> > "better" - yes. "more important" - probably.
> >
> > Killing a runaway query either requires the application to surface this
> > functionality (eg: "Cancel" button) or a DBA to kill it for you.
> >
> > A timeout will always work.
>
> And therein lies the rub. How does one allow your important,
> well-designed, but necessarily long queries to run while killing my
> badly thought-out full-cross product hack? If the parameter is on the
> connection, how do you insure that all idiots use the kill-my-query
> option? If on the database, how do you be sure that we don't fall into
> the Hitch-hikers Guide trap and kill the query that's 2 seconds from
> giving us the ultimate question to the ultimate answer?

I know, I know...

But currently, there's no support for it whatsoever.

An application developer should then decide whether to use a time-out,
I think.

With regards,

Martijn Tonies
Database Workbench - tool for InterBase, Firebird, MySQL, Oracle & MS SQL
Server
Upscene Productions
http://www.upscene.com