Neil,
I'm pretty sure it will work without the custom data access class...but it IS a good exercise anyway!
You can go to the top of the Solution Explorer, right-click on Data Connections, and select Add Connection... from the shortcut menu.
Regards,
Kevin McNeish
Eight-Time .NET MVP
VFP and iOS Author, Speaker & Trainer
Oak Leaf Enterprises, Inc.
Chief Architect, MM Framework
http://www.oakleafsd.com