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You can check my BLOG here

Paul White NZ (3/30/2010)

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Hugo Kornelis (3/30/2010)

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As far as I know, that was once the case. In SQL Server 7.0 or so.

It's still in Itzik's Inside SQL Server 2008 T-SQL Querying book
Do you want to test it or should I?

The effect was always, as I said, vanishingly small. I always use the star syntax. As I think I mentioned.

create table x (a int, b int);
go
create user TestUser without login;
go
deny select on x to TestUser;
grant select on x(b) to TestUser;
go
if exists (select * from x) print 'Aye';
if exists (select 1 from x) print 'Aye';
if exists (select a from x) print 'Aye';
go
execute as user='TestUser';
go
if exists (select * from x) print 'Aye';
if exists (select 1 from x) print 'Aye';
if exists (select a from x) print 'Aye';
go
revert;
go
drop user TestUser;
drop table x;
go