>>>>can you use the locate cmd to start at end of a dbf and proceed backwards?
>>>
>>>You might simply skip -1 in a DO WHILE loop, until you find the record (or BOF, or the equivalent of a WHILE condition). Pressumably, this would be slower than a single command (which doesn't seem to exist).
>>>
>>>Since this is probably not a frequent requirement, I would evaluate each situation separately: whether it is better to use a reverse index, or write your loop.
>>
>>Hilmar, the reverse index exists for every already existing index. It is the keyword ASCE or DESC of the SET ORDER command.
>
>Yes, right, that is a third alternative, which I had briefly forgotten. Probably that is the fastest alternative, if you work with an index - which should be the general case. (How else would you define which is the "last" record? - physical order is seldom significant.)

You're directing my attention to the fact that Timothy Bowen referred to a LOCATE, probably because the table is not ordered. I have all too easy assumed an indexed order. I've just tested SET ORDER TO 0 DESC. There's no error, but the keyword DESC appears to have no effect. Pity.