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Applies to: 
SQL Server
Azure SQL Database
Azure SQL Managed Instance
SQL database in Microsoft Fabric Preview
Returns one row for every database principal that is part of the user token in SQL Server.
| Column name | Data type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| principal_id | int | ID of the principal. The value is unique within database. |
| sid | varbinary(85) | Security identifier of the principal if the principal is defined external to the database. For example, this can be a SQL Server login, Windows login, Windows Group login, or a login mapped to a certificate, otherwise, this value is NULL. |
| name | nvarchar (128) | Name of the principal. The value is unique within database. |
| type | nvarchar (128) | Description of principal type. All types are mapped to sid. The value can be one of the following:SQL USER WINDOWS LOGIN WINDOWS GROUP ROLE APPLICATION ROLE DATABASE ROLE USER MAPPED TO CERTIFICATE USER MAPPED TO ASYMMETRIC KEY CERTIFICATE ASYMMETRIC KEY |
| usage | nvarchar (128) | Indicates the principal participates in the evaluation of GRANT or DENY permissions, or serves as an authenticator. This value can be one of the following: GRANT OR DENY DENY ONLY AUTHENTICATOR |
See Also
sys.login_token (Transact-SQL)
sys.server_principals (Transact-SQL)
sys.database_principals (Transact-SQL)
Principals (Database Engine)