This would depend on the SQL applications more than anything.  Our
installation revolved around shrink-wrap applications, so keyword and
reserve word issues, for example, were moot, since we could depend on the
software vendor to have written a strongly compliant application, one that
Microsoft certainly wasn't going to 'screw' by doing something that wasn't
backward compatible.  If however, you are dealing with a patchwork of
undocumented code, I would at least port everything to a pre-production
server.  We used an off-line server running 7.0 while our users stayed on
6.5 for a couple days.  We spent the time in tandem operation configuring
the administration of our database more than anything else, configuring
transaction log files, recovery procedures, etc. since 7.0 is much better in
this area.
If you aren't using the enterprise edition you should be able to get a solid
7.0 up on a desktop pc, if getting a pre-production server is not in your
budget.  Our first pre-production 7.0 install was on a celeron based pc with
an ide drive.
The database must be converted with the Microsoft wizard, so you will need
adequate disk space to potentially hold both the 6.5 and 7.0 versions.  The
wizard will allow conversion across a lan, among other methods, to ease this
constraint.
A thorough backup of the production server, databases, sql 6.5 folders,
system and registry, are mandatory before you attempt to move the 7.0
installation on to it. If you're as cautious as we were, you can prepare and
test a backup 6.5 server first. Then port all the  pre-production
installation to the production server, then run the wizard on the 6.5
databases (we had to use the wizard twice because we languorously spent two
days configuring and testing 7.0 and the database was by then out of date on
the pre-production server.)  If anything goes wrong, you just cut the backup
6.5 server on-line, and try again tomorrow.  Again, the pre-production and
backup servers were just desktops commandeered for the upgrade, nothing like
the production server in muscle.

Microsoft has tons of good resources on this upgrade, so schedule some
reading time and visit their site.
Tom Turak

-----Original Message-----
From: Shawn Shea [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Monday, October 15, 2001 9:10 AM

  Are there any specific issues with upgrading SQL 6.5 to SQL 7.0. We
have a client that needs the upgrade and don't want to run into any
problem areas. It is on an NT4 server with the proper hardware
requirements.

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