How to get the server response from an AJAX request using Jquery?

Answer

When invoking functions that have asynchronous behavior We must provide a callback function to capture the desired result. This is especially important with AJAX in the browser because when a remote request is made, it is indeterminate when the response will be received.

Below an example of making an AJAX call and alerting the response (or error):

 $.ajax({
     url: 'pcdsEmpRecords.php',
     success: function(response) {
        alert(response);
     },
     error: function(xhr) {
        alert('Error!  Status = ' + xhr.status);
     }
 });