This document introduces PHP Data Objects (PDO), a database abstraction layer that provides a consistent interface for accessing different database systems. Some key points: - PDO moves PHP-specific database code into a core extension and leaves database-specific code to optional driver extensions, providing a common interface. - PDO offers performance, power, and ease of use. It supports drivers for popular databases like MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, Oracle, and ODBC. - Key features include prepared statements, transactions, error handling, and portability aids to write database-independent applications.