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| OnLine Tools General FAQ |
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 What are the technical differences between the HTML version and the XML version of UPS OnLine Tools?What are UPS OnLine Tools? UPS OnLine Tools are Internet-based applications that add a new level of customer service throughout your company and functionality to your e-commerce Web site or enterprise application. With UPS OnLine Tools, your customers can track products they've purchased online, compare and choose from a variety of shipping services that best serve their needs, and handle shipping logistics - including returns - more efficiently than ever before. The tools are:
To learn more about UPS OnLine Tools, follow the links above.  Back to TopHow can UPS OnLine Tools help my business? With UPS OnLine Tools your company can improve customer service by streamlining your ordering and shipping processes, lower costs by reducing returns and customer support phone calls, and empower buyers by allowing customers to track their packages and choose their own shipping options. Back to TopWhat types of businesses use UPS OnLine Tools? Thousands of companies of all shapes and sizes are currently enjoying the benefits of UPS OnLine Tools on their e-commerce sites. Back to TopHow do UPS OnLine Tools work? The UPS OnLine Tools are Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) that allow UPS customers to access transportation functionality, which resides on UPS servers, and deliver this information to their customers. Back to TopHow much do UPS OnLine Tools cost? UPS OnLine Tools are free to license. There are no hidden or monthly charges for the applications, though you may require integration assistance from IT professionals or third-party developers, depending on the complexity of your EC solution. Back to TopHow can I integrate UPS OnLine Tools with my business processes? UPS OnLine Tools are free and come with clear instructions about how they can be incorporated into your EC Solution. For UPS Tracking, HTML the tool documentation includes HTML code that fits into your existing site code. For the XML versions of UPS OnLine Tools, your IT professional will be required to use advanced programming such as Java to develop a program to send and receive data over the Internet. Your IT professional will also integrate the results into your Web site or enterprise solution. Before you use the tools, you must accept a licensing agreement that specifies terms and conditions. Back to TopAfter I register for UPS OnLine Tools, does UPS provide me with any software? UPS does not provide programs or code that need to be installed on your system. We provide you with technical documentation that describes UPS OnLine Tools and guides you through the requirements for building the application so it can communicate with UPS servers and work effectively on your site. Back to TopWill I have to accept a long-term licensing agreement to get UPS OnLine Tools? While you must agree to license the tools, there is no long-term obligation associated with UPS OnLine Tools. You can cancel service at any time, and convert your site back to its original configuration. Back to TopDoes UPS provide technical support for the tools? Yes. UPS provides technical support via e-mail for implementation and production for licensed users at no additional cost. Back to TopHow will the UPS OnLine Tools impact the look and feel of my Web site? UPS OnLine Tools will not change the style or tone of your Web site. The tools are not hyperlinks to UPS.com. You control how to display the data and the user's experience. Displaying the UPS brand on your Web site will give your customers peace of mind knowing their orders will be shipped reliably and securely. Back to TopWhat happened to the datastreaming version of UPS OnLine Tools? UPS replaced the datastreaming version of UPS OnLine Tools with new XML technology that improves integration efforts. Back to TopWhat are the functional differences between the HTML versions and the XML versions of UPS OnLine Tools? UPS Tracking is available in either HTML or XML. Although there are technical differences between the two versions, there are no functional differences. Back to TopWhat are the technical differences between the HTML versions and the XML versions of UPS OnLine Tools? The structured, self-descriptive, and extensible formatting of the data is the biggest difference. XML documents have tags naming each data element allowing optional elements to be omitted and unexpected or uninteresting elements to be ignored. XML documents are also hierarchically structured so that a particular value, such as "City", can be used in a variety of contexts (e.g., OriginAddress, DestinationAddress, ShipperAddress) without confusion. Because unexpected data, identified by the tags, can easily be ignored, XML documents can be extended (i.e., added to) without impact to existing applications. Back to TopAre updates planned for UPS OnLine Tools and, if so, how will I find out about them? UPS plans to continue to upgrade UPS OnLine Tools for increased performance and functionality. When updates are announced, registered users will be notified via e-mail. Please keep the e-mail address in your profile up to date since this is our only means of communication. We recommend you return to this site on a monthly basis because, as we continue to identify the dynamic needs of our customers, we will deliver new and improved solutions for their businesses. Back to TopIn which countries are UPS OnLine Tools available? UPS OnLine Tools are available in several countries around the world. If your country is not listed, please check back often. We are continually adding global functionality and more support of local languages. Back to TopCan I include UPS OnLine Tools into my product for distribution or sale outside of my company? UPS selectively licenses third party developers to distribute products that include UPS OnLine Tools. UPS has created a Third Party Developer License Request form for companies that would like to submit a request to integrate the UPS OnLine Tools into their product or application for distribution outside of their company. Back to TopWhat are TradeAbility Web Services? Web Services are self-contained, modular applications that can be described, published, located, and invoked over a network, generally, the Web. The TradeAbility Web Services are composed of four services.The Services are Landed Cost, Import Compliance, Export License Detector and Denied Party Screener. Back to TopWhat are the benefits of using Web Services? Use of the Web Services architecture provides the following benefits: 1: Promotes interoperability by minimizing the requirements for shared understanding The Web Service Description Language (WSDL), an XML-based interface, is the only requirement for shared understanding between a service provider and a service requester. By limiting what is absolutely required for interoperability, collaborating Web services can be truly platform and language independent. By limiting what is absolutely required, Web Services can be implemented using a large number of different underlying infrastructures. 2: Enables just-in-time integration Collaborations in Web Services are bound dynamically at runtime. A service requester describes the capabilities of the service required and can use the TradeAbility Web Service WSDL to bind/attach to those services. 3: Reduces complexity by encapsulation All components in Web Services are services. What is important is the type of behavior a service provides, not how it is implemented. A WSDL document is the mechanism to describe the behavior encapsulated by a service. 4: Enables interoperability of legacy applications By allowing legacy applications to be wrapped in a WSDL, and exposed as services, the Web Services architecture easily enables new interoperability between these applications. In addition, security, middleware and communications technologies can be wrapped to participate in a Web service as environmental prerequisites. Back to TopWhat is a Developer's Key? Part of obtaining UPS OnLine Tools is licensing: agreeing to the terms and conditions of using the tools. Once you are licensed you are issued a Developer's key. The Developer's Key gives your business access to the documentation for UPS OnLine Tools*. Different keys are issued for end users and third party developers. (* Does not include documentation for UPS Signature Tracking UPS Global Address Validation, or UPS Shipping. An end user must first complete a request form to access the documentation for these tools.) Back to TopHow can I get a Developer's Key? Developer's Keys are available in the Get Tools section. In order to obtain a Developer's Key, you must be registered with UPS. Back to TopWhat is an Access Key? An Access Key provides your business access to UPS systems which hold the information you or your customers need to ship, track or rate a package. There are two types of Access Keys - XML and HTML. An XML Access Key is required for access to all available XML versions of the UPS OnLine Tools. An HTML Access Key is required for access to all available HTML versions of the UPS OnLine Tools. The following are a few suggestions to more effectively utilize your company's Access Key(s):
Back to TopHow do I use an Access Key? To gain access to UPS OnLine Tools Tools, the Access Key must accompany every request sent to the UPS OnLine Tools server. If the Access Key is valid for the requested UPS OnLine Tool (i.e. using an XML Access Key for an XML tool) and the User ID/Password is correct, the requested service will be processed. If not, the service response containing the corresponding error code and message will be returned. Additional information on using an Access Key can be found within the documentation for each OnLine tool. Back to TopHow can I get an Access Key? Access Keys are available in the Get Tools section. In order to obtain an Access Key, you must have a valid Developer's Key. There are two types of Developer's Keys - end user and third party. Back to Top |
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