Please look at this and tell me what you think: Last part of each table subpartition definition, the subpartiton column is defined as number: Database 1: TABLESPACE "P_PART_MAX" NOCOMPRESS ( SUBPARTITION "P_SUBPART_MAX_EAGLE_PACE" VALUES (4) TABLESPACE "P_PART_MAX", SUBPARTITION "P_SUBPART_MAX_PAM" VALUES (23) TABLESPACE "P_PART_MAX", SUBPARTITION "P_SUBPART_MAX_PAS" VALUES (31) TABLESPACE "P_PART_MAX", SUBPARTITION "P_SUBPART_MAX_PMA" VALUES (60) TABLESPACE "P_PART_MAX", SUBPARTITION "P_SUBPART_MAX_DEFAULT" VALUES (default) TABLESPACE "P_PART_MAX") ) MONITORING ; Database 2: TABLESPACE "P_PART_MAX" ( SUBPARTITION "P_SUBPART_MAX_EAGLE_PACE" VALUES ('4') TABLESPACE "P_PART_MAX", SUBPARTITION "P_SUBPART_MAX_PAM" VALUES ('23') TABLESPACE "P_PART_MAX", SUBPARTITION "P_SUBPART_MAX_PAS" VALUES ('31') TABLESPACE "P_PART_MAX", SUBPARTITION "P_SUBPART_MAX_PMA" VALUES ('60') TABLESPACE "P_PART_MAX", SUBPARTITION "P_SUBPART_MAX_DEFAULT" VALUES (default) TABLESPACE "P_PART_MAX") ) ; My take on this is since the true datatype of the column is number, will oracle have to do an implicit conversion of the data during an insert to varchar to figure out which subparititon to drop the row into and will it incur a performance hit?? Thanks, Joe --------------------------------------- You can have it: Fast, Right or Cheap, pick 2 of the 3. Fast + Right is Expensive Fast + Cheap will be incorrect. Right + Cheap will take a while.