Why is the use of LIKE in the MySQL query considered problematic, and what alternative approach is recommended?

Using LIKE in a MySQL query can be problematic because it can result in slow performance, especially when dealing with large datasets. An alternative approach is to use full-text search indexes, which are specifically designed for searching text fields efficiently. 

// Using full-text search indexes in MySQL query
$searchTerm = "example";
$query = "SELECT * FROM table_name WHERE MATCH(column_name) AGAINST('$searchTerm' IN NATURAL LANGUAGE MODE)";
$result = mysqli_query($connection, $query);

// Fetch and display results
while ($row = mysqli_fetch_assoc($result)) {
    echo $row['column_name'] . "<br>";
}

Keywords

LIKE MySQL query performance full-text search alternative approach

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