>I hate screns that just sit there for ever with no feedback , too!
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>One easy solution is indirect processing, you have TWO separate .exe's running, one that actually does the work, and one that the use sees, that tells him how many records are unprocessed, etc. This MAY be theoretically less efficient, but in the real world, I get more work done if my screen has a HUGE indicator of task completion, so I can keep an eye on the progress form 30 feet away!
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Mike, this is similar to the idea of using an out-of-process server, but it lacks the simple communication between client and server. COM or DDE permit easier synchronization of the two processes, and out-of-process COM performs in a similar fashion to a separate app.