MySQL NOW() Function Guide

The NOW() function is a built-in function in MySQL that returns the current date and time. Specifically, it returns a value of type DATETIME representing the current date and time.

When you use the NOW() function in a query, it will return the current date and time of the database server. This function is useful in many situations, such as recording a timestamp of when an event occurred or automatically filling in the current date and time when inserting new records.

Here is a simple example demonstrating how to use the NOW() function in a MySQL query.

INSERT INTO orders (order_date, customer_id)
VALUES (NOW(), 123);

In the example above, we are inserting a new record into a table called orders, which includes the order date and customer ID. The NOW() function is used to populate the order date field with the current date and time.