Hi all,

My next project is to built a sales/customer support application, all data is FoxPro (free tables only) and it will be the same for a year more or so, then we will go for SQL Server maintaining VFP for the middle tier.

The client have Winframe (based in NT 3.51, no Terminal Server/Metaframe yet) running aplications in VFP and FoxPro DOS.
9 countries are accessing those apps, dial ups for some and with leased and expensive lines for others.

I wrote the middle tier for their new Web site -we use Web Connection-and it is alive and working very well.

For x reasons, they want to mantain both solutions, and we need to upgrade the apps in Winframe.
The actual problem is poor perceived performance because VFP screen refreshes are slow in that environment; VB is a better choice for the UI there and we will use it for that. VFP will be in the middle for data retrieval/processing and storage (again, for a aprox. a year more).

Enter my puzzle: to pass data between VB and VFP.

Not being BV literate, I went to the gurus for advice, having reading for 6 weeks almost everything in Rick Strahl's Web site (thanks a lot for all those tons of information, Rick S.) and 2 times JVP's 'ADO Jumpstart..', now I'm informed but undecided about which option is better: ADO, XML, COM data objects, dump dbfs product of COM servers in temp folders and access them with ODBC from VB, a combination of some of them?...

'Better' is subjective, sure, but being with the fox from foxbase, to me SPEED critical. Additionally, having fast screen refreshes with VB but overall slow data process because data conversions doesn't inprove anything.

And that is the actual question:

What is the fastest method to pass data betw VB and VFP, both ways?

Any help, advice and/or insight from your experience, UT friends, will be greatly appreciated..


TIA

Agustin.