Cetin,
Thank you for the reply. I am acctually not using either VFP or SQL as a backend, I am using Advantage Database Server. I think the safest is to use the Convert class instead of casting the value, just in case I change the backend.

Einar
>Einar,
>Different backends might be returning as something different from a decimal. ie: If backend is VFP it'd return decimal and the cast is valid, if SQL server it always returns an int (Int32) - with SQL server you might exceed the max value but for that one there is COUNT_BIG.
>So make it to match all of them by converting. ie:
>

>using System;
>using System.Data;
>using System.Data.OleDb;
>
>class test
>{
> static void Main()
> {
>  string conStr1 = @"Provider=VFPOLEDB;
>     Data Source=C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual FoxPro 8\Samples\Northwind\NorthWind.dbc";
>  string conStr2 = @"Provider=SQLOLEDB;
>     Integrated Security=SSPI;Initial Catalog=Northwind;Data Source=(local)";
>  string sSQL =
>  @"Select count(*)
>    from customers
>    where country = 'USA' and city in ('Elgin','Walla Walla')";
>  ShowCount(conStr1,sSQL,"VFP");
>  ShowCount(conStr2,sSQL,"MSSQL");
> }
>
> private static void ShowCount(string conStr, string sql,string backend)
> {
>  OleDbConnection loConnection = new OleDbConnection(conStr);
>  loConnection.Open();
>  OleDbCommand cmd = new OleDbCommand(sql, loConnection);
>  int iCount = Convert.ToInt32(cmd.ExecuteScalar());
>  loConnection.Close();
>  Console.WriteLine("Backend is {0}. Count is {1}",backend,iCount);
> }
>}

>Cetin
>
>
>>Cetin,
>>Thank you for the reply. Please see my commends inserted in your reply.
>>
>>>1) Your SQL sounds to have an extra semicolon at the end.
>>
>>The extra semicolon does not make a difference. That is simply the semicolon terminator for the SQL statement. (I did notice that I forgot the start " when I assigned the sting in my initial message, but this was correct in my project).
>>
>>>2) Count() returns a decimal data type and you need to convert it.
>>
>>Well that explains things. I thought it returned an int, but I assume for insanely large tables decimal is better <s>
>>
>>>3) For things like this instead of creating a DS use ExecuteScalar method of OleDbCommand.
>>>ie:
>>>

>>>OleDbConnection loConnection = new OleDbConnection(conStr);
>>>loConnection.Open();
>>>OleDbCommand cmd = new OleDbCommand(sSQL, loConnection);
>>>decimal iCount = (decimal)cmd.ExecuteScalar();
>>>

Cetin
>>
>>Yeah I suppose there is less overhead by using ExecuteScalar() and not creating a dataset and filling it. I think I will update my code.
>>
>>I did notice that I can not use:
>>

>>(decimal)cmd.ExecuteScalar()  OR (decimal)loDS.Tables[0].Rows[0][0]
>>

>>
>>I have to use:
>>

>>Convert.ToDecimal(cmd.ExecuteScalar())  OR Convert.ToDecimal(loDS.Tables[0].Rows[0][0])
>>

>>
>>Any clue why I can't cast the value?
>>
>>Einar