Why is it recommended to avoid using SELECT * in SQL queries, as mentioned in the forum discussion?

Using SELECT * in SQL queries is not recommended because it can negatively impact performance by fetching unnecessary columns from the database, leading to increased network traffic and slower query execution. It is better to explicitly specify the columns you need in the SELECT statement to improve query efficiency and readability.

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

// Fetch data from the result set
while ($row = mysqli_fetch_assoc($result)) {
    // Process the data
}