Retrieving the Last Inserted Row in MySQL: Efficient Approaches

Efficiently retrieving the last inserted row in MySQL can be a common task in database programming. Here are two effective methods to accomplish this:

1. Timestamp Column:

The ideal solution is to create a TIMESTAMP column that automatically captures the current timestamp upon row insertion. This provides a reliable and accurate way to determine the most recent record.

2. ORDER BY and LIMIT Clause:

If a timestamp column is not available, an alternative method is to use the ORDER BY and LIMIT clauses. By ordering the table by an auto-incrementing ID column (assuming one exists) in descending order and limiting the result to one row, you can retrieve the last inserted row. However, this method relies on the assumption that the largest ID value corresponds to the newest row, which may not always hold true.