Why is it recommended to avoid using `SELECT *` in MySQL queries, especially in PHP?

Using `SELECT *` in MySQL queries is not recommended because it can lead to performance issues and unnecessary data retrieval. It is better to explicitly specify the columns you need in your query to only fetch the required data. This can improve query performance and reduce the amount of data transferred between the database and PHP application.

// Specify the columns you need in your SELECT query instead of using SELECT *
$query = "SELECT column1, column2, column3 FROM table_name WHERE condition";
$result = mysqli_query($connection, $query);

// Process the query result as usual
if ($result) {
    while ($row = mysqli_fetch_assoc($result)) {
        // Process each row
    }
}