CREATE DATABASE Permission denied in database 'master' error

Question

I'm working with a tool that as one of the automated steps will attach databases from my file system to my local SQL Express 2008 instance. The tool requires a login in the sysadmin server role, for which I've created a new dummy login for testing. When I log into Management Studio with this new login and run the exact query to attach the DBs, the DBs are attached fine. However, when I run the tool (its an executable program) I am able to turn on the tool's debug panel to see the following error:

CREATE DATABASE Permission denied in database 'master'

The T-SQL being executed via the program is:

USE [master]
GO
CREATE DATABASE [BBB_core] ON
( FILENAME = N'c:\inetpub\wwwroot\BBB\Databases\sitecore.core.Mdf' ),
( FILENAME = N'c:\inetpub\wwwroot\BBB\Databases\sitecore.core.Ldf' )
FOR ATTACH
GO

USE [master]
GO
CREATE DATABASE [BBB_master] ON
( FILENAME = N'c:\inetpub\wwwroot\BBB\Databases\sitecore.master.Mdf' ),
( FILENAME = N'c:\inetpub\wwwroot\BBB\Databases\sitecore.master.Ldf' )
FOR ATTACH
GO

USE [master]
GO
CREATE DATABASE [BBB_web] ON
( FILENAME = N'c:\inetpub\wwwroot\BBB\Databases\sitecore.web.Mdf' ),
( FILENAME = N'c:\inetpub\wwwroot\BBB\Databases\sitecore.web.Ldf' )
FOR ATTACH
GO

My thought here is that my Windows user somehow cannot execute this query on the master database. I do have my local Windows user (a domain user) in the logins on my SQL instance and its a member of sysadmins. I've also tried running the program as administrator (right-click > Run as administrator). I know the query works, it just doesn't seem to work in the context of the program. Am I missing something?

I'm using SQL Express 2008 on Windows 7 x64

Thanks in advance for any help.

Answer 1

If you can run the code you posted successfully in the context of your domain account then it's likely the tool is connecting to your database as a different user. Are you able to inspect the connection string it uses? If so, check to see if it's using Integrated Authentication or is using a User ID/Password combination and modifying things accordingly there. Either change the connection string to use Integrated Authentication or the SQL login that you created as a test.