Have you filled in the ZSQLMethod's argument list with col and fla? Unless a variable name is in the argument list, it is NOT found in REQUEST or parameters in a call, ONLY in the containing folder. AFAIK this is a security feature, so that you can parameterize a query using acquisition and properties of the acquiring object, without allowing the REQUEST to override parameters unless you explicitly specify. For example, you could have ZSQLmethod "base/larch/newstuff" as INSERT INTO <!--#var relation--> (ID, <!--#var attribute-->) VALUES (<!--#sqlvar new_id type=int-->, <!--#sqlvar new_value type=nb-->) with "new_id" and "new_value" in the argument list. Then "base/larch/newstuff" accepts "new_id" and "new_value" as arguments, and looks up "relation" and "attribute" in "base/larch", while "base/larch/parrot/newstuff" looks up "relation" and "attribute" in "base/larch/parrot". Neither one allows ".../newstuff?relation=forbiddentable..." since "relation" is not in the argument list.