We've set sort_area_size to 8M, but the session pga memory usage shows much higher than 8M, in fact its about 176M. The heap value for the shadow process also confirms the size of the PGA area. 01A40000 180496K read/write/exec [ heap ] I thought that the PGA size should not go beyond sort_area_size. Are we missing anything here? Thank for your help. -- Please see the official ORACLE-L FAQ: http://www.orafaq.com -- Author: Srikannan Gopalsamy INET: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Fat City Network Services -- (858) 538-5051 FAX: (858) 538-5051 San Diego, California -- Public Internet access / Mailing Lists -------------------------------------------------------------------- To REMOVE yourself from this mailing list, send an E-Mail message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (note EXACT spelling of 'ListGuru') and in the message BODY, include a line containing: UNSUB ORACLE-L (or the name of mailing list you want to be removed from). You may also send the HELP command for other information (like subscribing).