Roles in SQL 2008 R2

Question

When I’m trying to create a role then I receive the error “role exists” and I have to deleted first and repeat the process.

• How may I check if a role exists in my sql database in sql server 2008 r2?
  
• Is there any sys.table to search for it?
  

Answer 1

use sys.database_principals view:

select * from sys.database_principals where name = @Role_Name and type = 'R'

it's also possible to use database_principal_id:

select database_principal_id(@Role_Name)