>May I suggest something that helps me?
>
>I format my SQL field syntax in pseudo-columns. Yes, it looks strange at first but one gets used to it and the compiler doesn't care. These syntax errors become much easier to spot.
>

>SELECT x.ssno ;
>     , x.firstname ;
>       x.lastname ;
>     , x.idnumber ;
>     , y.idnumber ;
>     , y.imageid ;
>    FROM ud_tbl x ;
>    INNER JOIN it_tbl y ON x.idnumber = y.idnumber ;
>    INTO CURSOR test
>

thanks for the tip Spencer.