What potential pitfalls should be considered when using row numbers to retrieve data in PHP applications?

When using row numbers to retrieve data in PHP applications, it's important to consider the potential pitfalls of relying on the order of rows in a database table. If the data is modified or reordered, the row numbers may change, leading to incorrect results or missing data. It's recommended to use unique identifiers or keys to retrieve data reliably. 

// Instead of relying on row numbers, use a unique identifier or key to retrieve data
$query = "SELECT * FROM table_name WHERE id = :id";
$stmt = $pdo->prepare($query);
$stmt->bindParam(':id', $id);
$stmt->execute();
$data = $stmt->fetch();

Keywords

SQL injection LIMIT clause pagination array indexes data consistency

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