How To Select All Columns of All Rows from a Table? - Oracle DBA FAQ - Understanding SQL SELECT Query Statements

The simplest query statement is the one that selects all columns of all rows from a table: "SELECT * FROM table_name;". The (*) in the SELECT clause tells the query to return all columns. The tutorial exercise below gives you a good example:

SQL> SELECT * FROM departments;
DEPARTMENT_ID DEPARTMENT_NAME      MANAGER_ID LOCATION_ID
------------- -------------------- ---------- -----------
           10 Administration              200        1700
           20 Marketing                   201        1800
           30 Purchasing                  114        1700
           40 Human Resources             203        2400
           50 Shipping                    121        1500
           60 IT                          103        1400
           70 Public Relations            204        2700
           80 Sales                       145        2500
           90 Executive                   100        1700
......