I have found that if you execute _tally immediatley after the query it is correct.

SELECT * FROM table INTO Cursor
IF _TALLY > 0 .. etc

If you have any commands in between the query and your _tally command sometimes the _tally value has been changed by something inside VFP. ( don't ask me what I just know it happens )

SELECT * FROM table INTO Cursor

* some code in here

IF _TALLY > 0 .. etc

For a way to always have a tally accurate, immediately after a query I assign _tally to a variable before doing anything else. This way I can do other things necessary before I check _tally and go from there based on it value.

SELECT * FROM table INTO Cursor
lnTally = _TALLY

It is the same reason I always have a SELECT TableAlias as the last line of a set of instructions inside a SCAN ... ENDSCAN, because on occasion VFP forgets what table it is scanning when it hits the ENDSCAN.

MLW