How can SQL aliases be used to improve the readability and functionality of PHP code when querying a database?

Using SQL aliases can improve the readability and functionality of PHP code when querying a database by providing more descriptive column names, simplifying complex queries, and making it easier to reference columns in the result set.

$query = "SELECT first_name AS fname, last_name AS lname FROM users";
$result = mysqli_query($connection, $query);

while ($row = mysqli_fetch_assoc($result)) {
    echo $row['fname'] . ' ' . $row['lname'] . '<br>';
}