>>>A command like

>>>insert into tipdatabase!tiplog (tip_id) values (1.00)

>>>seems to work whether the table is open or not. However under some conditions the insert command produces an error that says either row or table buffering must be enabled. What is the condition that might be causing this?
>>>
>>>Thanks
>>
>>Don
>>
>>Do you actually need to put in the dbc name? I mean, you don't, and I wasn't aware that it would work with it, but is it necessary here. What happens if you do just:
>>

insert into tiplog (tip_id) values (1.00)

?
>>
>>Maybe because you do include the dbc this is causing some dbc-based side-effect.
>
>SQL-insert command is capable of inserting records into a table which wasn't opened - it can open it. You only need to supply a name it can use to open it - a sufficient path, or dbc!table syntax for an already open DBC. In the simple cases (filename equal to alias and visible on set("path")) it just works without need to explain. The need is there for weirder cases :).
>
>If table was already opened without buffering, now that may cause the error above. Or if it wasn't opened and VFP opens it without buffering by default (which would then defeat the purpose of the smart opening).

Not sure what you mean by "smart opening". There are other tables open with buffering set to 3. Since this is an insert and not an edit I assumed buffering is not needed for this table. Plus we want the code to work whether the table is previously opened or not. Hence the syntax that includes the dbc.