Is it advisable to rely on the __destruct() method for database operations in PHP, or are there better alternatives for handling data updates?

It is not advisable to rely on the __destruct() method for database operations in PHP as it may not always be called in a predictable manner, leading to potential data inconsistencies or errors. A better alternative is to explicitly close the database connection after performing the necessary operations to ensure data integrity.

// Open database connection
$connection = new mysqli($host, $username, $password, $database);

// Perform database operations

// Close database connection
$connection->close();