audit specification is created, it is in a disabled state.  
  
## Permissions  
 Users with the ALTER ANY SERVER AUDIT permission can create server audit specifications and bind them to any audit.  
  
 After a server audit specification is created, it can be viewed by users with CONTROL SERVER permission, the sysadmin account, or principals having explicit access to the audit.  
  
## Examples  
 The following example creates a server audit specification called `HIPAA_Audit_Specification` that audits failed logins, for a [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)] Audit called `HIPAA_Audit`.  
  
```sql  
CREATE SERVER AUDIT SPECIFICATION HIPAA_Audit_Specification  
FOR SERVER AUDIT HIPAA_Audit  
    ADD (FAILED_LOGIN_GROUP)  
    WITH (STATE=ON);  
GO  
```  
  
 For a full example about how to create an audit, see [SQL Server Audit (Database Engine)](../../relational-databases/security/auditing/sql-server-audit-database-engine.md).  
   
## See Also  
 [CREATE SERVER AUDIT (Transact-SQL)](../../t-sql/statements/create-server-audit-transact-sql.md)   
 [ALTER SERVER AUDIT  (Transact-SQL)](../../t-sql/statements/alter-server-audit-transact-sql.md)   
 [DROP SERVER AUDIT  (Transact-SQL)](../../t-sql/statements/drop-server-audit-transact-sql.md)   
 [ALTER SERVER AUDIT SPECIFICATION (Transact-SQL)](../../t-sql/statements/alter-server-audit-specification-transact-sql.md)   
 [DROP SERVER AUDIT SPECIFICATION (Transact-SQL)](../../t-sql/statements/drop-server-audit-specification-transact-sql.md)   
 [CREATE DATABASE AUDIT SPECIFICATION (Transact-SQL)](../../t-sql/statements/create-database-audit-specification-transact-sql.md)   
 [ALTER DATABASE AUDIT SPECIFICATION (Transact-SQL)](../../t-sql/statements/alter-database-audit-specification-transact-sql.md)   
 [DROP DATABASE AUDIT SPECIFICATION (Transact-SQL)](../../t-sql/statements/drop-database-audit-specification-transact-sql.md)   
 [ALTER AUTHORIZATION (Transact-SQL)](../../t-sql/statements/alter-authorization-transact-sql.md)   
 [sys.fn_get_audit_file (Transact-SQL)](../../relational-databases/system-functions/sys-fn-get-audit-file-transact-sql.md)   
 [sys.server_audits (Transact-SQL)](../../relational-databases/system-catalog-views/sys-server-audits-transact-sql.md)   
 [sys.server_file_audits (Transact-SQL)](../../relational-databases/system-catalog-views/sys-server-file-audits-transact-sql.md)   
 [sys.server_audit_specifications (Transact-SQL)](../../relational-databases/system-catalog-views/sys-server-audit-specifications-transact-sql.md)   
 [sys.server_audit_specification_details (Transact-SQL)](../../relational-databases/system-catalog-views/sys-server-audit-specification-details-transact-sql.md)   
 [sys.database_audit_specifications (Transact-SQL)](../../relational-databases/system-catalog-views/sys-database-audit-specifications-transact-sql.md)   
 [sys.database_audit_specification_details (Transact-SQL)](../../relational-databases/system-catalog-views/sys-database-audit-specification-details-transact-sql.md)   
 [sys.dm_server_audit_status (Transact-SQL)](../../relational-databases/system-dynamic-management-views/sys-dm-server-audit-status-transact-sql.md)   
 [sys.dm_audit_actions (Transact-SQL)](../../relational-databases/system-dynamic-management-views/sys-dm-audit-actions-transact-sql.md)   
 [Create a Server Audit and Server Audit Specification](../../relational-databases/security/auditing/create-a-server-audit-and-server-audit-specification.md)