What are some alternative approaches to using RegEx in PHP for extracting specific values from a database query?

When extracting specific values from a database query in PHP, an alternative approach to using RegEx is to use built-in database functions or methods provided by the database extension being used. For example, if using MySQL, you can utilize functions like `mysqli_fetch_assoc` or `mysqli_fetch_array` to fetch specific values directly from the result set without the need for RegEx.

// Assuming $result is the result set from a database query
// Using mysqli_fetch_assoc to fetch specific values without RegEx
while ($row = mysqli_fetch_assoc($result)) {
    $specificValue = $row['specific_column_name'];
    // Do something with $specificValue
}