To retrieve records that were entered before March 1, 2008, you would use the less than operator. The correct comparison operator for your question would be:
< March 1, 2008
If you want to include records entered on March 1, 2008, as well, you would use:
<= March 1, 2008
So, the appropriate queries would be either:
< March 1, 2008
(for records entered strictly before March 1, 2008)<= March 1, 2008
(for records entered on or before March 1, 2008)
Based on your responses, the correct answer is:
< March 1, 2008