Calvin,
>I am sure that both of these questions are answered somewhere in the documentation, but, to this point, I have not found answers.
Brian's answer to you is correct...in addition, if you go through the MM .NET Jump Start for Business Objects you'll see how to retrieve data outside the context of a form.
Best Regards,
Kevin McNeish
Eight-Time .NET MVP
VFP and iOS Author, Speaker & Trainer
Oak Leaf Enterprises, Inc.
Chief Architect, MM Framework
http://www.oakleafsd.com