Lets start with something even simpler then the other's have suggested. You've posted a message to indicate there's an error on line 30, yet you've not supplied enough code to understand where line 30 is.

>When I try to build this code (that someone else wrote, I might add),
>VFP 9 SP1 comes back with: "Error in line 30: Command contains unrecognized
>phrase/keyword."
>
>Here's the code...
>

>
>USE m.lcTableName
>
>SELECT cmpid, ts, IsUpdated FROM m.lcTableName WHERE IsUpdated > 0 INTO CURSOR;
>local_cursor
>	
>**! Form retrieve from server list
>SQLEXEC(this.connhandle,"select cmpid, ts, IdDeleted from companies where; "+TTOC(settings.lastupdate,1)+" > ts", "remote_cursor")
>	
>
>**! Compare the two tables & elminiate depreciate matches
>	
>SELECT x.cmpid, x.ts AS ts_local y.ts AS ts_remote FROM local_cursor x LEFT JOIN; remote_cursor y ON x.cmpid = y.cmpid INTO CURSOR matches_cursor
>
>**! The SELECT command above is the line that nukes :^).
>

>After reading through the on-line help for SELECT and comparing syntax,
>I can't seem to see a problem with this code...or am I blind or something? :^)
>
>TIA,
>Randall