>How can I read a SQL Server timestamp field in VFP?

The timestamp data type in SQL Server is not a date time field. It is a unique binary number that while it uses the current date and time when created it does not actually contain the date and time. If I remember correctly, it is a 16 byte unique key that is updated every time a record is modified. I also believe that SQL Server guarantees it to be unique for all rows in all tables within a database. If you want a date time field use the datetime or small datetime data types.

Timestamps are useful in determining if a record has been edited. In order to determine if a record has been modified since you last read it (because there is no useful record locking strategy in SQL Server) Your WHERE Clause can include the timestamp field, ie:
Update ...fields WHERE primarykey = ... AND timestamp = ...previous timestamp. If the record has changed since you first read the timestamp, the update will fail. Otherwise, you would have to check each field in the where clause.