How to Deny SELECT Permission on Multiple Tables in SQL Server

Описание: Learn how to efficiently deny `SELECT` permission for a specific user across multiple tables in SQL Server with this step-by-step guide.
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Denying SELECT Permission for a User on Multiple Tables in SQL Server

In the world of database management, ensuring the right access permissions can be critical for maintaining data integrity and security. One such common task is to deny a specific user the ability to select data from certain tables. This question often arises when dealing with multiple tables in SQL Server.

In this guide, we'll explore how to deny SELECT permission on a set of tables to a specific user efficiently, particularly when those tables share a common naming convention.

The Problem Explained

You may find yourself in a scenario where you need to restrict access to several tables that begin with the same prefix, such as mktg_..., for a specific user in SQL Server. While you can manually write a DENY SELECT command for each table, this can be tedious and time-consuming, especially if there are many tables.

Example Situation

Let's say you have a database called MyDatabase, and you want to deny SELECT permission on all tables that start with mktg_ for the user [xxxxx\User]. The traditional way to do this would involve executing commands like:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

This approach works but doesn’t scale well when dealing with multiple tables.

A More Efficient Solution

Use of Dynamic Management Views

Unfortunately, SQL Server does not support wildcards for granting or denying permissions directly on multiple tables. However, you can streamline the process using dynamic management views to generate the necessary DENY statements automatically.

Step-by-Step Process

Identify Tables with Specific Name Pattern: You can use the sys.tables and sys.schemas views to find all tables that match your naming convention.

Generate Deny Commands: Use SQL to concatenate strings and build the commands for you.

SQL Query to Generate Commands

Here’s a query that generates a list of DENY SELECT statements for all tables that start with mktg_:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Run the Command

Execution: Once you run the above query, it will output the necessary DENY statements.

Copy Output: Simply copy the result and execute it in a new SQL query window to apply the permissions all at once.

Handling Special Cases

If your table names include special characters or spaces, you may want to use QUOTENAME() to safely encapsulate those table and schema names. Here’s an updated version of the command generation which handles such cases:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Conclusion

Denying SELECT permission for a user across multiple tables in SQL Server doesn’t have to be a cumbersome task. By using dynamic management views and SQL query techniques, you can efficiently generate DENY statements and apply them in one go. Always remember to review the resulting commands and ensure they align with your security requirements before execution.

Feel free to implement this method in your own projects, and enjoy the simplified management of your SQL Server database permissions!