JSON stands for JavaScript Object Notation, and is a lightweight and human-readable format for representing data as key-value pairs or arrays. It is compatible with MySQL's native JSON data type, which allows you to store and query JSON documents as columns in a table. When designing a JSON data model, you should use the JSON data type only for complex or dynamic data that does not fit well in a relational schema, such as nested objects, arrays, or metadata. For simple or static data, use the appropriate scalar data types, such as VARCHAR, INT, or DATE. Moreover, you should validate and format your JSON data before inserting it into the database using PHP's built-in functions, such as json_encode and json_decode. This will ensure your data is consistent and compliant with the JSON standard. To manipulate and query your JSON data, MySQL provides useful functions and operators like JSON_EXTRACT, JSON_SEARCH, JSON_MERGE, or JSON_CONTAINS. Furthermore, it is recommended to create indexes on your JSON columns to improve query performance if you use these functions frequently. You can also use generated columns to index specific fields or expressions within your JSON documents or convert them into a relational table using the JSON_TABLE function and index it normally.