// MAKE API REQUEST
function makeApiRequest($url) {

// Initialize a new request for this URL
$ch = curl_init($url);

// Set the options for this request
curl_setopt_array($ch, array(
CURLOPT_FOLLOWLOCATION => true, // Yes, we want to follow a redirect
CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER => true, // Yes, we want that curl_exec returns the fetched data
CURLOPT_SSL_VERIFYPEER => false, // Do not verify the SSL certificate
));

// Fetch the data from the URL
$data = curl_exec($ch);

// Close the connection
curl_close($ch);

// Return a new SimpleXMLElement based upon the received data
return new SimpleXMLElement($data);
}

// Get SkillInTraining from API Server
$url = "https://api.eveonline.com/char/SkillInTraining.xml.aspx?keyID=$keyID&vCode=$vCode&characterID=$characterID";

$xml = simplexml_load_file($url);
header('Content-Type: text/xml');
$dbxml = $xml->asXML();

// Write the new information to the database
MYSQL_QUERY("UPDATE skillsheet_apis SET training = '$dbxml' WHERE characterID = '$characterID'");

also if you dont want ot make your own code to pull api there is pheal and yapeal they are both grate frameworks for pulling API info with php.
Yapeal more then anything pulls the data with php but places it directy into a database so you just have to query the database and have a cron running to renew the info.

https://api.eveonline.com/eve/CharacterID.xml.aspx?names=Frank Martin Statham

$url = "https://api.eveonline.com/eve/CharacterID.xml.aspx?names=Frank Martin Statham";

function makeApiRequest($url) {

$ch = curl_init($url);

curl_setopt_array($ch, array(
CURLOPT_FOLLOWLOCATION => true, t
CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER => true,
CURLOPT_SSL_VERIFYPEER => false,
));


$data = curl_exec($ch);

curl_close($ch);

return new SimpleXMLElement($data);
}

$xml = makeApiRequest($url);

$var_dump($xml);

if ($xml->error) {
$msg = (string) $xml->error;
}

Yeah I have been looking at both of those. In fact, setting up pheal currently. Though I will pick through and see how it works as this is as much a learning opportunity as anything else. Someday I will get his figured out - lol. I can see I made the right choice to be a forensic data specialist and not a programmer. Perhaps if I find a programmer who is trying to hide his work I will have better success!

Thank you for your response.

http://blog.evepanel.net/eve-online/api/eve-api-tutorial-part-ii-requesting-data-from-the-api-and-save-it.html

if you need help with understanding pheal, you know.. it might help to just ask ;)
lots of os 3rd party guys are hanging out on #eve-dev on irc.coldfront.net, so usually you can get help there, even if it sometimes takes a bit =)