ALTER_USER(l)                                       ALTER_USER(l)

NAME
       ALTER USER - Modifies user account information

SYNOPSIS
       ALTER USER username [ WITH PASSWORD password ]
           [ CREATEDB | NOCREATEDB ] [ CREATEUSER | NOCREATEUSER ]
           [ IN GROUP groupname [, ...] ]
           [ VALID UNTIL 'abstime' ]

   INPUTS
       Refer  to  CREATE  USER for a detailed description of each
       clause.

       username
              The Postgres account name of the user whose details
              are to be altered.

       password
              The new password to be used for this account.

       groupname
              The name of an access group into which this account
              is to be put.

       abstime
              The date (and, optionally, the time) at which  this
              user's access is to be terminated.

   OUTPUTS
       ALTER USER
              Message  returned if the alteration was successful.

       ERROR: alterUser: user "username" does not exist
              Error message returned if the specified user is not
              known to the database.

DESCRIPTION
       ALTER  USER  is  used to change the attributes of a user's
       Postgres account.  Please note that it is not possible  to
       alter  a  user's  "usesysid" via the alter user statement.
       Also, it is only possible for the  Postgres  user  or  any
       user  with  read  and  modify  permissions on pg_shadow to
       alter user passwords.

       If any of the clauses of  the  alter  user  statement  are
       omitted, the corresponding value in the pg_shadow table is
       left unchanged.

   NOTES
       ALTER USER is a Postgres language extension.

       Refer to CREATE/DROP USER  to  create  or  remove  a  user
       account.

       In  the  current  release  (v6.5),  the IN GROUP clause is
       parsed but has no affect. When it is fully implemented, it
       is intended to modify the pg_group relation.

USAGE
       Change a user password:

       ALTER USER davide WITH PASSWORD hu8jmn3;

       Change a user's valid until date

       ALTER USER manuel VALID UNTIL 'Jan 31 2030';

       Change  a  user's  valid  until  date, specifying that his
       authorisation should expire at  midday  on  4th  May  1998
       using the time zone which is one hour ahead of UTC

       ALTER USER chris VALID UNTIL 'May 4 12:00:00 1998 +1';

       Give  a  user  the  ability  to create other users and new
       databases.

       ALTER USER miriam CREATEUSER CREATEDB;

       Place a user in two groups

       ALTER USER miriam IN GROUP sales, payroll;

COMPATIBILITY
   SQL92
       There is no ALTER USER statement in SQL92.   The  standard
       leaves the definition of users to the implementation.

SQL - Language Statements 15 August 1999                        1