What is the recommended approach for executing SQL Server queries in PHP?

To execute SQL Server queries in PHP, it is recommended to use the PDO (PHP Data Objects) extension. PDO provides a consistent interface for accessing databases, including SQL Server, and helps prevent SQL injection attacks. By using PDO, you can connect to the SQL Server database, prepare and execute queries, and fetch results as needed.

// Database connection settings
$servername = "your_servername";
$username = "your_username";
$password = "your_password";
$dbname = "your_database";

// Create a PDO connection to the SQL Server database
try {
    $conn = new PDO("sqlsrv:Server=$servername;Database=$dbname", $username, $password);
    $conn->setAttribute(PDO::ATTR_ERRMODE, PDO::ERRMODE_EXCEPTION);
} catch (PDOException $e) {
    echo "Connection failed: " . $e->getMessage();
}

// Example query execution
$stmt = $conn->prepare("SELECT * FROM your_table");
$stmt->execute();
$result = $stmt->fetchAll();

// Displaying query results
foreach ($result as $row) {
    echo $row['column_name'] . "<br>";
}

// Close the connection
$conn = null;