What is the best way to properly link and retrieve data from multiple tables in a MySQL database using PHP?

When dealing with multiple tables in a MySQL database, the best way to properly link and retrieve data is by using SQL JOIN queries. By specifying the relationship between tables in the JOIN clause, you can retrieve data from multiple tables based on a common key. This allows you to fetch related data in a single query rather than making multiple queries. 

<?php
// Establish a connection to the MySQL database
$connection = mysqli_connect("localhost", "username", "password", "database");

// Query to retrieve data from multiple tables using a JOIN clause
$query = "SELECT t1.column1, t2.column2 FROM table1 t1 JOIN table2 t2 ON t1.common_key = t2.common_key";

// Execute the query
$result = mysqli_query($connection, $query);

// Fetch and display the data
while ($row = mysqli_fetch_assoc($result)) {
    echo $row['column1'] . " - " . $row['column2'] . "<br>";
}

// Close the connection
mysqli_close($connection);
?>

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