What are the alternatives to using regular expressions in SQL queries in PHP for data validation?

Regular expressions can be complex and difficult to understand, making them error-prone for data validation in SQL queries. One alternative is to use PHP's built-in functions for string manipulation and validation, such as `filter_var()` or `preg_match()`. Another option is to create custom validation functions in PHP that specifically check for the desired format or constraints on the data.

// Using filter_var() for data validation in SQL queries
$age = 25;
if (!filter_var($age, FILTER_VALIDATE_INT)) {
    echo "Age must be a valid integer.";
} else {
    // Proceed with SQL query
}

// Using custom validation function for data validation in SQL queries
function isValidEmail($email) {
    return filter_var($email, FILTER_VALIDATE_EMAIL);
}

$email = "example@example.com";
if (!isValidEmail($email)) {
    echo "Email must be a valid format.";
} else {
    // Proceed with SQL query
}