How do I change the 'sa' (System Administrator) account password in MSDE or SQL Server Express?


This article applies to:

  • Trustwave MailMarshal (SEG)
  • Trustwave ECM/MailMarshal Exchange
  • WebMarshal

Question:

  • How do I change the 'sa' (System Administrator) account password in SQL Express?
  • How do I change the System Administrator password?

Procedure:

When logged on to the server that hosts SQL using a local administrator account, you can use Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio (Security | Logins) or the Microsoft OSQL utility (with ALTER LOGIN) to change the password.

Notes:

  • Trustwave recommends use of an Operational User for day to day access to the databases. The SA account should not be used as the main credential for daily connections. See the product User Guides and Help.
  • SQL Server may be used by more than one application, including SEG/MailMarshal, WebMarshal, and other vendors' products. Remember to enter the changed password everywhere the 'sa' account is used. This might include the SEG/MailMarshal and WebMarshal Server Properties, and both products' reporting tools. Also, inform anyone else who may need to access the SQL server about the new password.
  • For SQL or SQL Express installations that were not installed by the Trustwave installers, permissions of the local accounts may differ. You might not be able to log in or you might not have sufficient permissions to change passwords.
  • Changing the SA password if it is forgotten requires that you start the SQL service in Single User or Maintenance mode.

This article was previously published as:
NETIQKB28925
Marshal KB203

Last Modified 5/1/2020.
https://support.trustwave.com/kb/KnowledgebaseArticle10251.aspx