That's what we've been doing. We use cursorAdapters for mainly editable cursors. We use DataRetrieval classes for the rest. They general follow this pattern:
1. create object
2. set properties (if needed)
3. requery
4. (for a different dataset) set properties again
5. requery

The cursorAdapters know how to Save, Revert, Validate, etc.

Both classes have a DataSourceType and a Connect method. If the DataSourceType is empty or "ODBC", we call ThisApp.GetConnection(This)
This way the application can control an ambivilent class to use Native or ODBC.

>My application is built with DBFs
>
>I want to upsize it to SQL Server ... and be able to have the DBF version still working.
>
>I don't know anything about cursor adapters. Would the use of cursor adapters make what I want to do possible?
>
>Would I be able to make an application that would work either with DBFs or Client-server architecture?