How can the DATE() function in MySQL be utilized to simplify date comparisons in SELECT queries?

When working with dates in MySQL, it can be beneficial to use the DATE() function to simplify date comparisons in SELECT queries. This function allows you to extract just the date portion from a datetime or timestamp column, which can make it easier to compare dates without having to worry about the time component. By using DATE() in your SELECT queries, you can ensure that you are only comparing the date values and not the time values, making your queries more accurate and efficient.

// Example of using DATE() function in a SELECT query in MySQL
$query = "SELECT * FROM table_name WHERE DATE(date_column) = '2022-01-01'";
$result = mysqli_query($connection, $query);

if(mysqli_num_rows($result) > 0) {
    while($row = mysqli_fetch_assoc($result)) {
        // Process the results
    }
} else {
    echo "No results found.";
}