I'm in the process of creating a backend billing and customer database for use by web hosting and other service industries (see my sig). I'm wondering if there is any standard XML like format for importing orders, so that the user can use any shopping cart or order system they like on the front end and import that into my customer dabase system. I looked into the one that my host has, Miva, and they don't seem to have that, only flat file or quickbooks format. I was intrigued by the quickbooks format, though don't have any experience with it. What does the quickbooks format look like? I would like an XML solution so that people who want to write their own order front end could do so more easily.

I really don't want to have to create my own shopping cart order system for this thing since there are already so many out there, I just need something that can let me talk to them. Maybe i'll just have to find or make XML format and hope some order systems get on board with it.

Thanks,
Paul