MySQL query to return number 'zero' if no results

Question

When selecting a DATE and that date does not exist in my table it currently will return an empty result set. How can I be able to return the number zero for those empty result sets instead?:

    SELECT SUM(TOTAL), SUM(5STAR), STORE, DATE
    FROM `table` WHERE DATE >= '2012-02-24' GROUP BY TOTAL

MySQL returned an empty result set (i.e. zero rows)

I want to instead return the results of the SUM(TOTAL) and SUM(5STAR) (if zero rows) as the number zero (0).

FULL TABLE STRUCTURE:

• ID = Primary
• DATE = UNIQUE (date)
• STORE
• 5STAR
• 4STAR
• 3STAR
• 2STAR
• 1STAR
• TOTAL
• FROM = UNIQUE

Answer 1

Try COALESCE

SELECT COALESCE(SUM(TOTAL),0), COALESCE(SUM(5STAR),0), STORE, DATE
FROM `table` WHERE DATE >= '2012-02-24' GROUP BY TOTAL

Answer 2

TRY

SELECT
       IFNULL(SUM(TOTAL), 0) AS total,
       IFNULL(SUM(5STAR), 0) AS FiveStar, 
       STORE,
       DATE
FROM `table`
WHERE DATE >= '2012-02-24'
GROUP BY TOTAL

Reference