In what scenarios should one consider using prepared statements or transactions when inserting data into a MySQL database from PHP?
When inserting data into a MySQL database from PHP, one should consider using prepared statements to prevent SQL injection attacks and improve performance by reusing the query execution plan. Transactions should be used when multiple SQL statements need to be executed as a single unit to maintain data integrity.
// Using prepared statements to insert data into a MySQL database
$stmt = $pdo->prepare("INSERT INTO table_name (column1, column2) VALUES (:value1, :value2)");
$stmt->bindParam(':value1', $value1);
$stmt->bindParam(':value2', $value2);
$stmt->execute();
// Using transactions to insert data as a single unit
$pdo->beginTransaction();
$pdo->exec("INSERT INTO table_name (column1) VALUES ('value1')");
$pdo->exec("INSERT INTO table_name (column2) VALUES ('value2')");
$pdo->commit();