In what scenarios should data processing be handled at the source of data extraction rather than during data manipulation in PHP scripts?

Data processing should be handled at the source of data extraction rather than during data manipulation in PHP scripts when dealing with large datasets or when performance is a concern. By processing the data at the source, unnecessary data transfer and processing overhead can be avoided, leading to faster and more efficient data processing.

// Example of processing data at the source of extraction
$conn = mysqli_connect("localhost", "username", "password", "database");

// Retrieve only the necessary data from the database
$query = "SELECT column1, column2 FROM table WHERE condition = 'value'";
$result = mysqli_query($conn, $query);

// Process the data directly from the database query result
while ($row = mysqli_fetch_assoc($result)) {
    // Perform necessary data processing or manipulation here
    // Processing data at the source reduces unnecessary data transfer and processing in PHP
}

mysqli_close($conn);