>>Dmitry,
>>
>>I follow such questions / discussions, because there are corners of SQL I am uncertain about or just ignorant. That said, In your shoes I'd never put the smart 1 query code in any of my apps
>>
>>The basic OP question was clear and defined 2 selection steps. Why not KISS and code in 3 queries ? That way, you can be certain that you will not run afoul implementation differences or updates on esoteric SQL and if somebody else (or a future Dmitry...) touches that code it will still resolve to the result specced.
>>in Vfp there would be no need for even result cursor, better here as the JOIN is a filter

>>SELECT MAX(DATE_FLD) As mD FROM MyTable into Array aT_Date
>>SELECT MAX(ORDER_NO) AS mO FROM MyTable where DATE_FLD = aT_Date[1] into Array aT_Ord
>>SELECT fields_needed_list   FROM MyTable;
>>       where DATE_FLD = aT_Date[1] and ORDER_NO  = aT_Ord[1]
>>

>>There is no need for checking _tally if there is at least 1 record, as filter is a self join.
>>So yes, ask questions- get smarter - but keep your code free of the answers ;-)
>>
>>my 0.02€
>>thomas
>
>And, as Tamar pointed out several times, don't trust _TALLY. Even as simple as
>

>SELECT * from Cur1 into cursor Cur2
>?_TALLY
>

>might lie if some unexpected event fires.
>Use
>

>SELECT * from Cur1 into cursor Cur2 nofilter
>?RECCOUNT("Cur2")
>

>instead.

I don't recall, in this thread, that Tamar would mention _tally. And I do not rely on it (_tally) either.