Ravi,
>Thank you for your response. Are you suggesting the use of free tables over a DBC?
That depends completely on the circumstances of each situtation you are facing. I certainly am suggesting free tables if you need simultaneous access from 2.6 and VFP apps, since that's the only way to do it.
You might also find free tables good for simple apps where you do not need any of the DBC features. IOW, I would not religiously avoid free tables just because someone says you should always use DBC's.