Jim,

>It seems you haven't done SQL Server development. There is no perceivable speed difference between VFP and SQL Server 7.

When developing applications in the way you forget the xBase DML commands like SEEK, SCAN WHILE, Filtered INDEXES, setting relations with SET RELATIONS, and you'll only use P-views to gather your data, you may be right.

However, given the fact that the named commands still have value in VFP development when achieving ultimate power and speed, SQL server is getting you nowhere. I've got some very complex routine where about 15 tables are involved to calculate a personal roster (leave hours, sickness etc) that takes about 0.03 seconds to complete on a medium powered PC where there is no direct SQL equivalent. On SQL you've got to work arroud the limitations and could only achieve the same result with a significant avarage performance decrease of 30.000 %.

After all, VFP and SQL server have some very different characteristics, When having an application that takes advantage of of specific strenghts, it will be difficult to port them into another.

>Development is not any more or less difficult using SQL Server for a data source if you know how. If you don't know how that is a different story altogether and it has nothing to do with speed or ease of development, it has to do with knowledge and experience.

Ease of development and speed are strongly related. When speed is not a requirement, development won't be much more difficult, however when it is, you'll be thinking your head off, how this can be done in the most efficient way, saying: "This is so easy within VFP, why can't I in SQL server".

(Note that i'm talking about SQL-server, but I simply mean any given database server, like INFORMIX, SQL-INGRESS, ORACLE, SYBASE, MS SQL SERVER, etc).

As for Knowledge and experience: when it comes to this fields, EVERYONE seems to lack them. Working in this field is more an art than a craft, despite what others (mainly software vendors) are trying you to believe.

Walter,