How can the DATE_FORMAT function in MySQL queries be utilized effectively in PHP development?

The DATE_FORMAT function in MySQL queries can be utilized effectively in PHP development by formatting date values retrieved from the database in a specific way. This can be useful for displaying dates in a desired format on the frontend of a website or application. By using DATE_FORMAT in the SQL query and fetching the formatted date in PHP, developers can easily manipulate and display dates as needed.

// Example of utilizing DATE_FORMAT function in MySQL queries in PHP
$query = "SELECT DATE_FORMAT(date_column, '%Y-%m-%d') AS formatted_date FROM table_name";
$result = mysqli_query($connection, $query);

if(mysqli_num_rows($result) > 0){
    while($row = mysqli_fetch_assoc($result)){
        echo $row['formatted_date'] . "<br>";
    }
} else {
    echo "No results found.";
}