12 - Users and Access Rights

Abstract

Many multiuser of database management system (DBMSs) maintain user names and passwords that are distinct from any authentication that may be imposed by a network. A user must supply the DBMS's authentication information before being allowed to connect to the database. Most DBMSs are shipped with only one or two authorized users that have access to the entire database. All other users must be created by one of these accounts or another account that has been given the appropriate rights. Although the specific syntax for creating and maintaining user names and passwords is not a part of the Structured Query Language standard and therefore implementation dependent, the syntax used by many products is very similar. Oracle and the two major open source DBMSs use some type of CREATE USER syntax. Having a user ID does not necessarily give a user the right to access the database. Although the details are implementation dependent, one typically will find that the DBMS has extended the GRANT command—which will discuss shortly—to support user-level access.