What best practices should be followed when extracting data from a MySQL database and converting it into an array in PHP?

When extracting data from a MySQL database and converting it into an array in PHP, it is important to follow best practices to ensure efficient and secure data handling. One common approach is to use the PDO (PHP Data Objects) extension in PHP, which provides a way to connect to and interact with databases in a secure manner. By using prepared statements and binding parameters, you can prevent SQL injection attacks. Additionally, fetching the data into an associative array allows for easy manipulation and access to the retrieved data.

// Establish a connection to the MySQL database using PDO
$dsn = 'mysql:host=localhost;dbname=mydatabase';
$username = 'username';
$password = 'password';
$pdo = new PDO($dsn, $username, $password);

// Prepare a SQL query to retrieve data from a table
$stmt = $pdo->prepare("SELECT * FROM mytable");
$stmt->execute();

// Fetch the data into an associative array
$data = $stmt->fetchAll(PDO::FETCH_ASSOC);

// Loop through the array and access the retrieved data
foreach ($data as $row) {
    echo $row['column1'] . ' - ' . $row['column2'] . '<br>';
}