Combining Multiple MySQL INSERT Statements into a Single Query

The question arises as to whether it is permissible to execute multiple INSERT statements in a single MySQL query using PHP. Consider the following code snippet:

$string1= "INSERT INTO....;";
$string1 .= "INSERT INTO....;";
$string1 .= "INSERT INTO....;";
mysql_query($string1) or die(mysql_error()); 

While this approach is syntactically valid, it is not considered optimal for large or complex databases. For improved efficiency and performance, it is recommended to insert multiple data values into the same table using a single INSERT statement.

For instance, the following syntax allows for multiple inserts into a table named "a":

INSERT INTO a VALUES (1,23),(2,34),(4,33);
INSERT INTO a VALUES (8,26),(6,29);

This method avoids the overhead of executing individual INSERT statements for each row, minimizing database load and optimizing query performance.