I have a simple VFP (5.0a) app that does a SQL SELECT from an Informix table and writes the results into an ascii file on a network server that hosts MS SQL Server. The app works fine when executed from either NT Explorer or the DOS prompt. When I try to execute it from SQL Server, using the xp_cmdshell extended stored procedure, I get nothing - no errors, no text file, and no end to the SQL query that executed the xp_cmdshell procedure.

All the necessary ODBC drivers and VFP are located on the same machine as SQL Server. All the ODBC connections function properly from inside and outside of VFP. I can execute things like DIR and COPY from SQL Server using the xp_cmdshell call.

The syntax I'm using in the SQL query (from the Enterprise Manager) is:

EXECUTE master..xp_cmdshell 'd:\locator\locator.exe',no_output.

The NT Task Manager indicates that locator.exe has been started as a process (not an application).

Anyone have any experience with this? TIA