php mysql search for room availability need help for better sql query

Question

my mysql database is:

BOOKING_ID, FROM_DATE, TO_DATE,
R1,R2,R3,R4,R5,R6,R7,R8,R9,R10,R11,R12,R13,R14,R15,R16,R17 

where R1=room1...R17=room17, if room1 booked, than R1 will set to 1.

below is my current working sql query,i never learn sql before, i need help for better sql query!

for($room=1;$room<=$total_room;$room++)
{
  $result = mysql_query("
    SELECT COUNT(`BOOKING_ID`) AS num 
    FROM $search_for_db_table
    WHERE (    (FROM_DATE <= $search_to_date   AND TO_DATE >= $search_to_date )
            OR (FROM_DATE <= $search_from_date AND TO_DATE >= $search_from_date)
            OR (FROM_DATE >= $search_from_date AND TO_DATE <= $search_to_date )
          ) 
      AND R$room=1 
  ") or die(mysql_error());


  $row = mysql_fetch_assoc($result);

  $numUsers[$room] = $row['num']; 
}

//$numUsers[$room]=="0" means room available for booking...

Answer 1

Please learn more about designing your database. Instead of using a column for every room just use multiple tables to get the information, that way it is much more organized.

So make a table called 'rooms' in that table you make let's say 15 rows. With a column 'room_number' for the room number and a column 'available' with your 1 or 0. A simple SQL statement then show what rooms are available.

Then you can use:

SELECT 'room_number' FROM rooms WHERE available = '0'

Answer 2

Yet, if you don't like to modify this "ugly" data model you can go with 1 query and not with 17 queries. Simply use SUM( for all 17 fields. So the SELECT clause would be:

SELECT SUM(R1) AS sr1, SUM(R2) AS sr2, ...., SUM(R17) as sr17
FROM
WHERE [only with the date restictions]

Then if the respective column of the result set is 0 then it is available, otherwise it is occupied.

But again, this is an "ugly" solution for the wrongly designed data model.