In PHP, what are the advantages of using a foreign key reference to represent attributes like professions in a database table?

When representing attributes like professions in a database table, using a foreign key reference can help maintain data integrity by ensuring that only valid professions are stored in the table. This can prevent issues such as typos or inconsistencies in the data. Additionally, using foreign key references can make it easier to update or delete professions without affecting the integrity of related data.

CREATE TABLE professions (
    id INT PRIMARY KEY,
    name VARCHAR(50)
);

CREATE TABLE users (
    id INT PRIMARY KEY,
    name VARCHAR(50),
    profession_id INT,
    FOREIGN KEY (profession_id) REFERENCES professions(id)
);