What are the best practices for storing calculated time differences in a MySQL database using PHP?

When storing calculated time differences in a MySQL database using PHP, it is best practice to store the differences in a format that is easily sortable and retrievable. One common approach is to store the time differences in seconds or minutes, as this allows for easy calculations and comparisons. Additionally, using MySQL's DATETIME or TIMESTAMP data types can help maintain data integrity and simplify querying.

// Calculate time difference
$start_time = strtotime('2022-01-01 09:00:00');
$end_time = strtotime('2022-01-01 10:30:00');
$time_difference = $end_time - $start_time;

// Store time difference in seconds in MySQL database
$query = "INSERT INTO time_table (time_difference) VALUES ($time_difference)";
$result = mysqli_query($connection, $query);

if($result) {
    echo "Time difference stored successfully";
} else {
    echo "Error storing time difference: " . mysqli_error($connection);
}