What are common pitfalls when using auto_increment in MySQL tables with PHP?

One common pitfall when using auto_increment in MySQL tables with PHP is not properly handling the insertion of records with explicit values for the auto_increment column. To avoid this issue, you should explicitly specify the columns you are inserting data into, excluding the auto_increment column.

// Incorrect way that may cause issues with auto_increment column
$sql = "INSERT INTO table_name (auto_increment_column, other_column) VALUES (NULL, 'value')";

// Correct way to insert data into MySQL table with auto_increment column
$sql = "INSERT INTO table_name (other_column) VALUES ('value')";