If you are experiencing with the EdConnect 8.6.0 software, you are not alone. The Department of Education has issued a statement regarding two specific issues with the platform after users upgraded their systems. Read the information below to learn more.
POSTED DATE: December 04, 2023
AUTHOR: Federal Student Aid
ELECTRONIC ANNOUNCEMENT ID: GENERAL-23-109
SUBJECT: SAIG Software Upgrade for FTI Data Transmission – Important Information for EDconnect 8.6.0 Users
We would like to inform all EDconnect users about two issues with the EDconnect 8.6.0 software that users have encountered after the updated software was released on Nov. 8, 2023. The first issue is not a defect, but it requires careful attention during the installation process. The second issue will be resolved with a future release of the software; a temporary workaround is provided below.
Please refer to the sections below for a description of each issue and how to mitigate it.
Issue 1: Security Group and Permissions Information is Deleted During Installation
After installing the EDconnect 8.6.0 software, some users have reported that their security group and permissions information are deleted when upgrading from EDconnect version 8.5.x to version 8.6.0.
The EDconnect program consists of two parts: the program that sends and receives files and the database that stores information like security groups and permissions information. The database (EDconn8.mdb) can either be located on the local machine (standalone) or located on a network drive (network/workstation). Selecting the wrong type of installation during the install can cause the database to be overwritten with a blank database.
Instructions for installing EDconnect 8.6.0 are available in the EDconnect 8.6.0 Installation and User Guide, available in the Software and Other Tools area of the Knowledge Center website. Section 2.4 provides the instructions for installing EDconnect. As described in the guide:
- For a standalone configuration, select “Local Install – Custom” if you already have an EDconnect database on your local hard drive. By selecting “Local Install – Custom,” you will install all EDconnect components to your local hard drive except the database.
- Note: Only select “Local Install” if you are installing EDconnect, including the EDconnect database, on a single PC for the first time. By selecting “Local Install,” you will install all EDconnect components to your local hard drive, including the database.
- In a shared network/workstation configuration, assuming you are performing an upgrade from EDconnect 8.5.x to 8.6.0, your database will already reside on a network drive. To update individual workstations, perform a “Workstation Install” on each PC that you want to access the EDconnect database. During the install, the installer program will ask you where your current database resides.
- Note: Select “Network Install” only if you do not have an existing EDconnect database and want multiple PCs to have common access to a single EDconnect database.
Restoring the Database
If you have performed a “Local Install” and have overwritten your EDconnect database, you can restore the EDconn8.mdb file from a recent backup by replacing the blank database created during the install with the populated database from your backup.
If you have EDconnect installed on multiple PCs with a network database and your database no longer contains security group and permissions information, it is possible that a “Local Install” was performed on your PC. In this situation, determine the location of your EDconn8.mdb database. Once you have determined the network location of the database, perform an uninstall of the EDconnect application from your PC and the perform a “Workstation Install.” During the “Workstation Install,” you will be prompted for the network database location.
If you need further assistance with the installation process, please contact CPS/SAIG Technical Support at 1-800-330-5947 or by email at CPSSAIG@ed.gov
Issue 2: Requesting Files in the Transmission Queue
In the EDconnect 8.6.0 software, there is an issue with selecting “All” as a Project in the Transmission Queue. This issue prevents the “All Template” from correctly requesting files. The issue cannot be resolved by manually entering the same information into the EDconnect Transmission Queue.
Workaround
To request files, we recommend that you use the other templates (NSLDS, COD, and CPS) and add those to the EDconnect Transmission Queue. Step-by-step instructions are as follows:
- Open EDconnect and make sure you are in the Transmission Queue.
- From the Menu bar go to File, then Open.
- Browse to your C: drive and open the folder “IAM” followed by the sub-folder “SAIG_Temp”. Select the file “cod.tqt” and then Open.
- Repeat Step 3 for the cps.tqt file and then for the nslds.tqt file.
- Once the three templates are added to the Transmission Queue (the lines will be green), go to the EDconnect menu bar and select File, Save As. Give this new template a name (e.g., MyAll.tqt). You must ensure “.tqt” is included at end of the name you select. This new template will contain the transactions from each of the three .tqt files (NSLDS, COD, CPS).
- Select Save. This will save all three lines so that you can use them repeatedly (File, Open) without adding them each time.
- Once you have saved the three items as a new template, you may do a Transmission Now from the menu bar to download the files.
In addition, EDconnect users should occasionally check the Mailbox Query for additional files:
- Prior to accessing the Mailbox Query, users should always go to the menu bar and select Transmission, then Now.
- Once this action is completed, select File, then Close.
- Open the Mailbox Query from the EDconnect menu bar. Select File, then New. Select the Mailbox Query, and choose OK. This action will show if there are files to download. Select these files by checking the box in the Move to TG column and then selecting Transmission, Now. If there are not any other files listed when you open the Mailbox Query, you have downloaded all files from your mailbox.
We anticipate releasing an updated version of EDconnect in the near future to resolve this second issue. We will publish an Electronic Announcement on the Knowledge Center website when it is available. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Contact Information
If you have questions about this message, please contact CPS/SAIG Technical Support at 1-800-330-5947 or by email at CPSSAIG@ed.gov