What are common pitfalls to be aware of when updating data in a MySQL database using PHP?

One common pitfall when updating data in a MySQL database using PHP is not properly sanitizing user input, which can lead to SQL injection attacks. To mitigate this risk, always use prepared statements with parameterized queries to securely handle user input.

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

// Prepare the update statement with a parameterized query
$stmt = $mysqli->prepare("UPDATE table SET column = ? WHERE id = ?");

// Bind the parameters and execute the statement
$stmt->bind_param("si", $value, $id);
$value = "new value";
$id = 1;
$stmt->execute();

// Close the statement and database connection
$stmt->close();
$mysqli->close();