What is the purpose of using mysql_insert_id() in PHP and what is its significance in database operations?

The purpose of using mysql_insert_id() in PHP is to retrieve the auto-generated ID that was inserted into an AUTO_INCREMENT column in a table. This function is significant in database operations because it allows you to obtain the ID of the last inserted record, which can be useful for subsequent operations or for displaying to the user.

// Insert data into a table
$query = "INSERT INTO table_name (column1, column2) VALUES ('value1', 'value2')";
$result = mysqli_query($connection, $query);

// Get the ID of the last inserted record
$inserted_id = mysqli_insert_id($connection);

// Use the inserted ID for further operations
echo "The ID of the last inserted record is: " . $inserted_id;