GRANT and REVOKE in MSSQL

In Microsoft SQL Server, you can grant and revoke privileges using the GRANT and REVOKE statements. These statements control access to objects within the database, such as tables, views, stored procedures, and functions. Here's how you can use them:

1. Granting Privileges:

   - To grant privileges to a user or role, you use the GRANT statement followed by the specific privilege and the object to which you want to grant access.

   - The syntax is as follows:

   GRANT <privilege> ON <object> TO <user_or_role>;

   - <privilege> can be SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, `DELETE, EXECUTE, or ALL.

   - <object> refers to the specific database object (e.g., table, view, stored procedure).

   - <user_or_role> specifies the user or role to which you want to grant the privilege.

 Example:

   Let's say you want to grant SELECT privilege on a table named Employees to a user named user1:

   GRANT SELECT ON Employees TO user1;

   This grants SELECT privilege on the Employees table to user1.

2. Revoking Privileges:

   - To revoke privileges from a user or role, you use the REVOKE statement followed by the specific privilege and the object from which you want to revoke access.

   - The syntax is similar to GRANT:

   REVOKE <privilege> ON <object> FROM <user_or_role>;

   - <privilege>, <object>, and <user_or_role> have the same meanings as described above.

 Example:

   Let's revoke the SELECT privilege on the Employees table from user1:

   REVOKE SELECT ON Employees FROM user1;

   This revokes the SELECT privilege on the Employees table from user1.

Output:

Both GRANT and REVOKE statements don't produce output messages unless there's an error. If the statements execute successfully, there won't be any output. However, you can verify the privileges granted or revoked by querying system tables or views such as sys.database_permissions or sys.fn_my_permissions.

Here are examples of granting insert, update, and delete permissions on a table in Microsoft SQL Server, along with sample outputs:

1. Granting Insert Permission:

USE YourDatabaseName;

GRANT INSERT ON YourTableName TO YourUserName;

Output:

Command(s) completed successfully.

2. Granting Update Permission:

USE YourDatabaseName;

GRANT UPDATE ON YourTableName TO YourUserName;

Output:

Command(s) completed successfully.

3. Granting Delete Permission:

USE YourDatabaseName;

GRANT DELETE ON YourTableName TO YourUserName;

Output:

Command(s) completed successfully.

To revoke INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE permissions on a specific table in Microsoft SQL Server, you can use the REVOKE statement. Here are examples of how to revoke these permissions with sample output:

1. Revoke INSERT permission:

REVOKE INSERT ON TableName TO UserName;

Output: 

Command(s) completed successfully.

2. Revoke UPDATE permission:

REVOKE UPDATE ON TableName TO UserName;

Output:

Command(s) completed successfully.

3. Revoke DELETE permission:

REVOKE DELETE ON TableName TO UserName;

Output:

Command(s) completed successfully.

Replace TableName with the name of the table from which you want to revoke permissions and UserName with the name of the user or role from whom you want to revoke permissions. After executing these statements, the specified user or role will no longer have the respective permissions on the specified table. 

Here are five frequently asked questions about the GRANT and REVOKE commands in SQL:

1. What is the GRANT command used for?

   - The GRANT command is used to provide specific privileges or permissions to database users or roles. These permissions can include SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, and other operations on database objects like tables, views, or stored procedures.

2. How do I grant permissions to a user in SQL?

   - To grant permissions to a user in SQL, you would use the GRANT command followed by the specific permission(s) you want to grant and the object on which you want to grant the permission(s). For example:

     GRANT SELECT, INSERT ON TableName TO UserName;

  

     This grants the SELECT and INSERT permissions on the TableName to the user UserName.

3. What is the REVOKE command used for?

   - The REVOKE command is used to revoke previously granted permissions from a user or role in SQL. It removes specific privileges that were previously granted using the GRANT command.

4. Can I revoke permissions from a user in SQL Server?

   - Yes, you can revoke permissions from a user in SQL Server using the REVOKE command. Simply specify the permissions you want to revoke and the object from which you want to revoke the permissions. For example:

  

     REVOKE INSERT, UPDATE ON TableName FROM UserName;

    

     This revokes the INSERT and UPDATE permissions on the TableName from the user UserName.

5. Do GRANT and REVOKE affect all users or just specific ones?

   - GRANT and REVOKE commands can affect specific users or roles, depending on how they are used. You can specify the exact users or roles to which you want to grant or revoke permissions. This allows for fine-grained control over who has access to what within the database. However, it's essential to ensure that permissions are managed effectively to maintain data security and integrity.