Maintained for Historical Purposes

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

2000-2001 EDExpress Upgrade Installations

PublicationDate: 5/9/2000
Summary: 2000-2001 EDExpress Upgrade Installations
Author: General Manager: SFA Student Channel

Posted on May 9, 2000

TO: All Destination Points
FROM: CPS Customer Service
RE: 2000-2001 EDExpress Upgrade Installations

CPS Customer Service wishes to alert you to an installation issue that could
possibly cause corruption in your 1999-2000 EDExpress database when
upgrading your 2000-2001 EDExpress software. Please take this information
into consideration prior to loading the latest 2000-2001 release, Version
6.2, which will be available on May 12, 2000 for download from the Department's
SFAdownload Web site at http://fsadownload.ed.gov/index.htm.

This issue affects two types of users:

1) Schools in a networked environment who have loaded the 1999-2000 and
2000-2001 EDExpress databases to the same server directory;
2) Schools performing standalone installations who normally change the
default installation directory.

The Issue: During the upgrade installation of 2000-2001 EDExpress Version
6.2, a file called updatedb.mdb will be installed. In a network workstation
installation, this file will be loaded to the directory you designated as
the network server location of your Version 6.1 database (expres01.mdb). In
a standalone installation, the file is placed in the destination folder you
choose for the installation.

Your 1999-2000 EDExpress database (expres90.mdb) could become damaged if the
Version 6.2 updatedb.mdb file is installed into the directory containing
your 1999-2000 database. If the updatedb.mdb file and your 1999-2000
EDExpress database are in the same directory, it is possible that the
1999-2000 EDExpress database will attempt to use the updatedb.mdb file to
modify itself upon start-up of the software, leading to data loss or
corruption.

To avoid this problem:
1) Ensure you are creating reliable daily backups of your 1999-2000 and
2000-2001 EDExpress databases;
2) Ensure you do not store both your 1999-2000 and 2000-2001 EDExpress
databases in the same directory on your hard drive or server;
3) CPS Customer Service recommends accepting the default installation
directories when performing a standalone installation. If you choose to
change the default installation path, verify you are selecting the correct
directory location of your Version 6.1 database and not the directory
location of your 1999-2000 EDExpress database.

If you do have both 1999-2000 and 2000-2001 EDExpress databases in the same
directory and are unable to store them to separate locations:

1) Keep all users out of both 1999-2000 and 2000-2001 EDExpress while you
are upgrading to Version 6.2;
2) Run the Version 6.2 upgrade install on ALL relevant PC workstations that
access 2000-2001 EDExpress, rebooting each PC as the install completes;
3) While continuing to keep all users out of 1999-2000 EDExpress, access
2000-2001 EDExpress and login so the Version 6.2 updatedb.mdb will run and
perform some necessary database updates;
4) When the update process completes, you can allow users back into both
versions of EDExpress.

If you have questions about this issue, please contact CPS Customer Service
at 800/330-5947, or via email at CPS@NCS.COM.