Hi Geoff,

>I have never developed anything using SQL Server but am trying to cut the amount of traffic on a network and am unsure of how exactly things hang in VFP with regard to ODBC and SQL Server.
>
>It seems to me that I can achieve most of what I want by using remote views and ODBC. I have made an assumption that in using and ODBC connection and remote view that the view is made on the host where the data is stored but am unsure whether this is correct.
>
>1) Is this assumption correct?

View is created on the local PC but all SQL commands that retrieve view data or update underlying SQL tables, run on the SQL Server.

>I can create ODBC connection and run a remote view without having a SQL Server.
>
>2) What then runs the query on the host?
>3) Are there limitations of utilising such a method?

You cannot run remote SQL Server view w/o connection to the SQL Server.

>I guess what I am trying to figure out is what the benefits of going to a product like SQL Server 2000 are over just creating ODBC connections and using them instead as SQL Server 2000 would appear to be a costly exercise.

You're comparing "apples and oranges". SQL Server is used to store and retrive data. ODBC is used to connect to different backends, including SQL Server. How can you compare them?

>
>I have been told (thanks Sergey) that the "Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Desktop Engine (MSDE)" that is shipped with VFP7 is a trimmed down version of SQL Server optimized for 5 user.

It's trimmed in sense that it only includes SQL Server database engine and doesn't include any addministrative tools.

>4) Does that mean I would need a copy ove VFP installed at each site???
>5) Does that mean a maximum of 5 ODBC connections at any one time or just that it would degrade

You can distribute MSDE royalty-free with your application. You can have more than 5 connection to the one MSDE but MSDE performance will go down if there are more than 5 concurrent users.