Other than API is there a means of triggering the task to send out the notification email to the ownerid of the task?  The linked database we are using only inserts records and doesn't have a means of effecting soap header changes (the package is dbAmp that links an SQL server to the SFDC with API calls).  In our case we are inserting between 1 and "n" number of tasks that we would like to have the notification email sent from it. 

While we have effected a workaround solution (see next section) it is not as functional as we would like (i.e. send the link to the task created to the user).

Workaround: Tthrough an APEX bulk process trigger on the insert event that tests for whether a hidden field (not present on the UI) is set and if so the trigger will create an outbound MASS email that uses a template.  The problem is that the MASS email doesn't allow for associating task objects (or any activity object) with the mass email, and therefore we can't pass variables into the email template.  The the email template that is present today can only send fixed information to the user notifying them that a task has been created (but without the link to the actual task).  Although we can accomodate multiple different templates, each template is a fixed-text only communication without the benefit of including links to the created task.

Any other means of creating the task - email notification of user action?