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title: "sys.database_principals (Transact-SQL) | Microsoft Docs"
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# sys.database_principals (Transact-SQL)
[!INCLUDE[tsql-appliesto-ss2008-all_md](../../includes/tsql-appliesto-ss2008-all-md.md)]
Returns a row for each security principal in a [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)] database.
|Column name|Data type|Description|
|-----------------|---------------|-----------------|
|**name**|**sysname**|Name of principal, unique within the database.|
|**principal_id**|**int**|ID of principal, unique within the database.|
|**type**|**char(1)**|Principal type:
A = Application role
C = User mapped to a certificate
E = External user from Azure Active Directory
G = Windows group
K = User mapped to an asymmetric key
R = Database role
S = SQL user
U = Windows user
X = External group from Azure Active Directory group or applications|
|**type_desc**|**nvarchar(60)**|Description of principal type.
APPLICATION_ROLE
CERTIFICATE_MAPPED_USER
EXTERNAL_USER
WINDOWS_GROUP
ASYMMETRIC_KEY_MAPPED_USER
DATABASE_ROLE
SQL_USER
WINDOWS_USER
EXTERNAL_GROUPS|
|**default_schema_name**|**sysname**|Name to be used when SQL name does not specify a schema. Null for principals not of type S, U, or A.|
|**create_date**|**datetime**|Time at which the principal was created.|
|**modify_date**|**datetime**|Time at which the principal was last modified.|
|**owning_principal_id**|**int**|ID of the principal that owns this principal. All principals except Database Roles must be owned by **dbo**.|
|**sid**|**varbinary(85)**|SID (Security Identifier) of the principal. NULL for SYS and INFORMATION SCHEMAS.|
|**is_fixed_role**|**bit**|If 1, this row represents an entry for one of the fixed database roles: db_owner, db_accessadmin, db_datareader, db_datawriter, db_ddladmin, db_securityadmin, db_backupoperator, db_denydatareader, db_denydatawriter.|
|**authentication_type**|**int**|**Applies to**: [!INCLUDE[ssSQL11](../../includes/sssql11-md.md)] through [!INCLUDE[ssCurrent](../../includes/sscurrent-md.md)].
Signifies authentication type. The following are the possible values and their descriptions.
0 : No authentication
1 : Instance authentication
2 : Database authentication
3 : Windows Authentication|
|**authentication_type_desc**|**nvarchar(60)**|**Applies to**: [!INCLUDE[ssSQL11](../../includes/sssql11-md.md)] through [!INCLUDE[ssCurrent](../../includes/sscurrent-md.md)].
Description of the authentication type. The following are the possible values and their descriptions.
NONE : No authentication
INSTANCE : Instance authentication
DATABASE : Database authentication
WINDOWS : Windows Authentication|
|**default_language_name**|**sysname**|**Applies to**: [!INCLUDE[ssSQL11](../../includes/sssql11-md.md)] through [!INCLUDE[ssCurrent](../../includes/sscurrent-md.md)].
Signifies the default language for this principal.|
|**default_language_lcid**|**int**|**Applies to**: [!INCLUDE[ssSQL11](../../includes/sssql11-md.md)] through [!INCLUDE[ssCurrent](../../includes/sscurrent-md.md)].
Signifies the default LCID for this principal.|
|**allow_encrypted_value_modifications**|**bit**|**Applies to**: [!INCLUDE[ssSQL15_md](../../includes/sssql15-md.md)] through [!INCLUDE[ssCurrent](../../includes/sscurrent-md.md)], [!INCLUDE[ssSDS_md](../../includes/sssds-md.md)].
Suppresses cryptographic metadata checks on the server in bulk copy operations. This enables the user to bulk copy data encrypted using Always Encrypted, between tables or databases, without decrypting the data. The default is OFF. |
## Remarks
The *PasswordLastSetTime* properties are available on all supported configurations of SQL Server, but the other properties are only available when SQL Server is running on Windows Server 2003 or later and both CHECK_POLICY and CHECK_EXPIRATION are enabled. See [Password Policy](../../relational-databases/security/password-policy.md) for more information.
## Permissions
Any user can see their own user name, the system users, and the fixed database roles. To see other users, requires ALTER ANY USER, or a permission on the user. To see user-defined roles, requires ALTER ANY ROLE, or membership in the role.
## Examples
### A: Listing all the permissions of database principals
The following query lists the permissions explicitly granted or denied to database principals.
> [!IMPORTANT]
> The permissions of fixed database roles do not appear in sys.database_permissions. Therefore, database principals may have additional permissions not listed here.
```
SELECT pr.principal_id, pr.name, pr.type_desc,
pr.authentication_type_desc, pe.state_desc, pe.permission_name
FROM sys.database_principals AS pr
JOIN sys.database_permissions AS pe
ON pe.grantee_principal_id = pr.principal_id;
```
### B: Listing permissions on schema objects within a database
The following query joins sys.database_principals and sys.database_permissions to sys.objects and sys.schemas to list permissions granted or denied to specific schema objects.
```
SELECT pr.principal_id, pr.name, pr.type_desc,
pr.authentication_type_desc, pe.state_desc,
pe.permission_name, s.name + '.' + o.name AS ObjectName
FROM sys.database_principals AS pr
JOIN sys.database_permissions AS pe
ON pe.grantee_principal_id = pr.principal_id
JOIN sys.objects AS o
ON pe.major_id = o.object_id
JOIN sys.schemas AS s
ON o.schema_id = s.schema_id;
```
## Examples: [!INCLUDE[ssSDWfull](../../includes/sssdwfull-md.md)] and [!INCLUDE[ssPDW](../../includes/sspdw-md.md)]
### C: Listing all the permissions of database principals
The following query lists the permissions explicitly granted or denied to database principals.
> [!IMPORTANT]
> The permissions of fixed database roles do not appear in `sys.database_permissions`. Therefore, database principals may have additional permissions not listed here.
```
SELECT pr.principal_id, pr.name, pr.type_desc,
pr.authentication_type_desc, pe.state_desc, pe.permission_name
FROM sys.database_principals AS pr
JOIN sys.database_permissions AS pe
ON pe.grantee_principal_id = pr.principal_id;
```
### D: Listing permissions on schema objects within a database
The following query joins `sys.database_principals` and `sys.database_permissions` to `sys.objects` and `sys.schemas` to list permissions granted or denied to specific schema objects.
```
SELECT pr.principal_id, pr.name, pr.type_desc,
pr.authentication_type_desc, pe.state_desc,
pe.permission_name, s.name + '.' + o.name AS ObjectName
FROM sys.database_principals AS pr
JOIN sys.database_permissions AS pe
ON pe.grantee_principal_id = pr.principal_id
JOIN sys.objects AS o
ON pe.major_id = o.object_id
JOIN sys.schemas AS s
ON o.schema_id = s.schema_id;
```
## See Also
[Principals (Database Engine)](../../relational-databases/security/authentication-access/principals-database-engine.md)
[sys.server_principals (Transact-SQL)](../../relational-databases/system-catalog-views/sys-server-principals-transact-sql.md)
[Security Catalog Views (Transact-SQL)](../../relational-databases/system-catalog-views/security-catalog-views-transact-sql.md)
[Contained Database Users - Making Your Database Portable](../../relational-databases/security/contained-database-users-making-your-database-portable.md)
[Connecting to SQL Database By Using Azure Active Directory Authentication](https://azure.microsoft.com/documentation/articles/sql-database-aad-authentication)