Thanks Ken. That is obviously easier than my "solution". But I can't help wondering what is gained by adding "inner join .. on " to the traditional syntax. Everything else seems to be the same. Quoting Ken Naim <ken_rph@xxxxxxxxx>: > select A.x, B.y, C.z > from A > inner join B on ( A.x = B.x ) > inner join C on ( B.x = C.x and A.x = C.x ) > -- regards Wolfgang Breitling Oracle 7,8,8i,9i OCP DBA Centrex Consulting Corporation www.centrexcc.com -- //www.freelists.org/webpage/oracle-l