>So...
>
>VFP can build a file that Excel can read, but Excel can't read VFP's tables?

Excel 97 doesn't know about the changes to the DBF header in the VFP5/6 DBFs - so in order to make files that Excel 97 can understand, VFP has to create an older-style DBF header - the TYPE FOX2X clause of the COPY TO statement. VFP can work with both older and newer style DBFs, so it doesn't have any problems with the DBF files created by Excel 97.