>>sql server allows more than two outer joins, so it's not an sql limit, but an msquery limit. what was the error vfp gave you?
>
>Thanks for letting me know that it was not a limitation of SQL Server. I was finally able to create a remote view using the command line and the following select statement:
>
>SELECT *;
> FROM Claimant_record;
> LEFT OUTER JOIN Claim_status;
> ON Claimant_record.claim_status = Claim_status.code ;
> LEFT OUTER JOIN Claim_type;
> ON Claimant_record.Claim_type = Claim_type.code;
> WHERE Claimant_record.claim_number > 4000 ;
> ORDER BY claim_number
>
>It's too bad VFP5 isn't able to do the same thing using the view designer. As a matter of fact, after the view was created, I'm unable to modify the view using the view designer.
>
>Jeff

I cannot check VFP5 now (have just VFP3 on hand), but would you consider to make small change in your data design. Now you have claimant_record and claim_status tables and some records in claimant_records don't have matches in claim_status. Why cannot you provide that match is always available : just add record claim_status.code=0 ("unknown") for 'non-matched' and handle it nicely on front-end.