Ok, having read the newly available ZODB manual, it seems that I should override __setstate__ and call the old __setstate__, passing it a dictionary containing only those attributes I wish to be persistent. Then I don't have to call my __setstate__... it will be called automatically by the system. This should have the effect of making any item not mentioned in my dictionary non-persistent, which will allow me to accomplish Paul's goal. Now, the BIG question... This ZODB manual is for ZODB3, which we don't yet have! So is this still the correct and workable technique for accomplishing this? Thanks again... and please everyone, don't use the old Counter product, since these tags are going to conflict horribly, and this new product should be much better for the DB, according to Paul, if I can make it work. Howard C. Shaw III Programmer/SysAdmin St. Thomas High School