What is the SQL for 'next' and 'previous' in a table?

Question

I have a table of items, each of which has a date associated with it. If I have the date associated with one item, how do I query the database with SQL to get the \'previous

Answer 1

Select max(element) From Data Where Element < 8

Union

Select min(element) From Data Where Element > 8

But generally it is more usefull to think of sql for set oriented operations rather than iterative operation.