How can the LIKE operator be optimized for integer values in MySQL queries when querying from PHP?

When using the LIKE operator with integer values in MySQL queries from PHP, it is important to avoid implicit type conversion, which can cause performance issues. To optimize this, you can explicitly cast the integer values to strings before using the LIKE operator in your query. This ensures that MySQL does not need to perform any type conversion during the query execution, leading to better performance.

// Assuming $searchTerm is the integer value to search for
$searchTerm = (string) $searchTerm;
$query = "SELECT * FROM table_name WHERE column_name LIKE '%$searchTerm%'";
// Execute the query using your preferred method (e.g. mysqli_query)