Why is it recommended to specify all columns in the SELECT statement instead of using SELECT * in PHP?

Specifying all columns in the SELECT statement instead of using SELECT * in PHP is recommended because it improves performance by only retrieving the necessary data, reduces the chance of errors when the table structure changes, and makes the code more readable and maintainable. By explicitly listing the columns, you have more control over the data being fetched and can avoid potential issues with duplicate column names or unnecessary data retrieval. 

<?php
// Explicitly specify columns in the SELECT statement
$query = "SELECT column1, column2, column3 FROM table_name";
$result = mysqli_query($connection, $query);

// Fetch and display the data
while ($row = mysqli_fetch_assoc($result)) {
    echo $row['column1'] . ' - ' . $row['column2'] . ' - ' . $row['column3'] . '<br>';
}
?>

Keywords

SELECT statement columns PHP performance optimization

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