Drop a database user on a linked server.

Question

Drop a database user on a linked server.

Charles Deaton

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Points: 422
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July 12, 2013 at 8:43 am

#275983

I have to be missing something as I can't seem to make this happen. I have 2 SQL 2012 boxes linked and have tried dozens of methods to delete a user from a database on the other server with no luck. I've tried various methods of "sys.sp_dropuser" and "Drop User".
Am I missing something?
Charlie

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Sean Lange SSC Guru Points: 286554 More actions · Answer 1

Charles Deaton (7/12/2013)
I have to be missing something as I can't seem to make this happen. I have 2 SQL 2012 boxes linked and have tried dozens of methods to delete a user from a database on the other server with no luck. I've tried various methods of "sys.sp_dropuser" and "Drop User".
Am I missing something?
Charlie

You have to drop the user from the instance where that user belongs. You can't drop remote users, that would be a HUGE security issue.

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Erland Sommarskog SSC-Insane Points: 24009 More actions · Answer 2

EXEC ('DROP USER thatuser') AT YourServer

[font="Times New Roman"]Erland Sommarskog, SQL Server MVP, www.sommarskog.se[/font]

Charles Deaton SSC-Addicted Points: 422 More actions · Answer 3

That wprk fine for dropping the user from the master database. Is it possible to specify the database I need?

Sean Lange SSC Guru Points: 286554 More actions · Answer 4

Erland Sommarskog (7/14/2013)
EXEC ('DROP USER thatuser') AT YourServer

Thanks for the correction. I did not realize you could drop a user remotely like that.

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Cross Tabs and Pivots, Part 1 – Converting Rows to Columns - http://www.sqlservercentral.com/articles/T-SQL/63681/
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Understanding and Using APPLY (Part 2) - http://www.sqlservercentral.com/articles/APPLY/69954/

Lowell SSC Guru Points: 323482 More actions · Answer 5

Charles Deaton (7/15/2013)
That wprk fine for dropping the user from the master database. Is it possible to specify the database I need?

just a a USE DatabaseName to the command, if the linked server didn't define the context for the database name :

EXEC ('Use SandBox; DROP USER thatuser;') AT YourServer

Lowell

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Erland Sommarskog SSC-Insane Points: 24009 More actions · Answer 6

Very good correct Lowell!

Here's one that is slicker:

EXEC LinkedServer.yourdb.sys.sp_executesql N'DROP USER myuser'

Not the least is this one slick, if any of the items are variable:

DECLARE @sp_executesql nvarchar(1024) =

quotename(@server) + '.' + quotename(@db) + '.sys.sp_executesql'

EXEC @sp_executesql N'DROP USER myuser'

Key here is that EXEC accepts a variable for the procedure name, and a system procedure always executes in the context of the database from which it is invoked.

[font="Times New Roman"]Erland Sommarskog, SQL Server MVP, www.sommarskog.se[/font]