Helen, thanks very much for the thorough and thoughtful response.
Lesson learned. I've got the syntax straight now, but won't be using
it within IBO components.

My original post had to do with quick & dirty edits to data within the
IB_SQL utility. A simple select in IB_SQL cannot be edited unless the
"for update" clause is added. I'm pretty sure I got this tip from
Jason at a Borland conference years ago. I tested it a few minutes
ago in the latest version of IB_SQL and it still seems to be the case.

Thanks again-
-David

> There is no such token as "for updating". There is FOR UPDATE which
> is a valid argument in a SELECT clause. But its purpose is not what
> you seem to think. It doesn't make a DSQL select "updatable". This
> is some myth that was spread around this list years ago.
>
> The SELECT.....FOR UPDATE belongs in a cursor structure inside a PSQL
> module