There are several ways you can get asynch results back. Your idea of updating a flag in a table is one way that's commonly done.

It does not have to be on another machine.

>Now that sounds like a Buck Rogers approach <g>. When you say "spin it off", do you mean to another machine?
>
>It's not that I want the program to continue about its business as this process is running. The process is user-initiated and the user has to wait for confirmation of the process. So it really is a matter of getting it done as quickly as possible.
>
>With that in mind, is this still a viable option?
>
>Thanks.
>
>-m@