>At risk of answering my own question, ..SNIP.. I would just issue a thisform.massage_data()?
>Now, what happens if this function needs to be called from several parts in the program? What do I do then? Is there a workaround that doesn't involve a prg with nothing but function definitions?

If the program is running on top of the form, then thisform.massage_data() is still accessible. Just make sure the massage_data routine doesn't do anything that isn't specifically massage_data (ie: no UI references, or other code that can't be called from anywhere else in the program)

>And another question: Does it make a difference if the prg is attached to the database or to the project?

If the form is only opened for a short UI session, and the program does work with no UI (shudder) then the thisform.method() won't work. Since this routine is inherently a data operation, it makes sense to store the procedure in the database where the data is going. The stored procedure guarantees that any application/form that uses this database later will have access to the routine that massages the incoming source into the apropriate format for the database!tables. [the answer is basically NO, but reusability makes it worthwhile to store the procedure with the database the massaged data is intended for]