The first thought that crosses my mind is data types. The MUMPS database treats data types very differently than other database systems. SQL Server has well defined data types such as NVARCHAR, VARCHAR, INTEGER, DATETIME, etc. whereas MUMPS has a "general data type." What this means is that as data is pulled from any given field, additional discovery may need to be done to ensure the field has an expected data type such that the data can be coerced properly into the correct data type for the destination field.
A good example is dates. Consider 4/11/2012. Is that April 11, 2012 or is that November 4, 2012?
I would have to experiment further to give additional insight. For now, that is based off what I have read thus far. My initial instinct tells me that if MUMPS treats data like I think it does, then some agreement would have to be made with data entry personnel regarding data entry protocol to ensure that as data is entered it is in an expected form such that when data is coerced into the proper type no error is given (see previous example about dates).
JamesNT
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