>>I had a conversation about application design with an associate today and decided to post a question.
>>
>>When is it best to use a system data table and when is it best to use .mem files? I guess in certain circumstances it's obvious, but we were wondering if there is a set of guidelines that can make the decision process easier.
>>
>>TIA
>
>Personally, I prefer dbf, but it's really question of developer's taste.

You can also try to use .CFG text files, there was a good article on that in January's FoxPro Advisor.