Is it best practice to use SELECT * in PHP queries, or are there more efficient ways to retrieve specific data?

Using SELECT * in PHP queries can be convenient, but it is not always the most efficient method. It is generally better practice to retrieve only the specific columns you need from the database, as using SELECT * can result in unnecessary data being retrieved and slower query performance. By specifying the columns you need, you can optimize your query and improve the overall efficiency of your application. 

// Example of retrieving specific columns from a database using PHP

// Connect to the database
$connection = new mysqli('localhost', 'username', 'password', 'database');

// Check connection
if ($connection->connect_error) {
    die("Connection failed: " . $connection->connect_error);
}

// Query to retrieve specific columns
$query = "SELECT column1, column2, column3 FROM table_name";

$result = $connection->query($query);

if ($result->num_rows > 0) {
    // Output data of each row
    while($row = $result->fetch_assoc()) {
        echo "Column1: " . $row["column1"]. " - Column2: " . $row["column2"]. " - Column3: " . $row["column3"]. "<br>";
    }
} else {
    echo "0 results";
}

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

Keywords

SELECT * PHP queries efficient retrieve specific data best practice

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