What does the SELECT * statement do in SQL?

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BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

To approach this question, I will evaluate what the SQL clause SELECT * is designed to do. 
Option 1: 'Selects all schemas' — This is incorrect. Schemas are namespaces for database objects, not something that SELECT returns. A query does not retrieve or switch between schemas merely by using SELECT *.
Option 2: 'Selects all rows' — This is misleading. SELECT * returns columns for the rows that satisfy any conditions (or all rows if no conditions are given), but the clause itself specifies columns, not rows. The concept of rows is governed by the FROM and WHERE clauses, not by SELECT * alone.
Option 3: 'Selects all columns' — This is the accurate description. The asterisk represents all columns from the referenced table(s) in the query, so every column value is returned for each resulting row. 
Option 4: 'Selects all databases' — This is incorrect. Databases are not selected or returned by a SELECT statement; a query operates on tables within a database, not on entire databases.
In summary, the most precise interpretation among the choices is that SELECT * retrieves all columns for the rows selected by the query, rather than schemas, rows by itself, or entire databases. The remaining options describe concepts outside the function of SELECT *.

What does the SELECT * statement do in SQL?

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