Are there any specific best practices for structuring and querying data in PHP when working with relational databases?

When working with relational databases in PHP, it is important to follow best practices for structuring and querying data to ensure efficiency and security. One common best practice is to use parameterized queries to prevent SQL injection attacks. Another practice is to normalize your database structure to reduce redundancy and improve data integrity. Additionally, consider using database transactions to ensure data consistency when performing multiple operations. 

// Example of using parameterized queries to prevent SQL injection
$stmt = $pdo->prepare('SELECT * FROM users WHERE username = :username');
$stmt->bindParam(':username', $username);
$stmt->execute();
```

```php
// Example of normalizing database structure to reduce redundancy
// Create a separate table for user roles and link it to the users table using foreign keys
CREATE TABLE users (
    id INT PRIMARY KEY,
    username VARCHAR(50),
    role_id INT,
    FOREIGN KEY (role_id) REFERENCES user_roles(id)
);

CREATE TABLE user_roles (
    id INT PRIMARY KEY,
    role_name VARCHAR(50)
);
```

```php
// Example of using database transactions to ensure data consistency
$pdo->beginTransaction();
try {
    // Perform multiple database operations here
    $pdo->commit();
} catch (Exception $e) {
    $pdo->rollBack();
    echo "Transaction failed: " . $e->getMessage();
}

Keywords

SQL database design PDO normalization indexing

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