>Anyone has done something like this? Any magor points, words of wisdom?
>
>Thanks

A number of years ago, UPS installed their computer system with program at one of my clients. Their software uses Access tables. We hooked their computer to the client network and I wrote an interface program in VFP to provide up to date customer name/address/etc. information and used their program to tie everything together. They make it easy, using their built in help.

FedEx followed up by doing the same thing, only they use SQL. They sent a programmer to work with me in order to use the same integration with my app. that UPS was using.

Both FedEx and UPS dump their daily shipments back to me and my program puts this information into a customer shipping table for customer service's use in communicating this info. to their customers.

Both FedEx and UPS sends emails to the customers, with tracking no./shipping info.

That's it, in a nutshell. It works great and if there are any problems, which is rare, FedEx and/or UPS reps. respond pretty quickly.