Adrian, Also look at adjusting the nice value. You should also consider what you will be taking CPU time away from. Usually modern Unix systems do a great job of balancing the requirements of all the users simultaneously. When you start forcing the system to your will, you stand a chance that you may improve the performance of your process, but response could get VERY bad for other users. You may also make things bad for the other users and only help your process slightly. Consider reading Optimizing Oracle Perfomance by Cary Millsap and Jeff Holt. Dennis Williams