> Unlikely as PostgreSQL doesn't support read uncommitted... You're right - Postgres only offers two levels "PostgreSQL offers the Read Committed and Serializable isolation levels."
> I think you need to play with a couple of psql sessions to sort this out. > I think you might have a race condition here. Following your suggestion, I made a test. In my tests with two PSQL sessions and 1 row in the WPImageHeader table, the following occured: Session 1: start transaction; Session 1: select * from WPImageHeader where WDResourceID=1 for update; Session 2: select GetNextChangedImageHeader(); {This call (Session 2) blocks until Session 1 either commits, or issues a rollback} Session 1: update WPImageHeader set WPImageStateID=2 where WDResourceID=1; Session 2: {returns} -1 In other words GetNextChangedImageHeader() will block if another thread is also calling GetNextChangedImageHeader() and they are both trying to access the same record (reading the uncommitted values). Is there a way to read the WPImageHeader table in such as way that you skip any rows which have (any kind of) locks on them? John Sidney-Woollett ps I attach the function code again (just in case) CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION GetNextChangedImageHeader() RETURNS integer AS ' -- returns the next image header (WDResourceID) awaiting processing -- and changes the state of the record to being processed -- Also modifies the state of an unprocessed (child) Image records -- Either returns a WDResourceID or -1 if no record need processing DECLARE vWDResourceID integer := -1; vImageStateID integer := null; BEGIN -- locate the first (unlocked?) ImageHeader awaiting processing select WDResourceID, WPImageStateID into vWDResourceID, vImageStateID from WPImageHeader where WPImageStateID = 1 for update limit 1; -- check that an image header record is available if (vWDResourceID is null) then return -1; end if; -- check that the state is really awaiting processing (=1) if (vImageStateID > 1) then return -1; end if; -- change the state to being processed update WPImageHeader set WPImageStateID = 2 where WDResourceID = vWDResourceID; -- mark the (child) image records as being processed too update WPImage set WPImageStateID = 2 where WPImageStateID = 1 and WDResourceID = vWDResourceID; return vWDResourceID; END; ' LANGUAGE 'plpgsql'; ---------------------------(end of broadcast)--------------------------- TIP 1: subscribe and unsubscribe commands go to [EMAIL PROTECTED]