>I think what you are missing is that if the classes are designed properly, there is no need to determine at this early stage what database it will be implemented on. That comes later. What I need to focus on right now is the basic responsibiltities of the actors in the system and their attributes. It isn't until later I will begin molding the object model to the data model, the data model would get created after the object model. But in order to model the business as closely as possible into an object model, there are certain pre-stages that need to be dealt with.

because I know my underlying DB will be VFP - I try to build the "data model" as I go along building the "object model"

u have to remeber that OO-RAD (ok Jose, even just OO :) ) involves conducting
analysis and design several times , so you should (IMHO) use something
that can be easly translated from one methodolgy to the other
or u are very prone to abandone one of the models (usually the one used in the early stages)

Arnon