hi mike
i didn't know about the incompatibility. i tried the append from thanks with the same errors. it seems as though this is something i'll have to live with.
i'm analysing only. it's a shame because it means i can't really use vfp to create my analysis tool due to the 5 errors (there are 5 tags with the problem) that the user will receive on opening the table. doesn't look too professional!
thanks for your help anyway...