Transferring Logins between two separate Instances of SQL Server.

This article concentrates on transferring logins between two separate instances of SQL Server 2005. In this article, serverA and serverB are different servers. Additionally, both serverA and serverB are running SQL Server.

After we move a database from instance of serverA to the instance of serverB, the users may not be able to log in to the database on serverB. Additionally, the users may receive the following error message:

Login failed for user 'MyUser'. (Microsoft SQL Server, Error: 18456)

This problem occurs because we don't transfer the logins and the passwords from the instance of serverA to the instance of serverB. To transfer logins we need to follow the steps as below

1) On serverA, start SQL Server Management Studio, and then connect to the instance of SQL Server.

2) Open a new Query Editor window, and then run the following script.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

USE master
GO
IF OBJECT_ID ('sp_hexadecimal') IS NOT NULL
  DROP PROCEDURE sp_hexadecimal
GO
CREATE PROCEDURE sp_hexadecimal
    @binvalue varbinary(256),
    @hexvalue varchar (514) OUTPUT
AS
DECLARE @charvalue varchar (514)
DECLARE @i int
DECLARE @length int
DECLARE @hexstring char(16)
SELECT @charvalue = '0x'
SELECT @i = 1
SELECT @length = DATALENGTH (@binvalue)
SELECT @hexstring = '0123456789ABCDEF'
WHILE (@i <= @length)
BEGIN
  DECLARE @tempint int
  DECLARE @firstint int
  DECLARE @secondint int
  SELECT @tempint = CONVERT(int, SUBSTRING(@binvalue,@i,1))
  SELECT @firstint = FLOOR(@tempint/16)
  SELECT @secondint = @tempint - (@firstint*16)
  SELECT @charvalue = @charvalue +
    SUBSTRING(@hexstring, @firstint+1, 1) +
    SUBSTRING(@hexstring, @secondint+1, 1)
  SELECT @i = @i + 1
END

SELECT @hexvalue = @charvalue
GO

IF OBJECT_ID ('sp_help_revlogin') IS NOT NULL
  DROP PROCEDURE sp_help_revlogin
GO
CREATE PROCEDURE sp_help_revlogin @login_name sysname = NULL AS
DECLARE @name sysname
DECLARE @type varchar (1)
DECLARE @hasaccess int
DECLARE @denylogin int
DECLARE @is_disabled int
DECLARE @PWD_varbinary  varbinary (256)
DECLARE @PWD_string  varchar (514)
DECLARE @SID_varbinary varbinary (85)
DECLARE @SID_string varchar (514)
DECLARE @tmpstr  varchar (1024)
DECLARE @is_policy_checked varchar (3)
DECLARE @is_expiration_checked varchar (3)

DECLARE @defaultdb sysname

IF (@login_name IS NULL)
  DECLARE login_curs CURSOR FOR

      SELECT p.sid, p.name, p.type, p.is_disabled, p.default_database_name, l.hasaccess, l.denylogin FROM
sys.server_principals p LEFT JOIN sys.syslogins l
      ON ( l.name = p.name ) WHERE p.type IN ( 'S', 'G', 'U' ) AND p.name <> 'sa'
ELSE
  DECLARE login_curs CURSOR FOR


      SELECT p.sid, p.name, p.type, p.is_disabled, p.default_database_name, l.hasaccess, l.denylogin FROM
sys.server_principals p LEFT JOIN sys.syslogins l
      ON ( l.name = p.name ) WHERE p.type IN ( 'S', 'G', 'U' ) AND p.name = @login_name
OPEN login_curs

FETCH NEXT FROM login_curs INTO @SID_varbinary, @name, @type, @is_disabled, @defaultdb, @hasaccess, @denylogin
IF (@@fetch_status = -1)
BEGIN
  PRINT 'No login(s) found.'
  CLOSE login_curs
  DEALLOCATE login_curs
  RETURN -1
END
SET @tmpstr = '/* sp_help_revlogin script '
PRINT @tmpstr
SET @tmpstr = '** Generated ' + CONVERT (varchar, GETDATE()) + ' on ' + @@SERVERNAME + ' */'
PRINT @tmpstr
PRINT ''
WHILE (@@fetch_status <> -1)
BEGIN
  IF (@@fetch_status <> -2)
  BEGIN
    PRINT ''
    SET @tmpstr = '-- Login: ' + @name
    PRINT @tmpstr
    IF (@type IN ( 'G', 'U'))
    BEGIN -- NT authenticated account/group

      SET @tmpstr = 'CREATE LOGIN ' + QUOTENAME( @name ) + ' FROM WINDOWS WITH DEFAULT_DATABASE = [' + @defaultdb + ']'
    END
    ELSE BEGIN -- SQL Server authentication
        -- obtain password and sid
            SET @PWD_varbinary = CAST( LOGINPROPERTY( @name, 'PasswordHash' ) AS varbinary (256) )
        EXEC sp_hexadecimal @PWD_varbinary, @PWD_string OUT
        EXEC sp_hexadecimal @SID_varbinary,@SID_string OUT

        -- obtain password policy state
        SELECT @is_policy_checked = CASE is_policy_checked WHEN 1 THEN 'ON' WHEN 0 THEN 'OFF' ELSE NULL END FROM sys.sql_logins WHERE name = @name
        SELECT @is_expiration_checked = CASE is_expiration_checked WHEN 1 THEN 'ON' WHEN 0 THEN 'OFF' ELSE NULL END FROM sys.sql_logins WHERE name = @name

            SET @tmpstr = 'CREATE LOGIN ' + QUOTENAME( @name ) + ' WITH PASSWORD = ' + @PWD_string + ' HASHED, SID = ' + @SID_string + ', DEFAULT_DATABASE = [' + @defaultdb + ']'

        IF ( @is_policy_checked IS NOT NULL )
        BEGIN
          SET @tmpstr = @tmpstr + ', CHECK_POLICY = ' + @is_policy_checked
        END
        IF ( @is_expiration_checked IS NOT NULL )
        BEGIN
          SET @tmpstr = @tmpstr + ', CHECK_EXPIRATION = ' + @is_expiration_checked
        END
    END
    IF (@denylogin = 1)
    BEGIN -- login is denied access
      SET @tmpstr = @tmpstr + '; DENY CONNECT SQL TO ' + QUOTENAME( @name )
    END
    ELSE IF (@hasaccess = 0)
    BEGIN -- login exists but does not have access
      SET @tmpstr = @tmpstr + '; REVOKE CONNECT SQL TO ' + QUOTENAME( @name )
    END
    IF (@is_disabled = 1)
    BEGIN -- login is disabled
      SET @tmpstr = @tmpstr + '; ALTER LOGIN ' + QUOTENAME( @name ) + ' DISABLE'
    END
    PRINT @tmpstr
  END

  FETCH NEXT FROM login_curs INTO @SID_varbinary, @name, @type, @is_disabled, @defaultdb, @hasaccess, @denylogin
   END
CLOSE login_curs
DEALLOCATE login_curs
RETURN 0
GO++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Note This script creates two stored procedures in the master database. The two stored procedures are named the sp_hexadecimal stored procedure and the sp_help_revlogin stored procedure.

3) Run the following statement.

EXEC sp_help_revlogin

The output script that is generated by the sp_help_revlogin stored procedure is the login script. This login script creates the logins that have the original Security Identifier (SID) and the original password.

4) On serverB, start SQL Server Management Studio, and then connect to the instance of SQL Server.

5) Open a new Query Editor window, and then run the output script that is generated in step 3.

 Note: Make sure you are executing the scripts connected with Admin rights (SA/Windows Admin Rights login).