How can using indexes for date columns in MySQL tables benefit PHP applications that involve date comparisons?

When working with date columns in MySQL tables for PHP applications that involve date comparisons, using indexes on those date columns can significantly improve the performance of queries that involve date comparisons. Indexes allow MySQL to quickly locate the rows that match the date criteria, resulting in faster query execution and improved overall application performance.

// Create an index on the date column in MySQL
$sql = "CREATE INDEX idx_date_column ON table_name(date_column)";
$result = mysqli_query($conn, $sql);

if($result){
    echo "Index created successfully";
} else {
    echo "Error creating index: " . mysqli_error($conn);
}