Summary: Beta Testers Needed for DL Tools for Windows, Release 4.0

The US Department of Education is recruiting Direct Loan participants for the beta test of Direct Loan (DL) Tools for Windows, Release 4.0. The beta test is scheduled to start May 17, 2004 and run through May 28, 2004.

DL Tools Release 4.0 has been developed to provide the following functionality:

1) Rebuild loan origination and disbursement data in EDExpress for Windows using an automated process
2) Compare SAS reports to loans and actual disbursements recorded in EDExpress or an external file, and/or compare the reports to the DL Tools Cash database
3) Print the SAS report in a readable format
4) Track cash receipts (drawdowns), Returns of Excess Cash (for 2002-2003 and 2003-2004), and Refunds of Cash (2004-2005) for Direct Loan

This release of DL Tools was developed to process data for multiple cycles. Release 4.0 contains Rebuild, Cash Management, and Compare functionalities for the 2002-2003, 2003-2004, and 2004-2005 cycles.

All Direct Loan schools can use the Compare and Cash Management functionality. The Rebuild process can be used by schools to rebuild Direct Loan module records in the EDExpress database.

Beta test participants will download the software from an FTP site along with detailed test procedures. Participants are then asked to replicate their typical use of the software in a mock-productional environment, report any problems encountered, and submit a summary report detailing their testing experience for analysis.

If you are interested in being considered as a beta test site for DL Tools Release 4.0, please send an e-mail to CPSSAIG@pearson.com to the attention of "DL Tools Beta Testing" and provide the following information:

1) School name and TG# identifier
2) School type (4-year public university, 2-year private college, proprietary/trade school, etc.)
3) Primary and Secondary testing contact names, phone and fax numbers, and e-mail addresses
4) Windows operating system version(s) and PC environment (network/standalone). If networked, please also provide Network type and version.
5) Number of years participating in Direct Loan program
6) Do you use EDExpress for Windows? If yes, do you use EDExpress in combination with mainframe or a 3rd party software to perform Direct Loan processing?
7) Are you currently using DL Tools? If yes, which version do you currently have installed?
8) FTP download capability (i.e., can you upload/download files from an FTP server?)

We will select participants with a wide variety of processing environments to ensure the most diverse and thorough testing of the software is performed.

We will call or e-mail all interested schools by May 12, 2004. If your school is selected, further information will be provided at that time.

We thank you for your interest in helping make DL Tools a superior software product. We look forward to hearing from you.