Each user of a database has a name they enter when connecting to the database (user ID), and they belong to at least one group. Users and groups also have authorities and permissions attributed to them that allow them to perform their tasks while maintaining the security and privacy of information within the database.

A permission grants the ability to perform a create, modify, query, use, or delete database objects such as tables, views, users, and so on. An authority grants the ability to perform a task at the database level, such as backing up the database, or performing diagnostic tracing. SQL Anywhere allows you to grant permissions and authorities to user and groups.