Ok, database is 9.2.0.5 on Solaris8. So, I wrote this query: 1 select sid, 2 serial#, 3 username, 4 machine, 5 logon_time, 6 osuser, 7 sql_text, 8 executions, 9 buffer_gets 10 from v$session vs, 11 v$sql vsq 12 where vs.sql_hash_value(+) =3D vsq.hash_value 13 and vs.sql_address(+) =3D vsq.address 14 and vsq.executions>70000 15* and vsq.sql_text like '%RETRIEVAL%' And repeated executions show output like this: SID SERIAL# USERNAME MACHINE LOGON_TIM ---------- ---------- ------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------------------------- --------- OSUSER SQL_TEXT EXECUTIONS BUFFER_GETS ------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------ ---------- ----------- SELECT DOC_ID FROM DOCUMENT_RETRIEVALS WHERE DOC_ID =3D :B1 AN 79007 237208 D ROWNUM =3D 1 SQL> / SID SERIAL# USERNAME MACHINE LOGON_TIM ---------- ---------- ------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------------------------- --------- OSUSER SQL_TEXT EXECUTIONS BUFFER_GETS ------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------ ---------- ----------- SELECT DOC_ID FROM DOCUMENT_RETRIEVALS WHERE DOC_ID =3D :B1 AN 79016 237235 D ROWNUM =3D 1 SQL> / SID SERIAL# USERNAME MACHINE LOGON_TIM ---------- ---------- ------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------------------------- --------- OSUSER SQL_TEXT EXECUTIONS BUFFER_GETS ------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------ ---------- ----------- SELECT DOC_ID FROM DOCUMENT_RETRIEVALS WHERE DOC_ID =3D :B1 AN 79023 237256 D ROWNUM =3D 1 So, what I'm seeing here is a SQL that's continuously getting executed and consuming buffer gets.....but from where? Join to V$SESSION fails..... If no sessions are executing it, where's it executing from? The ghost in the machine?? Any ideas are appreciated. Thanks, -Mark -- Mark J. Bobak Oracle DBA ProQuest Company Ann Arbor, MI "On two occasions, I have been asked [by members of Parliament], "Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am not able to rightly apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question." -- Charles Babbage (1791-1871) -- //www.freelists.org/webpage/oracle-l