At 01:39 PM 13/12/2004 -0800, you wrote:

>Thanks for the answer.
>I realize that the speed differences between the two types
>of query will not be huge (they may add up for multiple
>users?)

No difference...it has to query the system tables during prepare time,
anyway, to get the attributes and to check that fieldnames exist.

>But is there a difference in the workings of query
>optimiser between the two types of query? Does the engine
>have to work harder for "*" than for named fields?

Same.

HB