Thanks Naomi.
As often happens I struggle with a problem for hours and finally go to UT for help. Then shortly afterward find a solution or partial solution myself. In this case I think I have it solved by limiting the case of dual databases to a modal form with a private datasession. Then I can close all databases when it exits and leaving the main datasession unaffected. That way I only have to use full filespecs within that one form which is limited in functionality and use.

>May be I'm wrong, but I see the solution to this problem in using tables with fullpaths and different aliases. I don't see a simple other way of resolving two databases simultaneously :(
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>>AAARGH!!
>>Perhaps someone can help me with some frustration.
>>I have an app that uses several tables in a database container. The primary reason for the database is to facilitate some auditing that is managed via stored procedures. The app is networked and all is well.
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>>Now we want to put it on the web so certain web users can provide edits to the data. For security reasons, our IT manager does not want to expose the data to the web, so instead of placing the "real" data on the web server we have a copy of the database and tables on the server. This copy is kept fresh by a scheduled task that copies the real data to the server every night. IE xcopy . . . etc.
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>>The edits provided by the web users are inserted into the web copy and also into a secondary set of tables (also part of the database). These secondary tables are not copied every night so the edits are preserved when the web update routine runs during the night.
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>>I am now working on the methodology to insert the web edits into the "real" database kept behind the firewalls. These edits must be reviewed by a manager before they are allowed into the "real" database. This requires that I simultaneously open the tables from the web server and the "real" data files for comparison by the manager. I can manage this by using the full filespecs when I open and close the tables. BUT I am left with 2 databases open that have the same name. So when the program continues to other things it doesn't know which database I'm referring to when I point to MYDATABASE!TABLE.
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>>Any suggestions on how to deal with this situation?