jQuery plugin query mySQL database for data - mysql

Question

OK, my apologies for this 'simple' question but I've forgotten ....
Have a jQuery plugin where the data comes from a mySQL db. How do I pass the object via the plugin options - see said simple :)
e.g.
jQuery('elementName').pluginName({
elements_per_page:8,
data: // A GET function to the mySQL for the data
})
the php query is simple like this:
$sql = 'SELECT * FROM tableName';
$stmt = $dbh->prepare($sql);
$stmt->execute();
$row = $stmt->fetchAll(PDO::FETCH_OBJ);
$data = json_encode($row);
echo $_GET['callback'] . '(' . $data . ')';
I have just totally forgotten how to pass the object directly into the plugin. Oviously there is something like this but 'how':
jQuery.getJSON( "functions.php&callback=?",function(data){
return data;
})
Plugin options a bit like this
var settings = $.extend({
elements_per_page:5,
data:data,
}, options );
Thanks in advance
//// EDIT ////
If I do it by calling the data first e.g.:
jQuery.getJSON("functions.php?table=table",function(data){
return pluginTest(data)
})
AND THEN call the plugin from the function pluginTest(data) like this
function pluginTest(data){
jQuery('elementName').pluginName({
elements_per_page:8,
data:data
})
}
Obviously works (well it does :) ) BUT what I really want/would like to do is call the data from within the plugin NOT call the plugin from the data as per this edit so it is more like this
jQuery('elementName').pluginName({
elements_per_page:8,
data: // A GET function to the mySQL for the data
})`
//// END EDIT ////