I need to select some data (surprise) from several tables in a linked database which is running SQL Server 2000.<BR><BR>Now the resulting data set will be about 10,000 records taken from ~ 8 ...

A common SQL habit is to use SELECT * on a query, because it’s tedious to list all the columns you need. Plus, sometimes those columns may change over time, so why not just do things the easy way? But ...

Part of the problem is that there is no magic bullet, and for almost every best practice, I can show you at least one exception. Typically, a developer finds his or her own favorite methods — though ...