Hi bob,

>>Lots of resources in my project are tables. For example all menuitems are tables compiled into the executable. All security objects, all fixed lookup tables, all other application specific meta data are included in the executable.

>This is what XML is for. It is a local data store for small stuff like config and such. This is what we use for our menus. You can't include it in the 'exe' but you can encrypt it if you want.

Using XML is by no means a replacement of a local data engine. It has no significant DML and is very cubersome to use within queries.

>Also, you can use DBFs with .Net just fine, you can have the speed you local engine speed you are used to if you use the VFP ole-db provider.

This is just workarround the problem; using VFPs local dataengine for something that is missing in .NET, there are numerous practical problems using this approach and is essentially no solution for data driven applications.

Walter,