Maintained for Historical Purposes

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

Tip of the Week: ISIR Import into Pell Payment

PublicationDate: 9/4/98
Summary: Tip of the Week: ISIR Import into Pell Payment
Author: CPS - Central Processing System (CPS)

Posted September 4, 1998

TO: All Destination Points
FROM: CPS Customer Service
RE: Tip of the Week: ISIR Import into Pell Payment

This week's tip highlights a major feature or function in the Pell Payment for Windows software: ISIR Import into Pell Payment.

Once you have installed the 1998-1999 Pell Payment for Windows software (version 3.0) and defined your reporting/attended campus profile(s), your next step is to create student Pell records for preparation and export to the Pell processor.

There are several methods available to you for creating student Pell records, including manual entry from File/New, external add import (following EPPD layouts provided with the software), or direct import of automatic ISIR (SARA99OP.*) files. The most effective method for creating Pell records, however, is to import eligible ISIR data into the Pell Payment software directly from your EDExpress database.

Importing ISIR data from your EDExpress database reduces the amount of data entry you must complete on the Pell record, ensures greater accuracy of the student data you send to Pell (reducing rejects), and automatically filters out non-Pell eligible ISIR transactions. You can also modify the ISIR import criteria to include awarded Pell information from the EDExpress Packaging database, or to only select new eligible ISIRs added to the EDExpress database since your last ISIR data import into the Pell software.

In order to use the ISIR import functionality in the Pell software, EDExpress must have been installed as a standalone or network workstation on the PC to be used for importing. This allows the Pell software to recognize the location of the EDExpress database via the ODBC connection. Select File/Import/Payment Data - ISIRs and verify the displayed EDExpress database location is correct before initiating any import.

You should select a processed date range for the ISIR data you wish to import. Selection criteria is available to restrict the number of records imported; if you are importing ISIR data into the Pell software for the first time, and have a large number of eligible ISIRs in your EDExpress database, you should consider using selection criteria such as last name range to break down your ISIR data imports into groups.

Once you have completed an import of all eligible ISIR data into the Pell software, you may restrict future ISIR imports solely to new eligible ISIR data you have added since your last import. To do this, select the "Import New Eligible ISIRs?" option on the import screen. If you are using this option, we recommend you wait until after you have completed importing ALL new ISIR data files into EDExpress for the day before initiating the ISIR import into the Pell software.

Once your ISIR data imports have been completed, you can view and update the student Pell records you have created for export to the Pell processor via File/Open.

If you have any questions on the Pell Payment for Windows software, please contact CPS Customer Service at 1-800-330-5947, option 4, or via e-mail at CPS@NCS.COM.