I should clarify point 2. (I wrote while sitting at the airport after getting up at 4:00 AM to catch my flight home from Regina)....

You don't directly use OLEDB from VFP. You use ADO from VFP. OLEDB is very low level and the only language that accesses it directly is C++.

>Hi Craig,
>
>thanks for laying it out so clearly.
>
>Hank
>
>>That is not correct. OLEDB *sometimes* sits between ODBC and the database.
>>
>>1. ODBC is a standardized way to access data cross platform. THERE IS NO OLEDB INVOLEVED IN ANY WAY. For example, in VFP, when you use Remote Views, SPT, or ODBC to connect to data, you are using ODBC. (unless you are using scenario 3 below)
>>
>>2. OLEDB was Microsoft's solution to the low-level calls needed for ODBC. It is a COM-based data access mechanism that works only on Windows. ADO is a high-level wrapper around OLEDB. In VFP, you get back recordset if you use OLEDB directly. If you use a CursorAdapter, it converts the RS to a cursor for you.
>>
>>3. You *can* use the "ODBC Driver for OLEDB". This is the ONLY case where OLEDB sits between ODBC and the database. In this case, the application connects to ODBC, ODBC connects to OLEDB, and OLEDB connects to the database. The only time I would ever use this is when the application requires ODBC and you have to use OLEDB to connect to the database.
>>
>>>Correct, but it is what is used for ODBC connections. OleDB is what sits between ODBC and the database: http://www.4guysfromrolla.com/webtech/063099-1.shtml