Simple SELECT Query

SELECT * FROM a table returns every column and every row, the quickest way to see what a table holds.

Novice · T-SQL · SQL · Updated

After this lesson you can

  • Return every column and row of a table with SELECT *

Key takeaways

  • SELECT * FROM Products returns every column and every row of the table: * means all columns.
  • SELECT * is the quickest way to explore a table: which columns it has, and what its data looks like.
  • In application code, list the columns you need instead of using *.

The simplest query returns everything in a table: every column, every row. Open a New Query window in SSMS, choose Northwind in the database drop-down, and run:

SELECT *
FROM Products;

The * means all columns. FROM Products says which table. The result is all 77 products, with every column the table has:

ProductId ProductName SupplierId CategoryId QuantityPerUnit UnitPrice UnitsInStock …
1 Chai 1 1 10 boxes x 20 bags 18.00 39 …
2 Chang 1 1 24 - 12 oz bottles 19.00 17 …
3 Aniseed Syrup 1 2 12 - 550 ml bottles 10.00 13 …

In the bottom-right corner of the results, SSMS shows how many rows came back: 77 rows.

When to use SELECT *

SELECT * is the quickest way to see what's in a table while you're exploring: which columns it has, and what the data looks like. Try it on a few more:

SELECT * FROM Customers;
SELECT * FROM Employees;
SELECT * FROM Categories;

Run the three together and SSMS shows three result grids, one under another.

In application code, though, list the columns you need instead of using *. The next lesson explains why.

Check yourself

1 question to try on the lesson page.

So what

SELECT * is your flashlight: point it at any table to see what's inside before you write the query you really need.

Key terms

Cheat sheets