Jim,

J> Having the database schedule tasks from a known
J> account is extremely powerful. It is also platform independent, unlike
J> cron. It also avoid any problems related to embedding passwords in
J> command files.

while I still agree with almost everything Milan wrote, I think that
the password argument is reasonable. Yet, it is also reasonably easy
for a sysadmin to hide the contents of a command file from
unauthorized eyes.

About platform independence, I don't think that "isql -i file.sql
-user NANDO -password guesswhat" can be qualified as a
platform-dependent command line, or at least not anything to worry
about. A backup would have problems due to the differences in file
naming among different platforms anyway.

Nonetheless I can imagine uses for this feature inside a database:
automating nightly processes, for example. But I feel it would be
better (syntax-wide) to extend the mechanism of triggers (adding also
connection triggers while we're at it :-)) instead of creating a
completely new one.

Ciao
--
Nando Dessena