Use the to_date() function to convert the 'date' column to a date type and then perform the date-related operations. This approach is straightforward and directly addresses the requirement by converting the string to a date type, enabling all necessary date operations without unnecessary complexity.

Use the to_timestamp() function to convert the 'date' column to a timestamp type and then perform the date-related operations. While this approach works, it introduces unnecessary time component information that is not required for the task, potentially complicating the operations and consuming more resources.

Use the to_date() function to convert the 'date' column to a date type, and then use the cast() function to convert it to a timestamp type before performing the date-related operations. This approach adds an unnecessary step of converting to a timestamp type, which does not align with the requirement of working solely with the date part.

Use the cast() function to convert the 'date' column directly to a timestamp type and then perform the date-related operations. This approach skips the conversion to a date type, which might not be suitable for all date-related operations, especially those that require operations on the date part only.