My fault - should have specified environment: 10.2.0.4 RedHat Linux 5.8 64-bit 10g = True/False (correct?) Here's the full list of events captured running the query with the parameter set to TRUE (in 10g) and running the query the Nth times: EVENT TOTAL_WAITS log file sync 2 gc cr block 2-way 21 gc cr block 3-way 4 gc current block 2-way 3 gc current block 3-way 1 gc current grant busy 1 row cache lock 4 library cache pin 5 library cache lock 7 SQL*Net message to client 30 SQL*Net more data to client 2 SQL*Net message from client 29 SQL*Net more data from client 8 SQL*Net break/reset to client 4 Chris From: Alex Fatkulin [mailto:afatkulin@xxxxxxxxx] Sent: Monday, April 22, 2013 3:29 PM To: Taylor Christopher - Nashville Cc: ORACLE-L Subject: Re: Question - any parameter or hint to FORCE Physical Read (bypass buffer cache) You need "_serial_direct_read"=always On Mon, Apr 22, 2013 at 4:23 PM, <Christopher.Taylor2@xxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:Christopher.Taylor2@xxxxxxxxxxxx>> wrote: I tried setting: "_serial_direct_read"=TRUE and that does not do it. -- Alex Fatkulin, http://afatkulin.blogspot.com Enkitec, http://www.enkitec.com -- //www.freelists.org/webpage/oracle-l