15 replies to this topic

[steveweissmusic]

I would like to improve the process of importing of shipment data into Worldship. The problem is that each time the shipment data is exported from MOM, the DBF file that is created gets overwritten. I do not want to have to export from MOM, and then immediately go to my UPS Worldship terminal and import the new information. I would like to use the keyed import function in Worldship to pull up shipment information.

I'm looking for suggestions on what route to take. Does a program exist that will append information from a DBF table onto another DBF? If this exists, I will write a script that polls the import / export directory every minute, and if a new DBF exists, it will append to the DBF that I am using to import from.

If this type of program does not exist, I will write a script that will import the DBF data into a Access database, and then rename the dbf file. I would then use the Access database as the source for the import.

Does anyone do anything similar to this? Can you offer any different suggestions?

[steveweissmusic]

I think I am going to attempt to run MySQL on the machine with UPS Worldship, and run the attached script every minute. I will then setup Worldship to pull from the MySQL ODBC source instead of the DBF.

Please let me know if anyone sees potential problems.

Attached Files

•  convert.php   7.04KB   56 downloads

[Journeyman1]

The latest version of WorldShip--8.0 if I recall correctly--includes a new feature for doing an automatic import at specified intervals, which could be every few minutes if you want. I haven't had time to set this up yet, but it seems like the simplest way to get the results you described.

If you decide to go this route, I would be interested to hear how it works for you.

Good luck!

Evan Frink
Journeyworks Publishing

[steveweissmusic]

The latest version of WorldShip--8.0 if I recall correctly--includes a new feature for doing an automatic import at specified intervals, which could be every few minutes if you want. I haven't had time to set this up yet, but it seems like the simplest way to get the results you described.

If you decide to go this route, I would be interested to hear how it works for you.

Good luck!

Evan Frink
Journeyworks Publishing

We have Worldship 8, but haven't seen this functionality. Because we want to do a keyed import, I believe we need a ODBC source that contains all of the information we need. If you know a way to do the automatic import, and then pull that info up by keyed import, let me know.

[steveweissmusic]

I realized that I needed to include an update query, incase a package was updated in MOM, and the shipping record was created again.

Attached is the new version.

Attached Files

•  convert.php   12.12KB   87 downloads

[steveweissmusic]

This seems to be working well for me. I am still only testing things, but it is working as expected. I created a batch file with the following contents:

@ECHO OFF
path=c:\php
php convert.php >> convert.log

I then scheduled this batch file using the Windows Scheduler (Programs->Accessories->System Tools->Scheduled Tasks). Create a local account on the machine to run the process. This way, the batch process will run in the background, instead of in the active window (I am running this on the Worldship machine). I am running the process every minute.

You'll need the following programs installed to make this work:
http://www.php.net/downloads.php
http://dev.mysql.com.../mysql/5.0.html

These tools will help in the process (MySQL Administrator & MySQL Query Browser):
http://www.mysql.com/products/tools/

[Journeyman1]

I'm glad to hear you got it working. If others want to explore an alternative solution, here is more specific info on the feature included in Worldship 8.0, which I should have included in my earlier post. Laziness got the better of me--sorry.

In the Worldship 8.0 help files, look for "Hands-off shipping". It gives a good description of how the feature works, along with detailed instructions for setting it up.

Again, I haven't yet set it up myself, but, judging by the description, it will automatically import at your specified interval whatever records are in the upsworld.dbf table. The interval can be as brief as one second, apparently.

You would want turn on the option to have Worldship check the key field to make sure it doesn't import the same record twice. I believe the key field should be the Pkg_ref5 field in Upsworld.dbf which corresponds to the segment ID number (or is it the box ID number?) in MOM, if memory serves.

Best of luck to all.

Evan Frink
Journeyworks Publishing

[steveweissmusic]

In the Worldship 8.0 help files, look for "Hands-off shipping". It gives a good description of how the feature works, along with detailed instructions for setting it up.

Evan,
I guess my desired results are a bit different. Let me explain our process....

We do not have MOM stations in our shipping department, and we print our invoices on plain paper. We print 2 copies of the packing slip/invoice. When the order is packed, one copy goes into the box, the other gets attached to the outside. That copy is then scanned at the Worldship machine, the box is placed on the scale, and we press F10 to print the shipping label.

It would be great if Worldship Hands-Off shipping was able to import data as a background process, to then be pulled up by a keyed import. I cannot figure out how to design this type of process solely in Worldship using Hands-Off shipping.

[arkylady]

Oops that last post was me, didn't realize I wasn't logged in

[steveweissmusic]

I just discovered that MOM does not support 3rd party billing with Worldship. It doesn't seem like it would be hard for them to do, since they do support it with UPS Link. However, according to support (and from my testing), it cannot be done with Worldship.

Has anyone else had this problem with Worldship? How do you deal with it?

[mark@majorsorplus]

when i first read this thread, i could have sworn on my mothers grave that i had written this in my sleep...you are having the exact same problem we are. this is: when we batch orders through MOM the info gets sent to our UPS terminal but if we batch another time without shipping the entire first batch our barcode scanner becomes obsolete becasue the first batch does not 'exist' anymore. can you please tell me exactly what you did (im not yet at the programming level here) so we may replicate your process. we have tried everything we (and the UPS techies) can think of. any help would be greatly appreciated!!!
-Mark
Major Surplus & Survival Inc.

[MOM Sucks]

We had the same challenge and I solved it with a simple macro in Access.

When the order puller finishes the order pulling process, they simply click an icon (the macro shortcut).

The macro imports the data from the momimport.dbf and adds it to the running table (upsexport) and then converts it to a CVS file on the network that ups worldship keyed import points at.

The person shipping then just scans the pick ticket and the information is imported into the ups screen.

The caveat is that is the order puller misses the macro run before the next pull, the information is gone.

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[origkds]

I use a program called DBF Viewer 2000 and wrote a batch file that runs the following routine via Windows Scheduler automatically every minute.

call "C:\Program Files\DBF Viewer 2000\dbview.exe" /APPEND:C:\UPS\WSTD\ImpExp\Mom_Import.dbf,C:\UPS\WSTD\ImpExp\upsworld.dbf
Call "C:\Program Files\DBF Viewer 2000\dbview.exe" C:\UPS\WSTD\ImpExp\Mom_Import.dbf /DELETEDUPS
Call "C:\Program Files\DBF Viewer 2000\dbview.exe" C:\UPS\WSTD\ImpExp\Mom_Import.dbf /PACK

It appends records from upsworld.dbf to a file I named Mom_Import.dbf. It then removes duplicates and finally packs the file. I point the ODBC connector at Mom_Import instead of upsworld. Using the keyed import function in Worldship I scan the barcode on the packing slip and ship the package. There may be a better way to accomplish this task but with my limited programming skills this was the best I could muster. It has been working perfectly.

Note: I found that converting upsworld.dbf to a CVS file caused other problems like dropping the leading zero on zip codes from the East Coast. Also any record with a comma in any field would throw the record off by one field and make it unusable.