SQL Server or Oracle is definitely the answer to this kind of problem. This really isn't unique to VFP. You'll see problems like this with any desktop database. Point VFP at SQL Server and you won't see nearly as many problems like these. Point VB at a JET database, and you'll see much of the same.

Of course, if your server crashes you may see these problems even with a server database. However, you can do incremental on-line backups with SQL Server. This makes it easy to backup hourly without taking users off line, for instance.


>What's wrong with VFP? Three words: NO FAULT TOLERANCE.
>
>I just spent the last four hours (and counting) putting out fires for our in-house project tracking system (written by me in VFP, of course) resulting from our network server going down and corrupting several VFP files.
>
>1) CDX files got corrupted
>2) Bad data got commited to critical tables (primary key counters, etc.)
>3) Data was lost forever (barring any backup tapes)
>4) Error messages were misleading.
>
>Does anyone have a good cure for the old network going down while users are writing to VFP tables problem? Until Microsoft comes up with a better solution for fault tolerance VFP will never get the respect it deserves.
>
>I am told that transaction processing would alleviate the seriousness of the situation. Let's hope so. I don't know how many more of these situations my reputation can withstand.
>
>Maybe SQL Server/Oracle isn't such a bad idea....
>
>-JT