postgresql/doc/src/sgml/ref/set_session_auth.sgml
Bruce Momjian cde8bbc413 This patch makes the following changes to the documentation:
- more work from the SGML police

- some grammar improvements: rewriting a paragraph or two, replacing
contractions where (IMHO) appropriate

- fix missing utility commands in lock mode docs

- improve CLUSTER, REINDEX, SET SESSION AUTHORIZATION ref pages

Neil Conway
2003-02-19 04:06:28 +00:00

123 lines
3.7 KiB
Plaintext

<!-- $Header: /cvsroot/pgsql/doc/src/sgml/ref/set_session_auth.sgml,v 1.8 2003/02/19 04:06:28 momjian Exp $ -->
<refentry id="SQL-SET-SESSION-AUTHORIZATION">
<docinfo>
<date>2001-04-21</date>
</docinfo>
<refmeta>
<refentrytitle id="sql-set-session-authorization-title">SET SESSION AUTHORIZATION</refentrytitle>
<refmiscinfo>SQL - Language Statements</refmiscinfo>
</refmeta>
<refnamediv>
<refname>SET SESSION AUTHORIZATION</refname>
<refpurpose>set the session user identifier and the current user identifier of the current session</refpurpose>
</refnamediv>
<refsynopsisdiv>
<synopsis>
SET [ SESSION | LOCAL ] SESSION AUTHORIZATION <replaceable class="PARAMETER">username</replaceable>
SET [ SESSION | LOCAL ] SESSION AUTHORIZATION DEFAULT
RESET SESSION AUTHORIZATION
</synopsis>
</refsynopsisdiv>
<refsect1>
<title>Description</title>
<para>
This command sets the session user identifier and the current user
identifier of the current SQL-session context to be <replaceable
class="PARAMETER">username</replaceable>. The user name may be
written as either an identifier or a string literal. The session
user identifier is valid for the duration of a connection; for
example, it is possible to temporarily become an unprivileged user
and later switch back to become a superuser.
</para>
<para>
The session user identifier is initially set to be the (possibly
authenticated) user name provided by the client. The current user
identifier is normally equal to the session user identifier, but
may change temporarily in the context of <quote>setuid</quote>
functions and similar mechanisms. The current user identifier is
relevant for permission checking.
</para>
<para>
The session user identifier may be changed only if the initial session
user (the <firstterm>authenticated user</firstterm>) had the
superuser privilege. Otherwise, the command is accepted only if it
specifies the authenticated user name.
</para>
<para>
The <option>SESSION</> and <option>LOCAL</> modifiers act the same
as for the regular <xref linkend="SQL-SET" endterm="SQL-SET-title">
command.
</para>
<para>
The <literal>DEFAULT</> and <literal>RESET</> forms reset the session
and current user identifiers to be the originally authenticated user
name. These forms are always accepted.
</para>
</refsect1>
<refsect1>
<title>Examples</title>
<programlisting>
SELECT SESSION_USER, CURRENT_USER;
session_user | current_user
--------------+--------------
peter | peter
SET SESSION AUTHORIZATION 'paul';
SELECT SESSION_USER, CURRENT_USER;
session_user | current_user
--------------+--------------
paul | paul
</programlisting>
</refsect1>
<refsect1>
<title>Compatibility</title>
<simpara>SQL99</simpara>
<para>
SQL99 allows some other expressions to appear in place of the
literal <parameter>username</parameter> which are not important in
practice. <application>PostgreSQL</application> allows identifier
syntax (<literal>"username"</literal>), which SQL does not. SQL
does not allow this command during a transaction;
<application>PostgreSQL</application> does not make
this restriction because there is no reason to. The
privileges necessary to execute this command are left
implementation-defined by the standard.
</para>
</refsect1>
</refentry>
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