[ic] UPS Worldship Integration

[Ron Phipps]

Steve Graham wrote:
> Has anyone integrated IC with UPS Worldship?
> 
> Steve
> 
> 

Hello Steve,

I've implemented UPS Worldship integration with 2 of my clients, 1 through the use of the import/export files mechanism, the other using ODBC talking directly to the database.  

In the first scenario orders are marked as ready to ship, an export is run and all of the relevant info is exported.  This file is then downloaded and imported into the Worldship application.  The orders are processed as they are packaged. Worldship then spits out a file with order numbers and tracking numbers which we import back into the Interchange database.  The import/export on the Interchange side uses perl to read/write those files.  The importing of tracking numbers also kicks off a shipped email to the user and changes the status to shipped.

In the second scenario orders are marked as ready to ship, an import is ran on the Worldship side that contacts the database over ODBC and gets a list of orders and the relevant information.  The orders are processed as they are packaged.  Worldship then contacts the Interchange database over ODBC and writes the tracking numbers.  The updating of tracking numbers kicks off the same shipped email.

The key to doing these integrations is setting statuses to control what gets exported and then decide what to do once a tracking number is imported.  If you have a choice between the methods I would choose scenario 2, it's less steps and seems like a more "cleaner" process.

Thanks,

-- 
Ron Phipps
End Point Corporation
ron at endpoint.com