Calvin,
I'm all for using a DBC too for all the reasons stated here. But something else to consider is if your older apps need to run concurrently with your new VFP app(s) while development is under way. Since the older stuff can not use the DBC, you'll need to setup your DBC for development, then repopulate it with the newest data once you're ready to roll it out.
Roxanne M. Seibert
Independent Consultant, VFP MCP
Code Monkey Like Fritos