>>
>>.NET doesn't require SQL Server, but it's what MS recommends.
>
>You are correct. You can build an app that gets and stores data through web services or into XLM tables.

Well, yes..but that's not what I was trying to say. I can use .NET with any OLE DB provider or ODBC driver. That means I can use Oracle, MySQL, DB2, or any number of databases. No SQL Server needed. No web services used.