I have to do it because of the database design (like I said, it's a drupal-based web site), and because, well, because it shouldn't be a big deal to do that. The tables aren't big, they're indexed, and it's probably less overhead than multiple queries. Is there something in MySQL, or not in MySQL, that I should know about? I've been doing this in Ingres/Informix/Oracle for longer than I'd care to admit, so I don't see why it's a big deal.