That was it, David! The COLLATE setting (MACHINE) in the private datasession was different than the default setting (GENERAL), under which the index had been created. Now that they match, things are zipping along admirably.
I hate to admit it, but reading the documentation does occasionally help.
Thanks,
BEW
Barbara Weitbrecht
Archives Division
National Air & Space Museum
Smithsonian Institution
"Magic is real... unless defined as integer"