How can the MAX() function in SQL be utilized to optimize data aggregation in PHP applications?

Using the MAX() function in SQL can optimize data aggregation in PHP applications by allowing us to retrieve the maximum value from a specific column in a database table directly in our SQL query. This can reduce the amount of data transferred between the database and the PHP application, as well as the processing required in the PHP code. By utilizing MAX() in SQL, we can streamline our data aggregation process and improve the overall performance of our PHP application.

<?php
// Connect to the database
$servername = "localhost";
$username = "username";
$password = "password";
$dbname = "database";

$conn = new mysqli($servername, $username, $password, $dbname);

// Check connection
if ($conn->connect_error) {
    die("Connection failed: " . $conn->connect_error);
}

// Query to retrieve the maximum value from a column
$sql = "SELECT MAX(column_name) AS max_value FROM table_name";
$result = $conn->query($sql);

if ($result->num_rows > 0) {
    while($row = $result->fetch_assoc()) {
        echo "Maximum value: " . $row["max_value"];
    }
} else {
    echo "0 results";
}

$conn->close();
?>