1. A computer-implemented method, comprising: receiving a database request having a projection operation for all of a plurality of columns in one or more tables, wherein the projection operation comprises a column list having (i) a shorthand that specifies the plurality of columns and (ii) a substitute clause that specifies a column from the plurality of columns and an expression; responsive to the request, retrieving one or more data records having the plurality of columns including the specified column; evaluating the specified expression to generate an expression result corresponding to a respective data record of the one or more data records; and generating, by operation of one or more computer processors, a result set comprised of the one of more data records having the plurality of columns, such that, for the respective data record, a value for the specified column is replaced with the corresponding expression result, wherein a number of columns in the result set is the same as the number of the plurality of columns in the one or more tables and specified by the shorthand.