>I guess i could, what i'm really interested to know is how in theory long transactions like that are handled in very large database.

SQL Server will allow locks to be maintained as long as the connection is maintained.

>> How do you avoid locking records for a long period of time without compromizing the integrity of the transaction.

Consistency and concurrency are at seperate ends of the spectrum. You have to find a balance.

>Yes i am, i know your answer to this one will be to use a stored procedure to make it much faster, but we decided a long time ago not to use stored prodedures as our # 1 rule to keep our components backend independent.

Well, you'll have to live with your decision.

-Mike