What are common pitfalls when working with SQL tables in PHP scripts?

One common pitfall when working with SQL tables in PHP scripts is not properly sanitizing user input, which can lead to SQL injection attacks. To prevent this, always use prepared statements with parameterized queries to securely interact with the database.

// Example of using prepared statements to prevent SQL injection

// Establish a database connection
$pdo = new PDO("mysql:host=localhost;dbname=mydatabase", "username", "password");

// Prepare a statement with a parameterized query
$stmt = $pdo->prepare("SELECT * FROM users WHERE username = :username");

// Bind the parameter to a variable
$username = $_POST['username'];
$stmt->bindParam(':username', $username);

// Execute the statement
$stmt->execute();

// Fetch the results
$results = $stmt->fetchAll();