Cannot use special principal dbo: Error 15405

This is happening because the user 'sarin' is the actual owner of the database "dbemployee" - as such, they can only have db_owner, and cannot be assigned any further database roles.

Nor do they need to be. If they're the DB owner, they already have permission to do anything they want to within this database.

(To see the owner of the database, open the properties of the database. The Owner is listed on the general tab).

To change the owner of the database, you can use sp_changedbowner or ALTER AUTHORIZATION (the latter being apparently the preferred way for future development, but since this kind of thing tends to be a one off...)

Fix: Cannot use the special principal ‘sa’. Microsoft SQL Server, Error: 15405

When importing a database in your SQL instance you would find yourself with Cannot use the special principal 'sa'. Microsoft SQL Server, Error: 15405 popping out when setting the sa user as the DBO of the database. To fix this, Open SQL Management Studio and Click New Query. Type:

USE mydatabase
exec sp_changedbowner 'sa', 'true'

Close the new query and after viewing the security of the sa, you will find that that sa is the DBO of the database. (14444)

Source: http://www.noelpulis.com/fix-cannot-use-the-special-principal-sa-microsoft-sql-server-error-15405/

To fix this, open the SQL Server Management Studio and click New Query. Then type:

USE mydatabase
exec sp_changedbowner 'sa', 'true'