Which statement correctly represents a basic data retrieval operation in ABAP?

The option SELECT * FROM table INTO DATA(result) accurately represents a fundamental data retrieval operation in ABAP. This statement utilizes the SELECT statement to access all columns from a specified database table and stores the result into a data variable. The use of INTO DATA(result) is part of the newer syntax introduced to make the code cleaner and more modern, allowing for direct data assignment into the specified variable.

This approach is advantageous because it retrieves the entire dataset from the database, giving the developer access to all fields within the records they are interested in, and efficiently stores them for further processing or manipulation in the program. It effectively demonstrates the fundamental way of querying a database and handling its data in ABAP programming.