How to transfer logins and passwords between instances of SQL Server

Copied from URL: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/918992

Note This information also applies to SQL Server 2008 and to SQL Server 2012.

After you move a database from the instance of SQL Server on server A to the instance of SQL Server on server B, users may be unable to log in to the database on server B. Additionally, users may receive the following error message:

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

This problem occurs because you did not transfer the logins and the passwords from the instance of SQL Server on server A to the instance of SQL Server on server B.

To transfer the logins, use one of the following methods, as appropriate for your situation.

Method 1: Log in by using the pre-SQL Server 2000 password

To resolve this issue, ask the user to log in to the server that is running SQL Server by using the pre-SQL Server 2000 login.

Note The password hashing is updated automatically when the user logs in by using the pre-SQL Server 2000 password.

Method 2: Reset the password in SQL Server

To resolve this issue, reset the password in SQL Server, and then script out the login.

Note The password hashing algorithm is used when you reset the password.

Method 3: Create a log in script that has a blank password

To create a log in script that has a blank password, follow these steps:

1. On server A, start SQL Server Management Studio, and then connect to the instance of SQL Server from which you moved the database.
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 procedures are named sp_hexadecimal and sp_help_revlogin.
3. Run the following statement:
   
   

   EXEC sp_help_revlogin

   
   
   The output script that the sp_help_revlogin stored procedure generates is the login script. This login script creates the logins that have the original Security Identifier (SID) and the original password.
4. On server B, start SQL Server Management Studio, and then connect to the instance of SQL Server to which you moved the database.
   
   Important Before you go to step 5, review the information in the "Remarks" section.
5. Open a new Query Editor window, and then run the output script that is generated in step 3.