>>>>>>>Hi,
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>This is a very newbie question, I know.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>I am trying to understand the SQL Select that Tamar Granor kindly helped me with. It has two JOIN clauses. And THEN, after the second JOIN, there are two ON clauses. I didn't know you can do it. I thought that ON should follow the JOIN immediately.
>>>>>>>And looks like the first ON belong to the top (first) JOIN and the second ON belongs to the bottom (second) JOIN.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>My question is, how does SQL Server (or VFP for that matter) knows which ON apply to which JOIN?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>TIA
>>>>>>
>>>>>>For all I know, there is the following syntax:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Syntax one: The ON follows the JOIN, from top to bottom
>>>>>>

>>>>>>SELECT * ;
>>>>>>FROM Cur1 ;                     && - 
>>>>>> INNER JOIN Cur2 ;              && - First Join	&& -
>>>>>>  ON Cur1.Field=Cur2.Field ;    && +            && |
>>>>>> ;                                              && | Second Join (this is: to the result of the first)
>>>>>> INNER JOIN Cur3 ;                              && -        && -
>>>>>>  ON Cur2.Field=Cur3.Field                      && +        && | ....
>>>>>>

>>>>>>
>>>>>>Syntax two: The ONs follows the JOINs, inside to outside
>>>>>>

>>>>>>SELECT *;
>>>>>> FROM Cur1;                                         && -
>>>>>>  INNER JOIN Cur2;              && -                && -
>>>>>>  INNER JOIN Cur3;              && - First Join     && |
>>>>>>  ON Cur2.Field=Cur3.Field;     && +                && | Second Join (this is: to the result of the first)
>>>>>> ON Cur1.Field=Cur2.Field                           && +
>>>>>>

>>>>>>
>>>>>>You are free to mix the styles. It might create a headache, but is it possible.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Update: tab to space
>>>>>
>>>>>Lutz,
>>>>>
>>>>>Thank you very much for a clear example explaining my question. The second JOIN syntax was new to me.
>>>>>But now I see that if there are two JOIN clauses, and the second JOIN syntax is used, the first ON must be applied to the first JOIN.
>>>>
>>>>??? The second example:
>>>>The JOIN between Cur2 and Cur3 (ie the second JOIN) is the first or innermost ON (Cur2.Field=Cur3.Field). It might differ on different engines, but this at least is what VFP is doing. At one moment in time I switched some hundred views from 2 to 1 (while setting up the views to CA) , so there is remembrance of this.
>>>
>>>In my case, this particular SQL Select will work only on MS SQL Server. I do not support VFP DB in this particular application.
>>>And so far, I have been testing the approach suggested by Tamar, it works. Not that I doubt that a young and inexperienced person like Tamar could suggest a wrong approach :)
>>
>>Nobody is to old to learn new stuff. We are only to old to die young. :)
>
>True. I am too old but I am still learning. I just wish I spend more time on reading tech stuff. I read all the time, a lot; but not tech articles. Burn out :)

I never was good in reading tech. I must work with it. Guess I lost a lot, but at least no fun. :)