Database Administration User

On installation, a new Vertica database automatically contains a user with superuser privileges. Unless explicitly named during installation, this user is identified as dbadmin. This user cannot be dropped and has the following irrevocable roles:

With these roles, the dbadmin user can perform all database operations. This user can also create other users with administrative privileges.

Do not confuse the dbadmin user with the DBADMIN role. The DBADMIN role is a set of privileges that can be assigned to one or more users.

The Vertica documentation often references the dbadmin user as a superuser. This reference is unrelated to Linux superusers.

Creating Additional Database Administrators

As the dbadmin user, you can create other users with the same privileges:

  1. Create a user:
    => CREATE USER DataBaseAdmin2;
    CREATE USER
  2. Grant the appropriate roles to new user DataBaseAdmin2:
    => GRANT dbduser, dbadmin, pseudosuperuser to DataBaseAdmin2;
    GRANT ROLE

    User DataBaseAdmin2 now has the same privileges granted to the original dbadmin user.

  3. As DataBaseAdmin2, enable your assigned roles with SET ROLE:
    => \c - DataBaseAdmin2;
    You are now connected to database "VMart" as user "DataBaseAdmin2".
    => SET ROLE dbadmin, dbduser, pseudosuperuser;
    SET ROLE
  4. Confirm the roles are enabled:
    => SHOW ENABLED ROLES;
    name          | setting
    -------------------------------------------------
    enabled roles | dbduser, dbadmin, pseudosuperuser