<?php function db_next_id($name) { $name = db_prefix_tables($name); $result = db_query("update {sequences} set id = last_insert_id(id+1) where name = '%s'", $name); if(!db_affected_rows($result)) { db_query("insert into {sequences} (id, name) values (0, '%s')", $name); db_query("update {sequences} set id = last_insert_id(id+1) where name = '%s'", $name); } return mysql_insert_id(); } ?> Problem: a lock is needed to prevent multiple records from being inserted at the same time in case of an empty resultset from first update. (If first process is blocked after first update before the insert, and second process ran first update query during the block, then you'd get two inserts.) If sequences was initialized with appropriate records in some other way, then this general approach would perform better than the current lock pattern. Joe Murray, PhD President, JMA Consulting 57 Grandview Ave, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4K 1J1 416.466.1281, 416.466.1277 (f) joe.murray@jmaconsulting.biz Skype: josephpmurray