What are the best practices for handling complex data structures and calculations when transitioning from Excel to PHP?

When transitioning from Excel to PHP for handling complex data structures and calculations, it is important to utilize arrays and loops effectively. By organizing data into multidimensional arrays and using loops to iterate through the data, you can perform calculations and manipulations efficiently. Additionally, utilizing PHP's built-in functions for array manipulation and mathematical operations can simplify the process.

// Example of handling complex data structures and calculations in PHP

// Sample data in multidimensional array format
$data = [
    ['name' => 'John', 'age' => 30, 'salary' => 50000],
    ['name' => 'Jane', 'age' => 25, 'salary' => 60000],
    ['name' => 'Mike', 'age' => 35, 'salary' => 70000]
];

// Calculate the total salary of all employees
$totalSalary = 0;
foreach ($data as $employee) {
    $totalSalary += $employee['salary'];
}

echo "Total salary of all employees: $totalSalary";