What are the potential pitfalls of using the LIKE operator in SQL queries for date comparisons, and what alternative approaches can be used?

When using the LIKE operator in SQL queries for date comparisons, the potential pitfalls include inaccuracies in matching dates due to different date formats or unexpected results when using wildcards. To avoid these issues, it is recommended to use the DATE function to format the dates in a consistent manner before comparing them. 

// Using DATE function to format dates before comparison
$date = '2022-01-15';
$query = "SELECT * FROM table_name WHERE DATE(date_column) = DATE('$date')";
$result = mysqli_query($connection, $query);

// Fetching results
while ($row = mysqli_fetch_assoc($result)) {
    // Process results
}

Keywords

LIKE operator SQL queries date comparisons alternative approaches pitfalls

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