Changing the service account credentials in SQL Server
Like most people, when I first start out setting up something new I take the defaults, and that usually is good enough. Then down the road, while learning more about how the product works, I discover that the defaults don't cut it in some cases. Microsoft SQL Server is one example. Out of the box it defaults to using a local account for its services, "nt service\mssql$instancename". That works fine until you start doing stuff like replication, mirroring, or interacting with active directory with impersonation. These functions need a domain account, either to share credentials, or to have access to read active directory. Seems simple enough -- go into the SQL Server Configuration Manager, change the old local account name associated with the service ("nt service\mssql$prod") to a domain account ("ad1\mssql$prod"), and set the account password. I had previously set up another instance of sql server with this new account, so I know that it was grant