schweet, thanks

awesome thanks, didnt know you could use a select like that. heres what i ended up with

DECLARE @filename VARCHAR(max) 
DECLARE @fileprecis VARCHAR(max)
DECLARE @tccref integer

declare precisCursor Cursor for
select tccref + '1',precis from tempBC

open precisCursor
fetch next from precisCursor into @filename,@fileprecis

while @@FETCH_STATUS = 0 
begin

--print @filename + '		' + @fileprecis


select @tccref = b.docsetid
	from tempBC a
	join files b on a.tccref + '1' = b.origname
	where a.tccref + '1' = @filename


update document set precis = @fileprecis
where docsetid = @tccref
--select * from document where docsetid = @tccref


fetch next from precisCursor into @filename,@fileprecis
end

close precisCursor
deallocate precisCursor

it's a db that i can't change unfortunately modi.
e_i_pi, it's for a set of rows but yup thats pretty much the idea. Theres a title associated with a filename in table one that i need to use to update the row in table three with the correct id

This is what i had, but it's only affecting one row(using a select instead of update just to see the results)

DECLARE @filename VARCHAR(50) 
DECLARE @fileprecis VARCHAR(max)
DECLARE @tccref integer


declare precisCursor Cursor for
//original file name  title
select tccref + '1',precis from tempBC

open precisCursor
fetch next from precisCursor into @filename,@fileprecis

while @@FETCH_STATUS = 0 
begin

declare refCursor Cursor for
//ID
select docsetid from files where origname like @filename
 open refCursor
 fetch next from refcursor into @tccref 

//id    title
 select docsetid,precis from document where docsetid = @tccref
 fetch next from refcursor into @tccref 

fetch next from precisCursor into @filename,@fileprecis
end

close refcursor
deallocate refcursor

close precisCursor
deallocate precisCursor

K, figured out that it's because the file is readonly, thanks. But am i being really dense here? Shouldn't that still cause an io error not and unauthorized access one?

Sure,it's pretty sparse

UnauthorizedAccessException was unhandled

Access to path 'c:\Datawrks\temp\4897128\TCC435674.pdf' is denied