Bonnie,

If you drag and drop to a form from the database, then the table is automatically added to the DE.

In the testing that I have done there is virtually no difference between using the form's load or the DE. I choose to use the DE because it uses objects to represent the tables and views that are open. I can subclass the VFP Cursor class and add my own methods for tableupdating and the such. I can also subclass the DE itself and use my own if I choose.

IMO, one of the things that makes the transition from procedural to OO programming is the fact that VFP still has non-object parts to it and the more we use objects the faster we come to understand the object approach to doing things.

None of the issues raised in this thread are insurmountable with a DE. The paths can be handled, the performance is virtually the same, and once you are used to it the property sheet is much more readable than a few dozen lines of code.