What are the advantages and disadvantages of storing prices as integers rather than floats in MySQL, and how does this impact data manipulation and accuracy in PHP applications?
Storing prices as integers rather than floats in MySQL can provide better accuracy and prevent rounding errors in financial calculations. However, this approach may require additional handling to convert prices back to decimal format for display. When manipulating data in PHP applications, it is important to be mindful of the data type conversion between integers and floats to ensure accurate calculations.
// Storing price as integer in MySQL
$price = 999; // $9.99 stored as 999 cents
// Convert integer price back to decimal format for display
$displayPrice = number_format($price / 100, 2);
echo "Price: $" . $displayPrice; // Output: Price: $9.99