Abstract
Almost every single system processes data in one way or another. Every PHP developer has, at least once, had to import data from CSV to a database, generate a report, pull data from an external API, or build views/projections. If it’s so common, there must be a unified approach to this problem, right?
We’re going to start by exploring traditional PHP methods for data processing, like file_get_contents, fopen/fgetcsv, and generators, highlighting their pros and cons. Then, we’ll introduce the Data Frame pattern as a scalable alternative, breaking it down into its core components. Using a real-world example, I’m going to demonstrate how the Data Frame simplifies processing a complex orders report with nested data structures providing an unified and consistent abstraction helping to move data from one place to another applying transformations on the fly.
So, are you ready to learn how to process millions of rows using just a few megabytes of memory?
