How can MySQL be used to store data with leading zeros, such as incrementing values?

When storing data with leading zeros in MySQL, such as incrementing values, it is important to use a data type that supports leading zeros, such as CHAR or VARCHAR. By using one of these data types, MySQL will preserve the leading zeros when storing and retrieving the data. Additionally, when inserting data with leading zeros, it is important to enclose the value in single quotes to ensure that MySQL treats it as a string and not a number.

<?php
// Connect to MySQL database
$servername = "localhost";
$username = "username";
$password = "password";
$dbname = "database";

$conn = new mysqli($servername, $username, $password, $dbname);

// Insert data with leading zeros
$value = "00123";
$sql = "INSERT INTO table_name (column_name) VALUES ('$value')";
$conn->query($sql);

// Retrieve data with leading zeros
$sql = "SELECT column_name FROM table_name WHERE id = 1";
$result = $conn->query($sql);

if ($result->num_rows > 0) {
    while($row = $result->fetch_assoc()) {
        echo "Value with leading zeros: " . $row["column_name"];
    }
} else {
    echo "0 results";
}

$conn->close();
?>