What steps should be taken to troubleshoot and resolve errors related to fetching data from a MySQL database in PHP using mysql_fetch_array()?

When encountering errors related to fetching data from a MySQL database in PHP using mysql_fetch_array(), the first step is to ensure that the database connection is established correctly. Check for any syntax errors or typos in the SQL query being used. Additionally, verify that the result set is not empty before attempting to fetch data from it. If the issue persists, consider switching to mysqli_fetch_array() or PDO for improved compatibility and security.

// Establish a database connection
$connection = mysqli_connect("localhost", "username", "password", "database");

// Check if the connection was successful
if (!$connection) {
    die("Connection failed: " . mysqli_connect_error());
}

// Execute a SQL query
$query = "SELECT * FROM table_name";
$result = mysqli_query($connection, $query);

// Check if the query was successful
if ($result) {
    // Fetch data from the result set
    while ($row = mysqli_fetch_array($result)) {
        // Process the data
    }
} else {
    echo "Error: " . mysqli_error($connection);
}

// Close the connection
mysqli_close($connection);