In the context of PHP development, what are the best practices for handling database queries and filtering data to avoid unnecessary processing in the application layer?

To avoid unnecessary processing in the application layer when handling database queries and filtering data in PHP development, it is recommended to use prepared statements to prevent SQL injection attacks and to leverage the database's query capabilities for filtering and sorting data. Additionally, using indexes on frequently queried columns can improve query performance.

// Example of using prepared statements to handle database queries and filtering data
$stmt = $pdo->prepare("SELECT * FROM users WHERE age > :age");
$stmt->bindParam(':age', $age, PDO::PARAM_INT);
$stmt->execute();
$results = $stmt->fetchAll();
foreach($results as $row) {
    // Process the retrieved data
}