That seems to be a common misconception, but actually the RBO does still exist in 10g - it's just not supported and I haven't verified this personally, but I wouldn't be surprised at all if Oracle is still using RULE hint for some of it's internal queries even in 10.2. Regards, Brandon ________________________________ From: oracle-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:oracle-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Ram Raman The RULE hint worked. Hopefully we will not have this problem in 10g which does not have RBO. Privileged/Confidential Information may be contained in this message or attachments hereto. Please advise immediately if you or your employer do not consent to Internet email for messages of this kind. Opinions, conclusions and other information in this message that do not relate to the official business of this company shall be understood as neither given nor endorsed by it.