DF046: Asterisk instead of a column list is used in the SELECT statement.

Last modified: May 28, 2025

The topic describes the DF046 T-SQL code analysis rule.

Category

BEST PRACTICE

Message

Asterisk instead of a column list is used in the SELECT statement.

Description

It is recommended to explicitly specify columns in the select list. Using SELECT * FROM can create issues such as unreliable column order, unnecessary network load, and query performance problems.

Noncompliant code example

SELECT * FROM HumanResources.Employee
GO

Compliant solution

SELECT BusinessEntityID,NationalIDNumber,LoginID
FROM HumanResources.Employee
GO