What are some common pitfalls to avoid when working with large datasets in PHP and MySQL?

One common pitfall when working with large datasets in PHP and MySQL is not utilizing indexing properly. Indexing can significantly improve the performance of queries on large datasets by allowing the database to quickly locate the relevant rows. Make sure to index columns that are frequently used in WHERE clauses or JOIN conditions.

// Example of creating an index on a column in MySQL
$connection = new mysqli("localhost", "username", "password", "database");

// Create an index on the 'email' column in the 'users' table
$connection->query("CREATE INDEX email_index ON users(email)");