What are the differences between using AND and OR operators in a PHP MySQL query for multiple search terms?

When using the AND operator in a PHP MySQL query for multiple search terms, all conditions must be met for a record to be returned. On the other hand, when using the OR operator, any of the conditions being true will result in the record being returned. This means that using AND will narrow down the search results to only those that meet all criteria, while using OR will broaden the search results to include any records that meet at least one of the criteria. 

// Using AND operator in a MySQL query for multiple search terms
$search_term1 = "term1";
$search_term2 = "term2";

$query = "SELECT * FROM table_name WHERE column_name = '$search_term1' AND column_name = '$search_term2'";
$result = mysqli_query($connection, $query);

// Using OR operator in a MySQL query for multiple search terms
$search_term1 = "term1";
$search_term2 = "term2";

$query = "SELECT * FROM table_name WHERE column_name = '$search_term1' OR column_name = '$search_term2'";
$result = mysqli_query($connection, $query);

Keywords

PHP MySQL query AND operator OR operator

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