>Hi Larry, Thanks for the information. I'll check out Appdev to see what they are offering.
>
>Here are some reasons I've decided to "look at the idea" of switching to SQLServer as backend. I've had no luck with stored procedures with ASP/VFP, data retrieval is fast (when only a few users are querying at the same time), and what about database maintenance (PACK REINDEX etc.) I have to take the data offline to a machine that has VFP installed, do maintenance, then repost data. Will I have to do the same using a SQLServer backend?. Unfortunately, not too many hosting companies load VFP on their servers. I am a VFP loyalist, and have been for a couple of years, but it seems that maintaining an ASP application with SQL on the backend makes since as this approach seems to have become the standard on much of the applications being built today.
>

SQL Server won't have the problem with PACKing because there is no pack. VFP deletes mark a record for deletion and pack actually removes it from the table and disk. DELETE FROM in SQL actually removes the row from the database. There is no recall option so you don't have to worry about that.

As for reindexing, you will need to do this periodically, to clean up dead space. The good news is the OLE-DB provider as well as the ODBC driver for SQL Server support the commands for this (CREATE INDEX). You can do this in the Query Analyzer, if you want or as part of a stored procedure.

I think SQL Server is the databse of choice for ISPs because of cost of ownership. MS has a very good internet licensing package and the difference in time it takes to get SQL Server (especially 7)up and running compared to Oracle can be measured in dog years.

>In saying that, I'm not opposed to sticking with VFP as long as it can perform the same as a SQLServer without the need for third party software. I don't want to use a VFP specific solution. I want to use a decent ASP editor, (there are a couple out there now -- DreamWeaver UltraDev *new* saves coding time...using VID now) ADO for data access. Will this new VFP OLE-DB provider make it possible to call stored procedures from my code? do you know when VFP7.0 (w/OLE-DB provider) is going to be available?
>

Yes the OLE-DB provider will be mulit-threaded which should help with the performance issues you described in the first paragraph and it will allow calls to store procedures. The current ODBC driver for VFP only allows execution of stored procedures if they are executted as part of a trigger.

VFP 7 (along with the provider) won't be out until Visual Studio is released. The current time table is not until 1st quarter 2001. However, with the way some deadlines have slipped, it may not be out until the 2nd quarter.

*snip*