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><A
NAME="USER-ATTRIBUTES"
>17.2. User Attributes</A
></H1
><P
> A database user may have a number of attributes that define its
privileges and interact with the client authentication system.
<P
></P
></P><DIV
CLASS="VARIABLELIST"
><DL
><DT
>superuser<A
NAME="AEN19527"
></A
></DT
><DD
><P
> A database superuser bypasses all permission checks. Also,
only a superuser can create new users. To create a database
superuser, use <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>CREATE USER <TT
CLASS="REPLACEABLE"
><I
>name</I
></TT
>
CREATEUSER</TT
>.
</P
></DD
><DT
>database creation<A
NAME="AEN19535"
></A
></DT
><DD
><P
> A user must be explicitly given permission to create databases
(except for superusers, since those bypass all permission
checks). To create such a user, use <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>CREATE USER
<TT
CLASS="REPLACEABLE"
><I
>name</I
></TT
> CREATEDB</TT
>.
</P
></DD
><DT
>password<A
NAME="AEN19544"
></A
></DT
><DD
><P
> A password is only significant if the client authentication
method requires the user to supply a password when connecting
to the database. The <TT
CLASS="OPTION"
>password</TT
>,
<TT
CLASS="OPTION"
>md5</TT
>, and <TT
CLASS="OPTION"
>crypt</TT
> authentication methods
make use of passwords. Database passwords are separate from
operating system passwords. Specify a password upon user
creation with <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>CREATE USER
<TT
CLASS="REPLACEABLE"
><I
>name</I
></TT
> PASSWORD '<TT
CLASS="REPLACEABLE"
><I
>string</I
></TT
>'</TT
>.
</P
></DD
></DL
></DIV
><P>
A user's attributes can be modified after creation with
<TT
CLASS="COMMAND"
>ALTER USER</TT
>.<A
NAME="AEN19555"
></A
>
See the reference pages for the <A
HREF="sql-createuser.html"
><I
>CREATE USER</I
></A
> and <A
HREF="sql-alteruser.html"
><I
>ALTER USER</I
></A
> commands for details.
</P
><P
> A user can also set personal defaults for many of the run-time
configuration settings described in <A
HREF="runtime-config.html"
>Section 16.4</A
>. For example, if for some reason you
want to disable index scans (hint: not a good idea) anytime you
connect, you can use
</P><PRE
CLASS="PROGRAMLISTING"
>ALTER USER myname SET enable_indexscan TO off;</PRE
><P>
This will save the setting (but not set it immediately). In
subsequent connections by this user it will appear as though
<TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>SET enable_indexscan TO off;</TT
> had been executed
just before the session started.
You can still alter this setting during the session; it will only
be the default. To undo any such setting, use <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>ALTER USER
<TT
CLASS="REPLACEABLE"
><I
>username</I
></TT
> RESET <TT
CLASS="REPLACEABLE"
><I
>varname</I
></TT
>;</TT
>.
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