Why is it recommended to avoid using SELECT * in SQL queries?

Using SELECT * in SQL queries is not recommended because it can lead to performance issues and make the code harder to maintain. It is better to explicitly list out the columns you want to retrieve, as it can improve query performance by reducing the amount of data being fetched and make the code more readable. 

// Avoid using SELECT * in SQL queries
$sql = "SELECT * FROM users";
```

```php
// Recommended way to specify columns in SQL query
$sql = "SELECT id, username, email FROM users";

Keywords

SQL queries SELECT * performance security maintainability

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