Why is using '*' to build a view bad?

Question

Why is using \'*\' to build a view bad ?

Suppose that you have a complex join and all fields may be used somewhere.

Then you just have to chose fields needed

Answer 1

The situation on SQL Server is actually even worse than the answer by @user12861 implies: if you use SELECT * against multiple tables, adding columns to a table referenced early in the query will actually cause your view to return the values of the new columns under the guise of the old columns. See the example below:

-- create two tables
CREATE TABLE temp1 (ColumnA INT, ColumnB DATE, ColumnC DECIMAL(2,1))
CREATE TABLE temp2 (ColumnX INT, ColumnY DATE, ColumnZ DECIMAL(2,1))
GO


-- populate with dummy data
INSERT INTO temp1 (ColumnA, ColumnB, ColumnC) VALUES (1, '1/1/1900', 0.5)
INSERT INTO temp2 (ColumnX, ColumnY, ColumnZ) VALUES (1, '1/1/1900', 0.5)
GO


-- create a view with a pair of SELECT * statements
CREATE VIEW vwtemp AS 
SELECT *
FROM temp1 INNER JOIN temp2 ON 1=1
GO


-- SELECT showing the columns properly assigned
SELECT * FROM vwTemp 
GO


-- add a few columns to the first table referenced in the SELECT 
ALTER TABLE temp1 ADD ColumnD varchar(1)
ALTER TABLE temp1 ADD ColumnE varchar(1)
ALTER TABLE temp1 ADD ColumnF varchar(1)
GO


-- populate those columns with dummy data
UPDATE temp1 SET ColumnD = 'D', ColumnE = 'E', ColumnF = 'F'
GO


-- notice that the original columns have the wrong data in them now, causing any datatype-specific queries (e.g., arithmetic, dateadd, etc.) to fail
SELECT *
FROM vwtemp
GO

-- clean up
DROP VIEW vwTemp
DROP TABLE temp2
DROP TABLE temp1