In PHP, what are the advantages and disadvantages of using IDs versus actual names when referencing data in SQL queries?

When referencing data in SQL queries, using IDs can be more efficient and faster compared to using actual names. IDs are typically numeric values and can be indexed for quicker retrieval, while names are strings that require more processing. However, using IDs can make the code less readable and may require additional queries to retrieve the actual names for display purposes. 

// Using IDs to reference data in SQL queries
$user_id = 1;

$query = "SELECT * FROM users WHERE id = $user_id";
$result = mysqli_query($connection, $query);

// Fetch and display the user's name
$row = mysqli_fetch_assoc($result);
echo "User name: " . $row['name'];

Keywords

PHP SQL queries advantages disadvantages IDs names

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