**Course Title:** Mastering Yii Framework: Building Scalable Web Applications **Section Title:** Database Management with Active Record **Topic:** Introduction to Yii's database components In this topic, we will delve into the world of database management using Yii's Active Record component. By the end of this topic, you will have a solid understanding of how to interact with your database using Yii's powerful Active Record feature. **What is Active Record?** Active Record is a design pattern that allows you can use to interact with your database using an object-oriented approach. It allows you to perform CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) operations on your database using a simple and intuitive API. **Key Concepts:** Before we dive into the details, let's cover some key concepts: * **Model:** A model represents a table in your database. It encapsulates the data and behavior of that table. * **Table:** A table is a collection of related data in your database. * **Record:** A record is a single row in a table. **Yii's Active Record Component** Yii's Active Record component provides a simple and powerful way to interact with your database. It uses a set of classes and methods to perform CRUD operations on your database. **Key Features:** * **Simple and intuitive API:** Active Record provides a simple and intuitive API for performing CRUD operations on your database. * **Object-oriented approach:** Active Record uses an object-oriented approach to interact with your database, making it easy to work with complex data models. * **Lazy loading:** Active Record supports lazy loading, which means that it only loads the data you need, when you need it. **Using Active Record with Yii** To use Active Record with Yii, you need to create a model class that extends the `yii\db\ActiveRecord` class. Here's an example: ```php // models/User.php namespace app\models; use yii\db\ActiveRecord; class User extends ActiveRecord { public static function tableName() { return 'users'; } } ``` In this example, we've created a `User` model that extends the `yii\db\ActiveRecord` class. We've also defined the `tableName()` method, which specifies the name of the table that this model represents. **CRUD Operations** Now that we've created our model, we can perform CRUD operations on our database using the `User` model. Here are some examples: ```php // Create a new user $user = new User(); $user->name = 'John Doe'; $user->email = 'john.doe@example.com'; $user->save(); // Read a user $user = User::findOne(1); echo $user->name; // Update a user $user = User::findOne(1); $user->name = 'Jane Doe'; $user->save(); // Delete a user $user = User::findOne(1); $user->delete(); ``` In this example, we've performed CRUD operations on our database using the `User` model. We've created a new user, read a user, updated a user, and deleted a user. **Conclusion** In this topic, we've introduced Yii's Active Record component and shown how to use it to interact with your database. We've covered key concepts, such as models, tables, and records, and demonstrated how to perform CRUD operations on your database using the `User` model. **What's Next?** In the next topic, we'll explore how to use Active Record to perform more complex database operations, such as querying and filtering data. **Leave a comment or ask for help:** If you have any questions or need help with implementing Active Record in your application, please leave a comment below. We'll do our best to assist you. **External Resources:** * Yii documentation: [Active Record](https://www.yiiframework.com/doc/guide/2.0/en/db-active-record) * Yii guide: [Active Record](https://www.yiiframework.com/doc/guide/2.0/en/db-active-record) Note: The above content is a sample and may need to be adjusted based on the actual requirements of the course.