IBM Shows Five common PHP database problems

IBM’s DeveloperWorks posts another great article titled Five common PHP database problems. In the article the author, Jack Herrington, walks us through 5 problems that PHP developers experience when using databases and his suggested solutions. Jack gives complete examples including source code to go along with his descriptions.

Databases are powerful tools, and—like all powerful tools—they can be abused if you don’t know how to use them properly. The trick behind identifying and solving these problems is to better understand the underlying technology. For too long, I’ve heard business logic coders lament that they don’t want to have to understand the database or the SQL code. They wrap the database in objects and wonder why the performance is so poor. They fail to realize that understanding the SQL is fundamental to turning the database from a difficult necessity into a powerful ally. If you use databases on a daily basis, but SQL isn’t your strong suit, read The Art of SQL. It’s a well-written, practical guide to getting the most out of a database.

Great advice Jack for almost all PHP developers. IBM marks this as an Intermediate level article but the concepts being discussed (with the exception of the n+1 patterns) are all scenarios that entry level PHP coders will run into. So I’m going to suggest that everybody take a gander at it. If your are an Advanced programmer then it’s a quick refresher. If you are Intermediate to or Beginner. Read it, then print it out and re-read it.

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