# Configure access to databases and tables in the AWS Glue Data Catalog If you use the AWS Glue Data Catalog with Amazon Athena, you can define resource-level policies for the database and table Data Catalog objects that are used in Athena. **Note** This topic discusses database- and table-level security. For information about configuring column-, row-, and cell-level security, see [Data filtering and cell-level security in Lake Formation](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/lake-formation/latest/dg/data-filtering.html). You define resource-level permissions in IAM identity-based policies. **Important** This section discusses resource-level permissions in IAM identity-based policies. These are different from resource-based policies. For more information about the differences, see [Identity-based policies and resource-based policies](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/access_policies_identity-vs-resource.html) in the *IAM User Guide*. See the following topics for these tasks: | To perform this task | See the following topic | | --- | --- | | Create an IAM policy that defines access to resources | [Creating IAM policies](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/access_policies_create.html) in the IAM User Guide. | | Learn about IAM identity-based policies used in AWS Glue | [ Identity-based policies (IAM policies)](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/glue/latest/dg/using-identity-based-policies.html) in the AWS Glue Developer Guide. | **In this section** + [Limitations](#access-to-glue-resources-limitations) + [Configure AWS Glue access to your catalog and database per AWS Region](#full-access-to-default-db-per-region) + [About access control for table partitions and versions in AWS Glue](#access-to-glue-resources-table-partitions-and-versions) + [Examples of database and table-level permissions](#examples-fine-grained-table-database-policies) ## Limitations Consider the following limitations when you use database and table-level access control for the AWS Glue Data Catalog and Athena: + IAM Identity Center enabled Athena workgroups require Lake Formation be configured to use IAM Identity Center identities. For more information, see [Integrating IAM Identity Center](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/lake-formation/latest/dg/identity-center-integration.html) in the *AWS Lake Formation Developer Guide*. + You can limit access only to databases and tables. These controls apply at the table level. You cannot limit access to individual partitions within a table. For more information, see [About access control for table partitions and versions in AWS Glue](#access-to-glue-resources-table-partitions-and-versions). + The AWS Glue Data Catalog contains the following resources: `CATALOG`, `DATABASE`, `TABLE`, and `FUNCTION`. **Note** From this list, resources that are common between Athena and the AWS Glue Data Catalog are `TABLE`, `DATABASE`, and `CATALOG` for each account. `Function` is specific to AWS Glue. For delete actions in Athena, you must include permissions to AWS Glue actions. See [Examples of database and table-level permissions](#examples-fine-grained-table-database-policies). The hierarchy is as follows: `CATALOG` is an ancestor of all `DATABASES` in each account, and each `DATABASE` is an ancestor for all of its `TABLES` and `FUNCTIONS`. For example, for a table named `table_test` that belongs to a database `db` in the catalog in your account, its ancestors are `db` and the catalog in your account. For the `db` database, its ancestor is the catalog in your account, and its descendants are tables and functions. For more information about the hierarchical structure of resources, see [List of ARNs in Data Catalog](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/glue/latest/dg/glue-specifying-resource-arns.html#data-catalog-resource-arns) in the *AWS Glue Developer Guide*. + For any non-delete Athena action on a resource, such as `CREATE DATABASE`, `CREATE TABLE`, `SHOW DATABASE`, `SHOW TABLE`, or `ALTER TABLE`, you need permissions to call this action on the resource (table or database) and all ancestors of the resource in the Data Catalog. For example, for a table, its ancestors are the database to which it belongs, and the catalog for the account. For a database, its ancestor is the catalog for the account. See [Examples of database and table-level permissions](#examples-fine-grained-table-database-policies). + For a delete action in Athena, such as `DROP DATABASE` or `DROP TABLE`, you also need permissions to call the delete action on all ancestors and descendants of the resource in the Data Catalog. For example, to delete a database you need permissions on the database, the catalog, which is its ancestor, and all the tables and user defined functions, which are its descendents. A table does not have descendants. To run `DROP TABLE`, you need permissions to this action on the table, the database to which it belongs, and the catalog. See [Examples of database and table-level permissions](#examples-fine-grained-table-database-policies). ## Configure AWS Glue access to your catalog and database per AWS Region For Athena to work with the AWS Glue, a policy that grants access to your database and to the AWS Glue Data Catalog in your account per AWS Region is required. To create databases, the `CreateDatabase` permission is also required. In the following example policy, replace the AWS Region, AWS account ID, and database name with those of your own. ``` { "Sid": "DatabasePermissions", "Effect": "Allow", "Action": [ "glue:GetDatabase", "glue:GetDatabases", "glue:CreateDatabase" ], "Resource": [ "arn:aws:glue:us-east-1:123456789012:catalog", "arn:aws:glue:us-east-1:123456789012:database/default" ] } ``` ## About access control for table partitions and versions in AWS Glue In AWS Glue, tables can have partitions and versions. Table versions and partitions are not considered to be independent resources in AWS Glue. Access to table versions and partitions is given by granting access on the table and ancestor resources for the table. For the purposes of access control, the following access permissions apply: + Controls apply at the table level. You can limit access only to databases and tables. For example, if you allow access to a partitioned table, this access applies to all partitions in the table. You cannot limit access to individual partitions within a table. **Important** To run actions in AWS Glue on partitions, permissions for partition actions are required at the catalog, database, and table levels. Having access to partitions within a table is not sufficient. For example, to run `GetPartitions` on table `myTable` in the database `myDB`, you must grant `glue:GetPartitions` permissions on the catalog, `myDB` database, and `myTable` resources. + Access controls do not apply to table versions. As with partitions, access to previous versions of a table is granted through access to the table version APIs in AWS Glue on the table, and to the table ancestors. For information about permissions on AWS Glue actions, see [AWS Glue API permissions: Actions and resources reference](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/glue/latest/dg/api-permissions-reference.html) in the *AWS Glue Developer Guide*. ## Examples of database and table-level permissions The following table lists examples of IAM identity-based policies that allow access to databases and tables in Athena. We recommend that you start with these examples and, depending on your needs, adjust them to allow or deny specific actions to particular databases and tables. These examples include access to databases and catalogs so that Athena and AWS Glue can work together. For multiple AWS Regions, include similar policies for each of your databases and catalogs, one line for each Region. In the examples, replace the `example_db` database and `test` table with your own database and table names. | DDL statement | Example of an IAM access policy granting access to the resource | | --- | --- | | ALTER DATABASE | Allows you to modify the properties for the example\$1db database.
{
   "Effect": "Allow",
   "Action": [
      "glue:GetDatabase", 
      "glue:UpdateDatabase"
   ],
   "Resource": [
     "arn:aws:glue:us-east-1:123456789012:catalog",
     "arn:aws:glue:us-east-1:123456789012:database/example_db"
   ]
}
| | CREATE DATABASE | Allows you to create the database named example\$1db.
{
   "Effect": "Allow",
   "Action": [
      "glue:GetDatabase", 
      "glue:CreateDatabase"
   ],
   "Resource": [
     "arn:aws:glue:us-east-1:123456789012:catalog",
     "arn:aws:glue:us-east-1:123456789012:database/example_db"
   ]
}
| | CREATE TABLE | Allows you to create a table named test in the example\$1db database.
{
   "Sid": "DatabasePermissions",
   "Effect": "Allow",
   "Action": [
      "glue:GetDatabase", 
      "glue:GetDatabases"
   ],
   "Resource": [
     "arn:aws:glue:us-east-1:123456789012:catalog",
     "arn:aws:glue:us-east-1:123456789012:database/example_db"
   ]
},
{
   "Sid": "TablePermissions",
   "Effect": "Allow",
   "Action": [
      "glue:GetTables",
      "glue:GetTable",
      "glue:GetPartitions",
      "glue:CreateTable"
   ],
   "Resource": [
     "arn:aws:glue:us-east-1:123456789012:catalog",
     "arn:aws:glue:us-east-1:123456789012:database/example_db",
     "arn:aws:glue:us-east-1:123456789012:table/example_db/test"
   ]
}
| | DROP DATABASE | Allows you to drop the example\$1db database, including all tables in it.
{
   "Effect": "Allow",
   "Action": [
      "glue:GetDatabase",
      "glue:DeleteDatabase",
      "glue:GetTables", 
      "glue:GetTable", 
      "glue:DeleteTable" 
   ],
   "Resource": [
     "arn:aws:glue:us-east-1:123456789012:catalog",
     "arn:aws:glue:us-east-1:123456789012:database/example_db", 
     "arn:aws:glue:us-east-1:123456789012:table/example_db/*", 
     "arn:aws:glue:us-east-1:123456789012:userDefinedFunction/example_db/*"
   ]
 }
| | DROP TABLE | Allows you to drop a partitioned table named test in the example\$1db database. If your table does not have partitions, do not include partition actions.
{
   "Effect": "Allow",
   "Action": [
      "glue:GetDatabase",
      "glue:GetTable",
      "glue:DeleteTable", 
      "glue:GetPartitions",
      "glue:GetPartition",
      "glue:DeletePartition" 
   ],
   "Resource": [
     "arn:aws:glue:us-east-1:123456789012:catalog",
     "arn:aws:glue:us-east-1:123456789012:database/example_db", 
     "arn:aws:glue:us-east-1:123456789012:table/example_db/test"
   ]
 }
| | MSCK REPAIR TABLE | Allows you to update catalog metadata after you add Hive compatible partitions to the table named test in the example\$1db database.
{
    "Effect": "Allow",
    "Action": [
        "glue:GetDatabase",
        "glue:CreateDatabase",
        "glue:GetTable",
        "glue:GetPartitions",
        "glue:GetPartition",
        "glue:BatchCreatePartition"
    ],
    "Resource": [
      "arn:aws:glue:us-east-1:123456789012:catalog",
      "arn:aws:glue:us-east-1:123456789012:database/example_db", 
      "arn:aws:glue:us-east-1:123456789012:table/example_db/test"
    ]
}
| | SHOW DATABASES | Allows you to list all databases in the AWS Glue Data Catalog.
{
   "Effect": "Allow",
   "Action": [
      "glue:GetDatabase",
      "glue:GetDatabases" 
   ],
   "Resource": [
     "arn:aws:glue:us-east-1:123456789012:catalog",
     "arn:aws:glue:us-east-1:123456789012:database/*"
   ]
 }
| | SHOW TABLES | Allows you to list all tables in the example\$1db database.
{
   "Effect": "Allow",
   "Action": [
      "glue:GetDatabase",
      "glue:GetTables"    
   ],
   "Resource": [
     "arn:aws:glue:us-east-1:123456789012:catalog",
     "arn:aws:glue:us-east-1:123456789012:database/example_db",  
     "arn:aws:glue:us-east-1:123456789012:table/example_db/*"
   ]
}
|