diff --git a/siuba/sql/utils.py b/siuba/sql/utils.py
index b5aab320..3dbc72ac 100644
--- a/siuba/sql/utils.py
+++ b/siuba/sql/utils.py
@@ -56,13 +56,16 @@ def execute(self, *args, **kwargs):
 RE_VERSION=r"(?P<major>\d+)\.(?P<minor>\d+).(?P<patch>\d+)"  
 SQLA_VERSION=tuple(map(int, re.match(RE_VERSION, sqlalchemy.__version__).groups()))
 
+def is_sqla_12():
+    return SQLA_VERSION[:-1] == (1, 2)
+
 def is_sqla_13():
     return SQLA_VERSION[:-1] == (1, 3)
 
 
 def _sql_select(columns, *args, **kwargs):
     from sqlalchemy import sql
-    if is_sqla_13():
+    if is_sqla_12() or is_sqla_13():
         # use old syntax, where columns are passed as a list
         return sql.select(columns, *args, **kwargs)
 
@@ -72,7 +75,7 @@ def _sql_select(columns, *args, **kwargs):
 def _sql_column_collection(data, columns):
     from sqlalchemy.sql.base import ColumnCollection, ImmutableColumnCollection
 
-    if is_sqla_13():
+    if is_sqla_12() or is_sqla_13():
         return ImmutableColumnCollection(data, columns)
 
     return ColumnCollection(list(data.items())).as_immutable()