>OK, so I still don't get it...
>
>If I want to have the table patients.dbf open in area 1, and then I issue the sqlexec command to create a cursor full of results that I want to have the alias results, but open in area 2 (or the first open area), what comes after this code:
>
>select 1
>use patients.dbf
>
>??????????
>

The 'results' cursor will be created in the first free work area. In your example it'll be work area 2. The patients.dbf still be open.

* WA 1 
Alias: patients
Table: patients.dbf

* WA 2
Alias: results 
Cursor: results