Hi,

I need to set up an automated system where a client can download data from our mySQL database to directly update their own database. Although I am an experienced Perl and database programmer, I have no experience whatsoever of this sort of application and I would be grateful for some idea of where to start.

The system would need to run on a daily basis and be entirely automated. I am presuming that this would be done by the client running a Chron job from their site and sending a request to a script on our site to extract the data. I am also presuming that the ideal format for sending the data to the client would be XML. I have no problem in terms of writing a Perl script to output the data in XML format. However, my only experience is with creating script output to a web page rather than to an external program - so I need to know what is the crucial difference in generating this form of output.

For example, when creating output to a web page, one normally sends the header "Content-Type:text/html" before the output. When sending output to an external program, is it simply a matter of using a different header?

I should add that I don't need to worry too much about the client's end - that's their problem. I only need to know how to output the data in a form suitable for the requesting program. Any advice would be much appreciated.

it's quite simple really

The user agent (client end) makes the request, the server (your end) sends the data, the user agent (client end) does whatever with the data.

Timing is up to the client end, Your end should not try to do a "push" download

for the data format XML should be perfectly adequate.
There is no difference between the two in coding and no need for content headers. The client UA should only be expecting one type of data and that is whatever your system is sending.

Thanks for the reply, Chris.

Since my original message, I came across Perl's SOAP::Lite which seems to do everything I need and having run a few tests, it seems pretty easy to set up. I know that SOAP is the 'in-thing' these days, though I'm wondering whether it has any particular advantages over the rather more straightforward approach you are suggesting.

John