multiple thread polling the table

Hi all,

I have 12 threads polling one database table. When the program is actively running, the response is very slow in Query Analyzer for a select statement querying the same table. Anybody know what is the cause of that ? and any ways to prevent this ?
Am I updating the database table too frequently and eat up all the resources 'coz the threads are updating the status column of the result set.

Thanks in advance.

Cibin,
Welcome to JavaRanch!

Some questions to help pinpoint the error?
1) How long does this select take if you do a single query while no updates are running? If it isn't very short, maybe the query can be tuned.
2) How long does a single update take if nothing else is happening? If it isn't very short, the updates could be grabbing write locks for a long time.
3) Are all the threads/updaters within the same JVM? Or are some of them? If so, you may not need a database hit each time.