Maintained for Historical Purposes

This resource is being maintained for historical purposes only and is not currently applicable.

(EDESuite) Subject: Availability of Service Release Update for Direct Loan (DL) Tools, Release 18.0

Posted Date:November 2, 2018

Author: Federal Student Aid

Subject: Availability of Service Release Update for Direct Loan (DL) Tools, Release 18.0

We are pleased to announce the posting of a service release update for William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (DL) Tools for Windows, Release 18.0, on the Federal Student Aid Download (FSAdownload) website, located at https://fsadownload.ed.gov.

This service release resolves several issues occurring in Release 18.0 (originally posted on June 29, 2018). See below for additional information on the updates included in this service release and installation information.

Software Issues Resolved by Service Release

We redesigned the DL Tools software for 2018-2019 to implement software enhancements that improve usability, increase security, and eliminate outdated functionality. This redesign required significant revisions to the software’s code, and as a result, we are continuing to test and refine the updated version.

This service release resolves several software issues (listed below) that were identified internally or as a result of reports from schools and other end users in Release 18.0:

  • Resolves software errors that occurred when importing a 2018-2019 Rebuild file (message class CODRBFOP) and one of the following conditions applied:

    • You have Disbursement Profile Code values in EDExpress 2018-2019 Disbursement setup (Tools, Setup, COD, Disbursement) that were imported from a prior-year EDExpress database, system-generated originally by a DL Tools Rebuild import, and were marked as “inactive” in your EDExpress 2018-2019 database at the time of the Rebuild import.

    • The Rebuild file contains null (blank) values for program-related fields for student records, which prevented the creation of a system-generated Program Profile Code in EDExpress 2018-2019 setup (Tools, Setup, COD, Program Profiles) during the Rebuild import.

    • The Rebuild file contained a student record with a State Code associated with a military address, such as AP (Military-Pacific).

  • Resolves an issue that caused student record selection checkboxes to disappear from the Choose Selected Records grid when importing a 2018-2019 Rebuild file using the Rebuild Type of Update Selected Records.

  • Resolves an issue that occurred when importing a Direct Loan School Account Statement (SAS) file that included a Servicer Name field value with a previously invalid value such as a forward slash (/) or mixed case alphabetical values.

  • Resolves a software issue that prevented the printing of the Internal Cash Balance Report if the School Code field was left blank and a Transaction Date Range was entered.

Installation Guidance

You should run the service release installation file (DLTools1801.exe) on all PC workstations in your office that have DL Tools, Release 18.0 installed.

Note the following additional tips when installing the service release to your PC workstation(s):

  • Be sure to close DL Tools on the PC workstation before installing the service release.

  • You must have administrator rights to the PC workstation to run the service release installation.

  • You can resume use of DL Tools, Release 18.0 immediately following the service release installation; you do not need to reboot your PC.

  • If your DL Tools, Release 18.0 database is installed on a network drive, and you have multiple PC workstations accessing that database, you must install the service release on EACH workstation.

Note: The service release installation screens indicate you are installing Release 18.1 of DL Tools. However, when you complete the installation and resume use of DL Tools, the software’s start-up screen and “About DL Tools for Windows” option (from the Help menu) will continue to indicate you are running Release 18.0. If you need assistance determining whether you have installed the service release, contact CPS/SAIG Technical Support (see contact information in section below).

Contact Information

If you have any questions regarding downloading, installing, or using the service release for DL Tools, contact CPS/SAIG Technical Support at 1-800-330-5947 (TDD/TTY 1-800-511-5806) or by email at CPSSAIG@ed.gov.

You can also post questions regarding DL Tools on FSATech. FSATech is anelectronic mailing list for technical questions about Federal Student Aid systems, software, and mainframe products. For more information on subscribing to FSATech, go to https://www2.ed.gov/offices/OSFAP/services/fsatechsubscribe.html.