>I thought I'd ask you a question directly since you have alot of knowledge >about ADO. I saw a demo of the VS DE Tool at PC Expo. The presenters were >using it in VB6 and I believe VJ++6. It looked like, from what I saw, you >could create an ADO/COM object from a VS DE object that could be accessed by >any of the languages. Is that correct? If so, what are your thoughts on >using this tool as opposed to VFP's own DE object (advantages/disadvantages).

I think the DE designer for VS/VI/VJ is pretty cool. For those that have been looking for a graphical way to work work with ADO - that's the tool. I have worked with it for months - but could not say anything about it up here due to my NDA. Now that the cat is out of the back , all is fair game<g>.

The big advantages to the VB DE are these IMO:

1. The DE is not tied to a form. A project can have multiple DE's. A DE object is very much akin to a private DS. When you need - just create it.

2. DE's can be stored and re-used. How long have we been asking for that??? If you create a DE object, it can be stored in the Repository and used by other tools or by another VB project. To me, this is one of the big things that hurts VFP - the fact that it does not play in the Repository sandbox.

3. VB's new integrated object-based report writer can work with the DE.

4. Like VFP, the VB DE allows you to map specific controls to fields for the purposes of drag and drop - much like VFP's IntelliDrop.

5. If you learn how to use the DE - you will know how to use it when it is hosted by any other tool in VS.

In terms of comparibility - I think it stacks up well against VFP. In many ways, it is superior to VFP's.