>>>Thanks to All
>>
>>Peter;
>>
>>Breaking up a query is also a good exercise even if the maximum number of tables is not a direct issue. Many times breaking a multi table Select statement into parts will render better performance if done correctly.
>>
>>Tom
>
>As an illustration, in one case I joined 9 or 10 tables. Over the network, it took me 50 seconds to get the desired results. As soon as I added the tables one at a time (with different SELECT statements), I reduced the time to 2 seconds.
>
>Hilmar.

Hilmar;

This is the activity in programming I enjoy most - finding the fastest way to retrieve a data set. I have a class created for this purpose with wait windows to indicate the time it took for a predetermined statement. My test tables have as many as a million records just to be realistic. Small test tables can be deceiving.

Taking an academic approach to a SQL Select statement does not guarantee the best results. If fastest data retrieval is what you want put the text books aside and approach each problem with forethought. After a few attempts at doing this you will soon learn when to apply it and when not too. As with everything in programming there is no one way to do everything.

Tom