Optimizing queries for the next and previous element

Question

I am looking for the best way to retrieve the next and previous records of a record without running a full query. I have a fully implemented solution in place, and would like to

Answer 1

There are as many ways to do this as to skin the proverbial cat. So here are a couple of mine.

If your original query is expensive, which you say it is, then create another table possibly a memory table populating it with the results of your expensive and seldom run main query.

This second table could then be queried on every view and the sorting is as simple as setting the appropriate sort order.

As is required repopulate the second table with results from the first table, thus keeping the data fresh, but minimising the use of the expensive query.

Alternately, If you want to avoid even connecting to the db then you could store all the data in a php array and store it using memcached. this would be very fast and provided your lists weren't too huge would be resource efficient. and can be easily sorted.

DC