Several folks have made numerous recommendations (myself included) about your data base question. One thing none of us has pointed out is this: If you have been using an older machine (a Mac SE or a 286 PC, for instance) or if you inherited a new machine designed primarily for everyday "office" type use, you should know that all these programs and combos take BIG memory. I think I recall your saying you got a Pentium machine. That's a good sign. But I strongly recommend if you plan to run FoxPro, or evenm Filemaker linked to MS Office Pro (a good combo, by the way), you had better have at least 16 MEG, and preferably 24 or better. If you want to store graphics with your files, get even more RAM and make sure you have at least a gig of hard disk with a good back-up system like a Syquest or Zip drive. Just didn't want you to be shocked when you try to open MS Word, or FoxPro, and your computer enters a long dream-state followed by melt-down. Cheers, Dan