MAX returns the highest value from a group of values. The group is determined by the FROM clause that follows and may represent all records or a subset.
In its most basic form, the MAX returns the maximum field value in all records returned by the rest of the query.
MAX( <field-name> ) FROM <from-clause>
The following field example returns the earliest donation date for Donor:
(SELECT MIN(D.Donation_Date) FROM Donations D WHERE D.Donor_ID = Donors.Donor_ID) AS [First Donation]