>I've had a few pieces of code where I (the framework I inherited, actually) used scatter/gather memvar a lot. The trouble with that approach is when you don't do all the fields, and there's a variable (from previously executed code) whose name matches a field. It will be GATHERed (or inserted) and you wouldn't notice. The reliability of this approach decreases exponentially with the number of lines between Scatter and Gather/Insert :).
>
>It gets even worse if you're inserting into more than one table. You need to control all the variables, and still there's a chance a new field in one of target tables may pop up, with a name same as one of the variables. So some field may get a value you didn't intend to - and catching this type of error is time consuming.
>
>I'm for the insert ... values or insert ... name simply because you have more control over what's being written.

That's also a good point.

I guess you know a joke about Jewish judge <g>

Now I have both of you right. I guess I'll keep what I have now. Hopefully new ValidateSSN and age calculation makes some difference. Otherwise I'm going to reveal other pieces of this misery...