I noticed the following in some of our code today: select ... <join list> ... for update of a, b; Inasmuch as the cardinal rule for avoiding deadlocks is to acquire locks in a consistent order, should such a construction be avoided in favor of two separate "select ... for update" statements so that the order of acquisition of a and b is known? I'm assuming that there is no ordering implied/guaranteed by "for update of a, b". Or am I missing something? Clarence