>
> Provided you use it appropriately (reasonable sets from tables with
> good indexes), this syntax doesn't need to be unbearably slow.

my point exactly - in fact it is almost as fast as only having those records
in the table i.e. not picking a small bracket of records out of a larger
table.

>
> Furthermore (though it's another red herring with respect to the
> question asked), there is no sensible reason on earth to use SELECT
> FIRST syntax in a stored procedure.
>
> ./heLen
>
>

I'll have to disagree - many good reasons - and I'm here on earth with most
of the rest of us.
Alan