>I'm using a remote view displayed in a grid to update a .dbf and encountered a strange problem. The tableupdate() returns a .t. only after I've run it as many times as the number of records changed. Earlier the program was updating the table with a single tableupdate(). Can anyone tell me what may be going wrong ?

I think that something changed your batch-update property from -1 to 1. Modify the view in the view designer, then go to the system menu - Query - Advanced options. You should see the batch update count property there and change it to -1

HTH
Larry