What are the advantages of storing website access data in a database using PHP compared to flat file storage methods?

Storing website access data in a database using PHP offers several advantages over flat file storage methods. Databases provide better organization and structure for data, making it easier to query and retrieve specific information. Additionally, databases offer better security features, such as user authentication and permissions settings. Lastly, databases can handle larger amounts of data more efficiently compared to flat files.

// Connect to database
$servername = "localhost";
$username = "username";
$password = "password";
$dbname = "website_access_data";

$conn = new mysqli($servername, $username, $password, $dbname);

// Check connection
if ($conn->connect_error) {
    die("Connection failed: " . $conn->connect_error);
}

// Insert website access data into database
$sql = "INSERT INTO access_logs (ip_address, page_visited, timestamp) VALUES ('$ip_address', '$page_visited', '$timestamp')";

if ($conn->query($sql) === TRUE) {
    echo "New record created successfully";
} else {
    echo "Error: " . $sql . "<br>" . $conn->error;
}

$conn->close();