>>this is a two step process - I hope I haven't overlooked a reason for your 3 Table join..
>
>The main reason for a single piece of SQL was because I'm using .Net to access the data....
>
Sitting in your chair I'ld probably use vfp IDE to get the query tuned first and then port and compare against Perf using .Net.
Going via discrete steps is a way to identify the bottleneck in the query AND remove it if possible.
Translating the newfound step order into a single statement is often possible, but sometimes the syntax is not always intuitive for me if I HAVE to use "force" for it. But that also can be accomplished via vfp's IDE.

>However, I could probably still apply your recommendation using ADO.Net.
Have you thought about a stored procedure approach ?

regards

thomas