What are the potential pitfalls to be aware of when querying a MySQL database for overlapping date ranges and maximum item availability in a PHP application?

When querying a MySQL database for overlapping date ranges and maximum item availability in a PHP application, potential pitfalls to be aware of include ensuring that the SQL query is correctly structured to handle date range comparisons and availability checks efficiently. It is important to properly handle cases where items may be reserved or unavailable during a specific date range to avoid double bookings or errors in availability calculations.

// Example SQL query to find overlapping date ranges and maximum item availability
$query = "SELECT * FROM items 
          WHERE item_id = :item_id 
          AND start_date <= :end_date 
          AND end_date >= :start_date 
          AND availability > 0";

// Bind parameters and execute the query
$stmt = $pdo->prepare($query);
$stmt->bindParam(':item_id', $item_id, PDO::PARAM_INT);
$stmt->bindParam(':start_date', $start_date, PDO::PARAM_STR);
$stmt->bindParam(':end_date', $end_date, PDO::PARAM_STR);
$stmt->execute();

// Fetch results and handle availability logic
$results = $stmt->fetchAll(PDO::FETCH_ASSOC);
foreach ($results as $result) {
    // Handle availability logic here
}