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This SQL Server tutorial explains how to use the SQL Server CREATE LOGIN statement with syntax and examples.

Description

The CREATE LOGIN statement creates an identity used to connect to a SQL Server instance. The Login is then mapped to a database user (so before creating a user in SQL Server, you must first create a Login).

There are four types of Logins that you can create in SQL Server:

1. You can create a Login using Windows Authentication.
2. You can create a Login using SQL Server Authentication.
3. Also You can create a Login from a certificate.
4. You can create a Login from an asymmetric key.

Syntax

The syntax for the CREATE LOGIN statement using Windows Authentication is:

CREATE LOGIN [domain_name\login_name] 
FROM WINDOWS
[ WITH DEFAULT_DATABASE = database_name
| DEFAULT_LANGUAGE = language_name ];

OR

The syntax for the CREATE LOGIN statement using SQL Server Authentication is:

CREATE LOGIN login_name
WITH PASSWORD = { 'password' | hashed_password HASHED } [ MUST_CHANGE ]
[ , SID = sid_value
  | DEFAULT_DATABASE = database_name
  | DEFAULT_LANGUAGE = language_name
  | CHECK_EXPIRATION = { ON | OFF }
  | CHECK_POLICY = { ON | OFF }
  | CREDENTIAL = credential_name ];

OR

The syntax for the CREATE LOGIN statement using a certificate is:

CREATE LOGIN login_name
FROM CERTIFICATE certificate_name;

OR

The syntax for the CREATE LOGIN statement using an asymmetric key is:

CREATE LOGIN login_name
FROM ASYMMETRIC KEY asym_key_name;

Parameters or Arguments

domain_name

The name of the Windows domain account.login_nameThe name of the Login.

database_name

The default database to assign to the Login.

language_name

The default language to assign to the Login.

CHECK_EXPIRATION

By default, it set to OFF. This option determines whether password expiration policy is enforced. You must specifiy CHECK_EXPIRATION = ON when you use the MUST_CHANGE option.

password

The password to assign to the Login.

hashed_password

The hashed value of the password to assign to the Login.

MUST_CHANGE

It is used when you want to force the password to be changed the first time that the Login is used.

sid_value

The GUID of the login. If this parameter is omitted, SQL Server will assign a GUID to the Login.

credential_name

The name of a credential to assign to the Login.

certificate_name

The name of the certificate to assign to the Login.

asym_key_name

The name of an asymmetric key to assign to the Login.

Note

• See also the ALTER LOGIN statement and the DROP LOGIN statement.

Example – Windows Authentication

Let’s look at how to create a Login using Windows Authentication in SQL Server (Transact-SQL).

For example:

CREATE LOGIN [test_domain\adglob] 
FROM WINDOWS;

This CREATE LOGIN example would create a new Login called [test_domain\adglob] that uses Windows authentication.

Example – SQL Server Authentication

Next, let’s look at how to create a Login using SQL Server Authentication.

For example:

CREATE LOGIN adglob
WITH PASSWORD = 'pwd123';

This CREATE LOGIN example would create a new Login called adglob that uses SQL Server authentication and has a password of ‘pwd123’.

If we want to force the password to be changed the first time that the Login is used, we could modify our example as follows:

CREATE LOGIN adglob
WITH PASSWORD = 'pwd123' MUST_CHANGE, 
CHECK_EXPIRATION = ON;

This example uses the MUST_CHANGE option to force the password to be changed on the first login. It is important to note that the MUST_CHANGE option cannot be used when the CHECK_EXPIRATION is OFF.

Therefore, this example also specifies “CHECK_EXPIRATION = ON”. Otherwise, the CREATE LOGIN statement would raise an error.

Example – Certificate

Let’s look at how to create a Login from a certificate in SQL Server (Transact-SQL).

For example:

CREATE LOGIN adglob
FROM CERTIFICATE certificate1;

This CREATE LOGIN example would create a new Login called adglob that uses a certificate called certificate1.

Example – Asymmetric Key

Let’s look at how to create a Login from an asymmetric key in SQL Server (Transact-SQL).

For example:

CREATE LOGIN adglob
FROM ASYMMETRIC KEY asym_key1;

This CREATE LOGIN example would create a new Login called adglob that uses an asymmetric key called asym_key1.