>You can run MSDE on the laptop, and should be able to produce what you need. I have a question, though. How does the data "get" to the laptop? Do they have to download it whenever they want to "undock"? Or are you actually keeping copies in both places (currently)?

What is MSDE and how will that help to get data from an SQL Server that is not present when they undock and have no communication link?

How the data is done presently is that when they are docked they download a duplicate of the data from the server onto their PC. So what is happening is that they are running some system data from the server and some locally (duplicate of what is on the server), then when they undock and go on travel they have the data locally to query from, but the network systems will be disabled as they are not connected to get to them.

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>>We are curently working on the next generation of our software here and I have a few questions about data access methods. The wisdom from above will be chosing SQL Server as the database backend. I have worked on nothing but FoxPro for years, so SQL Server will be new to me, but the present VFP System allows the user to use the same executable to run with data from the network and from their local PC. We call it split mode. So when the user undocks their laptop they have the local data to view while they are in a meeting or whatever. When they get back to the office and dock their laptop, then they run a utility that will refresh the local data with what is currently on the network. VFP data and databases have the ability of being very portable even with one table being almost 1.3GB. So my question is if I am told to use SQL Server as the backend, then can a solution that I have just described be created for the user using SQL Server? What would it require on the laptop? I do
>>not think that I am blazing new trail.
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>>The over all goal with this new system is to be entirely web based with an SQL Server backend and a to-be-decided middle tool. But I have pointed out that we have people who physically cannot get access to the system via the web. So how can I help them out?