> at first I was selecting labels using this:
> 
> <xsl:value-of select="label[@id='2']"/>
> 
> and then changed it to:
> 
> <xsl:value-of select="/page/labels/label[@id='2']"/>
> 
> the result was quite good,
> the page was generated 2 or 3 times faster

With which processor?

On Saxon, that change would slow the transformation down fractionally.

Mike Kay 

 XSL-List info and archive:  http://www.mulberrytech.com/xsl/xsl-list