Cannot find the symmetric key 'master key', because it does not exist.

[BobRodes]

I'm working with a website that uses ASP.Net and WCF services to serve up data from a SQL Server database. In the code, I'm getting an error:

Cannot find the symmetric key 'master key', because it does not exist or you do not have permission.
Cannot find the certificate 'RedFlag', because it does not exist or you do not have permission.

I'm told that the workaround to this is to change the userid in web.config to sa (normal userid is rnd). I suspect that if we go down that road very far, we will run some security risks.

So far, I've checked the rnd user mapping, and the rights to the db are datareader, datawriter, and public. sa has owner and public. So, I suspect it has something to do with the rights of the user.

Can someone help me out? Please let me know what additional information I need to provide, not sure what is helpful and what is in the way.

TIA

An unforeseen consequence of the information revolution has been the exponential propagation of human error.

 

[SQLScholar]

Have you tried logging on to SQL (using management studio) using the rnd user account?

Can it select from the tables that it needs to correctly? Can it run any sp`s it needs to run? If so then i doubt the user is the issue.

have a look here:

http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/fo...y/thread/24e9d03a-d328-450f-993e-ed9e46081a32

Things to note - have you opened the key and have you granted perms for the key and cert to that user.

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[BobRodes]

Thanks scholar,

I had seen the link that you sent me. Since then, I've done a bit more looking around. I've found some of the system views such as sys.symmetric_keys and the like. Now, I tried to view the symmetric key with the problem userid, and got an access denied error. Logging in as sa,I didn't get the error.

Before I go messing around with GRANT statements (I'm thinking this:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms173848(v=sql.110).aspx

has something to do with the solution), can you tell me if there is a view which will allow me to see which users have which perms granted to which keys and certs?

Thx

An unforeseen consequence of the information revolution has been the exponential propagation of human error.