>>I see, but he already used named expressions there (in empty use statements) and doing the same SQL N times (where I think N is 7 coming from alen()). I don't understand why he does the same SQL over and over N times if that's his real code. Started to suspect I never could see his original code.
>
>There are seven sets of data files, located in seven different directories (in the real app, it's on seven different servers), representing the data from seven different offices. The task is to select all the records from all of those locations that match the criteria (Cl_Sname="LAWRENCE").


Isn't this the code ?

LOCAL laOffice(1)

lnSecs = SECONDS()

USE Z:\Useful\Offices

SELECT *;
  FROM Offices;
 ORDER BY 1;
  INTO ARRAY laOffice

USE IN Offices

CREATE CURSOR Results(Cl_Ref C(8))

FOR o = 1 TO ALEN(laOffice, 1)
	WAIT WINDOW laOffice(o, 1) NOWAIT
   laOffice(o, 2) = ALLTRIM(laOffice(o, 2))
   USE (laOffice(o, 2) + "client") IN 0
   USE (laOffice(o, 2) + "property") IN 0
   USE (laOffice(o, 2) + "foxguids") IN 0

   SELECT DISTINCT Guid, Cl_Ref, *;
     FROM Client;
     LEFT JOIN Property ON Client.Pr_Code = Property.Pr_Code;
     LEFT JOIN FoxGuids ON FoxGuids.Table = 'Client' AND FoxGuids.PKey = Client.Cl_Ref;
     ORDER BY Cl_Sname, Cl_Fname, Cl_Dob;
     WHERE Cl_Sname = "LAWRENCE";
      INTO CURSOR temp

   SELECT temp
   SCAN
      SCATTER MEMVAR
      INSERT INTO Results FROM MEMVAR
   ENDSCAN

   USE IN Client
   USE IN Property
   USE IN FoxGuids
ENDFOR

?RECCOUNT("Temp")

?SECONDS() - lnSecs

Repeatedly querying from same Client, Property, FoxGUIDS tables. Am I missing something here.
Cetin