What is a Web service?

A Web service is an application that provides an application-to-application interface (API) to be used over the Internet via XML. Because communications between a client application and the Web service uses a standardized text-based XML protocol, Web services are not dependent on any one operating system or programming language. This allows interoperability between Windows applications and Unix applications or between Java and ASP.NET.

What is ZIPFOURce Web service and how can it help my organization?

Using an online callable interface, ZIPFOURce quickly parses, looks up, corrects and standardizes U.S. address data. By helping to identify and analyze unverifiable addresses, or those that are sure to yield undeliverable mail, ZIPFOURce can pro-actively reduce costs related to transactions that might otherwise not be completed. Regular use of the service can improve relationships with your customer, and save you labor and shipping-related costs.

What United States Postal Service® information is included with ZIPFOURce results?

The ZIPFOURce Web service generates a wide range of useful USPS data including Carrier Route, ZIP + 4®, Enhanced Line of Travel ( eLOT™), LACSLink™ conversions, delivery point barcoded information and DPV™.

What demographic information does the ZIPFOURce Web service return?

In addition to its primary address-verification functionality, ZIPFOURce utilizes a feature known as Geocoding to access latitude and longitude data corresponding to the ZIP Code in a given address record. Geocoding can also deliver valuable demographic data—congressional district, county, area code, and time zone information—to give you a fuller picture of the people and businesses represented in your data.

What is SOAP?

Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) is an XML-based protocol used for exchanging information between computers. Though SOAP can be used with different messaging systems and transport protocols, it is typically a Remote Procedure Call (RPC) transported via HTTP. SOAP is not platform-dependent, meaning it enables different applications running on different platforms programmed in different languages to communicate with each other.

What is WSDL?

The WSDL (Web Services Description Language) is used to describe the public interface of a Web service. The WSDL can include information on publicly available functions called Web methods, information on data types, information on transport protocol to be used and information for locating the specified service.

With WSDL, a client application can find a Web service and call the Services Web methods. Using a WSDL-aware development environment, this process can be entirely automated (as with Microsoft's Visual Studio .Net), making Web service integration possible with little to no manual coding.

Will Web services work with my company's firewall?

Because they use HTTP for a transport, Web services such as ZIPFOURce typically pass through firewalls without any changes to firewall settings. If port 80 and/or port 443 are open for HTTP Web traffic, no additional firewall rules or settings are needed to allow Web service traffic.

What programming languages work with Web services?

Almost all modern programming languages have the ability to connect to and utilize Web services. Any program can use a Web service if it can generate and send an HTTP request to a Web service, and receive and parse the HTTP response. In particular, WSDL-aware languages allow Web service use with little manual coding.

Can a Linux-based PC system use Windows-based Web services such as ZIPFOURce?

Because Web services are platform-independent, a Linux client application can call a Web service running on a Windows server (and vice versa). If your system utilizes Linux, there is no reason why you can't use Bell and Howell's ZIPFOURce Web service.

How difficult will it be for me to integrate ZIPFOURce Web service into my application?

ZIPFOURce can be easily integrated into most modern programming languages. Calling a Web service is simply creating an HTTP request and reading an HTTP response from a Web server. Most programming languages have this ability. ZIPFOURce integration is particularly simple for WSDL-aware languages, and will require very little manual coding (see above).

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