just to add my two cents, an additional reason why SQL*Plus AUTOTRACE is sometimes less reliable than EXPLAIN PLAN is the fact that AUTOTRACE uses a second (separate) session for statistics collection. Kind regards, Lex. ------------------------------- visit http://www.naturaljoin.nl ------------------------------- -----Original Message----- 10046 trace (also KST trace) is the ultimate source for information, since it is a trace - the actual operations are logged instead of simulated or replayed in possibly different environment like with explain plan and autotrace (yes, autotrace uses explain plan) So, trust 10046 and forget about explain plan, this is mostly for development & experimental environments... Tanel. -- Binary/unsupported file stripped by Ecartis -- -- Type: text/x-vcard -- File: Lex de Haan.vcf ---------------------------------------------------------------- Please see the official ORACLE-L FAQ: http://www.orafaq.com ---------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe send email to: oracle-l-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx put 'unsubscribe' in the subject line. -- Archives are at //www.freelists.org/archives/oracle-l/ FAQ is at //www.freelists.org/help/fom-serve/cache/1.html -----------------------------------------------------------------