An alternative is to use this OCX that is designed to read/write shapefile geometry and the dbf table. You can add/remove fields, add/remove geometry, add/remove records. It has a few query methods as well. I believe the OCX handles Date fields too. This OCX is very easy to use and is free. The included help file has many examples. ShapeFile Read/Write OCX - written by Ross Pickard http://arcscripts.esri.com/details.asp?dbid=11810