2002-2003 Desk Reference for

Quality Analysis Tool for

Windows
U.S. Department of Education

287 H
Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................ .....................1

PREFACE........................................................................................................................ ..........................1

SETUP......................................................................................................................................... ...............2
LOGGING IN TO QA TOOL FOR WINDOWS..........................................................................................................2
SYSTEM.........................................................................................................................................................3
VERIFICATION EDIT PROFILE.............................................................................................................................4
FILE MANAGEMENT........................................................................................................................................5
USER DATABASE.............................................................................................................................................6
USER SECURITY..............................................................................................................................................7
CUSTOM FORMATS..........................................................................................................................................8
CUSTOM REPORTS...........................................................................................................................................9
SELECTED FIELDS.........................................................................................................................................10
FIELD INCREMENTS........................................................................................................................................11
Example.................................................................................................................. ...........................12
EFC RANGES..............................................................................................................................................13
IMPORTING AND VALIDATING DATA.................................................................................... .........15
IMPORTING DATA..........................................................................................................................................15
Manual Data Entry.................................................................................................. ..........................15
Initial and Paid On Transactions.................................................................................. .....................16
Importing Data............................................................................................................................... ....17
MULTIPLE ENTRY..........................................................................................................................................18
Creating an SSN File...................................................................................................................... ....19
VALIDATING DATA........................................................................................................................................21
Assumptions................................................................................................................ .......................21
Running the Process.................................................................................................................. .........21
ANALYZING DATA............................................................................................................................... .23
TRANSACTION COMPARISON............................................................................................................................23
OTHER OPTIONS...........................................................................................................................................24
Reset School Verification Flags.................................................................................................. ........24
Remove Verification Edit Profile Flags......................................................................... .....................24
REPORTS......................................................................................................................................................25
Printing a Report................................................................................................... ............................27
Printing a Custom Report...................................................................................... ............................27
BITS AND BYTES............................................................................................................................... ....28
QUERIES......................................................................................................................................................28
Rules for Queries................................................................................................... ............................29
Sample Queries.............................................................................................................. ....................30
Sample 1........................................................................................................................................ .....30
Sample 2........................................................................................................................................ .....30
Sample 3........................................................................................................................................ .....30

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 Creating a Query............................................................................................................................ ....31
Creating a Query from a Predefined Query....................................................................................... .33
Using a Query.................................................................................................................... ................34
Using Queries to Import Records from EDExpress......................................................... ...................36
Modifying a Query...................................................................................................... .......................37
Deleting a Query.................................................................................................................... ............38
GETTING HELP.............................................................................................................................................39
Online Help............................................................................................................................. ...........39
CPS/WAN Technical Support............................................................................................................ ..39
Sources of Assistance for Schools.................................................................................................... ...39
DOWNLOADING SOFTWARE AND DOCUMENTATION..............................................................................................40

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Introduction

Preface
This desk reference describes the general procedures for using the Quality Analysis Tool for
Windows (QA Tool) software. It is intended to provide basic instructions and is not intended to
be comprehensive. For additional information, see the online Help within the QA Tool software.

QA Tool helps you analyze initial and paid on ISIR data. These two transactions are displayed
side by side for you to see and compare the fields that were corrected. Using EFC ranges and
increments of change, you can analyze a specific student population to determine which fields
were corrected most often and how those changes affected the students’ EFCs.

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Setup

Logging In to QA Tool for Windows

To log in to QA Tool for Windows:

1. From the Windows Startup/Programs menu, click EDESuite and click Quality Analysis
Tool for Windows.

2. If you see the Startup Information dialog box, read the messages displayed there, then click
Close.

3. Type your user ID and press Tab (first time users, your user ID is SYSADMIN).

4. Type your password (first time users, your password is SYSADMIN).

5. If this is your first login, type a new user ID and password.

6. If your password needs to be changed, type your new password, and then type your password
again in the Verify Password field.

7. Click OK.

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System
System Setup allows you to define the settings that QA Tool uses. You must define these settings
before you can enter student data.

To define system settings:

1. Click Tools, Setup, System on the menu bar.

2. Type your OPE ID#.

3. Type your school’s name.

4. Mark the checkbox if you are an EDExpress for Windows user.

5. Mark the Return to Dialog checkbox if you want to return to the dialog box after
printing, exporting, or importing instead of the QA Tool main screen.

6. Choose Single or Multiple as your default print setting. Select Single if you usually print
one record at a time. Select Multiple if you usually print multiple records.

7. Click the down arrow to select Printer, File, or Screen as the default destination for
reports.
8. Click OK to save the settings.

9. Click OK to continue.

Important Note
You can change the Single/Multiple print option for a specific print job at any time, but the
default setting remains the same until you change it in System Setup.

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Verification Edit Profile
A verification edit profile helps you identify students during the verification selection process. A
profile uses queries like these to find students in the database:

• EFC Changed

• Pell Eligible

• Pell Ineligible

• Single Students with Children or Dependents

You can create profiles that contain any combination of non-parameter queries. (A parameter
query is a query that prompts you for specific data when you run it.) All non-parameter queries
are available in the Verification Edit Profile dialog box. If you do not see a query that you need,
you can go to Tools, Query to create it. See the “Queries” section in this desk reference for
information on queries.

Each profile is identified by a code.

To create a verification edit profile:

1. Click Tools, Setup, Verification Edit Profile on the menu bar.

2. If this is the first format you are creating, skip to step 3. Otherwise, click Add.

3. Type a code to identify the profile you are creating (the code must be unique).

4. Type a description of the profile.

5. Mark each checkbox in the Select column on the queries you want to use for the profile.
Or in the Select column, click the row of the query you want to be included, and click the
Select button. Click Select All if you want to include all queries in the profile.

You can select as many queries as you need to identify the target student population.

6. Click the Resequence button to shift all selected queries to the top of the list for easy
viewing.

7. Click OK to save the profile.

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File Management
File Management Setup defines the default folders and paths for your import and export files.

We recommend that you use the default setting C:\IAM\DATA, but you can specify another
location. The default folders can be the same for both or different. You can also change the
default file names.

To set up File Management for both the Import and Export tabs in the File Management dialog
box:

1. Select Tools, Setup, File Management from the menu bar.

2. Click File Management.

3. (optional) Click Default [Export or Import] Directory. This dialog box allows you to
change the directory (folder) location of your export or import files, if necessary.

4. (optional) Click the ellipsis (…) button to the right of the File Path column to locate and
select different folders.

5. (optional) Click in the cells in the File Name column to change the location for specific
types of export or import files. Use the scroll bars to view the entire list of files.

6. Click OK to save the settings.

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User Database
Use this option to create fields for your User Database. You can create as many fields as you
need for data specific to your school that do not appear on the ISIR, such as high school GPA.

You can use these fields for queries, reports, and exports. The fields you create are stored in your
QA Tool database.

To create fields for your User Database:

1. Click Tools, Setup, User Database. QA Tool warns you to close all network copies of
QA Tool. When all network copies are closed, click OK to continue. The User Database
Setup dialog box appears.

2. Begin typing the field name. QA Tool inserts the text in the first empty cell in the Field
column. You can create up to 255 fields. Field names must begin with a letter, not a
number, and can be 20 characters in length.

3. Click in the adjacent cell in the Type column and click the down arrow to select field
type (Date, Long Integer, Text, or Boolean).

4. Click in the adjacent cell in the Length column and type the field length. Fields can have
up to 40 characters.

5. Click in the adjacent cell in the Description column and type a description for the field.

6. (optional) Press Enter or click Add to add another field.

7. Click OK to save your changes.

Important Notes
• The field name must begin with a letter, not a number. Boolean values are automatically set
to N for False.

• You can modify user-defined fields if no records in your database contain data for the fields.
If a record in the database contains data for a user-defined field, you must delete all of the
fields and recreate them to modify them.

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User Security
User Security setup is accomplished in two steps. First, determine who will use the software and
which functions they will use. Then, create user IDs with the appropriate level of access for each
user.

To set up user security:

1. Click Tools, Setup, Security Users on the menu bar.

2. Type the new user ID in the User ID field and press Tab.

3. Click the down arrow next to the Group Name field and click on the group name that
describes the access rights you want this user to have.

4. Type the password for the user in the Password field.

5. Type the password for the user again in the Verify Password field.

6. Click Save to add the user to the database. QA Tool refreshes the screen so you can add
more users.

7. Click Add to create more user IDs and passwords.

8. Click OK when you are finished adding users.

Important Note
You create an initial password for each user, but users can change their passwords each time they
log in to QA Tool.

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Custom Formats
A format is like a template that you can use repeatedly. Each custom format has a unique code
that identifies it.

You may want to create custom formats to help you extract the specific data you need.

By using formats, you can print the same custom report as many times as you need to without
having to set up the report each time. You choose the fields for the report only once–when you
create the format.

You can create as many custom formats as you need to print the specific data you need.

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Custom Reports
Custom reports are generated using formats that you create in Setup. You use one format for each
custom report.

By using formats, you can print the same custom report as many times as you need to without
having to set up the report each time. You choose the fields for the report only once, when you
create the format. You can create as many custom formats as you need to print the specific data
you need.

Custom reports allow you to see groups of data specific to your needs that are not available on
the reports provided in the software.

To create a custom report:

1. Click Tools, Custom Formats, Custom Reports on the menu bar.

2. Click Add.

3. Type a two-character document code to identify the format.

4. Type a description for the format.

5. In the Available Fields list, click on each field you want to include in the report and click
Add.

6. When you have finished choosing fields, click OK.

7. Click Save to save the format, then click OK to continue.

8. (optional) Repeat steps 2 through 7 to create more formats.

9. Click OK to return to the QA Tool main screen.

Important Note
QA Tool prints the fields on a custom report in alphabetical order.

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Selected Fields
Use this option to create formats for viewing data on the Transaction Comparison tab and for
printing reports that help you identify trends in your population.

If you do not know the trends in your population, a good strategy would be to select all fields,
run a report, and see if you can identify trends.

Then you can create more formats that narrow the fields and magnify the trends until you begin
to see meaningful data.

To create formats:

1. Click Tools, Custom Formats, Selected Fields on the menu bar.

2. Type a six-character code to identify the format.

3. Type a description for the format.

4. In the list of fields, click the checkbox to the left of each field you want to include. The
fields are numbered in sequence as you select them.

To move all selected fields to the top of the grid in sequential order, click Resequence. To
return the fields to ISIR order in the grid, close the dialog box and open it again. If you saved
the format, the fields you selected still have their sequence numbers in the Sequence column,
even though the field list has returned to ISIR order.

5. Click Save to save the format, then click OK to continue.

6. (optional) Click Add, then repeat steps 2 through 5 to create more formats.

7. Click OK to return to the QA Tool main screen.

Important Note
The fields are displayed on the Transaction Comparison tab or print on the report in the order in
which you selected them when you created the format.

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Field Increments
The Field Increments option creates formats for specific EFC fields that determine the number
and corresponding percentage of the number of corrections for the selected field, as well as the
number of times the EFC increased, decreased, or remained unchanged due to a change in the
field.

Generally, when you are preparing to run a report for a field for the first time and you are not
sure what you are looking for, you will want to create a Field Increment format that has a wide
range between the minimum and maximum values and a large increment, so you can get an idea
of how your data looks overall.

Then, you will want to set up more Field Increment formats that decrease the minimums,
maximum, and increments accordingly, so you can pinpoint specific populations with high
numbers of corrections for that field.

To create field increment formats:

1. Click Tools, Custom Formats, Field Increments on the menu bar.

2. Type a six-character code to identify the format.

3. Type a description for the format.

4. Click the down arrow next to the Field box and choose the field you want to use for the
format.

5. Click in the Minimum, Maximum, and Increment boxes and type the values you want to
use.

6. Click Save to save the format, then click OK to continue.

7. (optional) Click Add, then repeat steps 2 through 6 to create more formats.

8. Click OK to return to the QA Tool main screen.

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Example
The increment you use should be proportionate to the minimum and maximum values. For
example, if the field you are using is Father’s Income and you set the minimum at 1, the
maximum at 6,000, and the increment at 1,000, the range would be too narrow to capture the
majority of your population and the increment too large to capture any meaningful data. If you
instead set the minimum at 1, the maximum at 300,000, and the increment at 100,000, then you
would capture the majority of your population and identify where the majority of your
population falls.

Then, to identify a trend, you would probably run the report again with an increment of 10,000
using the range that includes the majority of your population (for example, 0 to 100,000). Zero
counts as a number, so if you set the minimum value at 0, the maximum value at 100,000, and
the increment at 10,000, the ranges returned would be 0 to 9,999, 10,000 to 19,999, etc.

The maximum value you choose might be adjusted upward on some reports to accommodate the
increment you choose.

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EFC Ranges
The EFC Ranges option creates formats for various EFC ranges that determine differences
between the Initial and Paid On values of selected fields, as well as the EFC.

The ranges from the Pell Scheduled Awards Table are included as predefined EFC Range formats
under codes EFC01 through EFC31.

Four more predefined codes are also included:

• Initial Pell Ineligible,

• All Initial Pell Eligible by Pell Cell,

• All Initial Pell Eligible, and

• All Ranges.

To create EFC range formats:

1. Click Tools, Custom Formats, EFC Ranges on the menu bar.

2. Type a six-character code to identify the format.

3. Type a description for the format.

4. Click the down arrow next to the Field box and choose the field you want to use for the
format.

5. Click in the Minimum and Maximum boxes and type the values you want to use.

6. Click Save to save the format, then click OK to continue.

7. (optional) Click Add, then repeat steps 2 through 6 to create more formats.

8. Click OK to return to the QA Tool main screen.

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Important Notes
• Two reports in QA Tool are Pell-based only: the Corrected Records in Initial EFC Range
report and the Pell Corrected Records report. Note that these reports show only changes to
the EFC relative to the ranges defined by EFC Range Codes EFC01 through EFC31 (Pell
Scheduled Awards Table).

• The Pell Scheduled Awards Table uses increments of 100. You might want to make your own
EFC Range formats with larger increments so you can see EFC changes on a broader scale,
but be aware that you may miss changes that affected awards. You can also make increments
smaller than 100, but the difference probably will not be significant.

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Importing and Validating Data

Importing Data
You must use the Import function to enter the data you want to analyze. The types of data you
can import are:

• ISIR Data – ASCII Format. If you did not use 2002-2003 EDExpress for Windows, you
can import a flat ASCII file in ISIR format.
• 2002-2003 EDExpress Database. If you use 2002-2003 EDExpress for Windows, you can
import ISIR data directly from your EDExpress database. You can construct special queries
to use for importing records from your EDExpress database. See “Using Queries to Import
Records from EDExpress” in this desk reference for more information.
• User Defined Data imports the user data you saved in a separate ASCII file according to the
User Data record layout.

Manual Data Entry

The only student data field you must enter manually is the School Verification flag. The CPS
Verification flag is imported into QA Tool with the ISIR data.

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Initial and Paid On Transactions
You must import initial and paid on ISIR transactions separately.

• To add Paid On data to the records in your database, select Update “paid on” records only
and Prompt for Duplicates?.

• To add Initial data, select Update “initial” records only and Prompt for Duplicates?.

When you import Paid On data using the Prompt for Duplicates option, QA Tool alerts you that it
has found duplicates and prompts you to Skip, Update, or Discontinue, even though you have not
imported Paid On data before and have no Paid On data in your database.

This situation occurs because QA Tool creates not only an Initial transaction record for each
student when you import Initial Data, but also a blank Paid On transaction record.

When you then import Paid On data, QA Tool matches the records in its database with the Paid
On records you are importing and finds that Paid On records already exist.

Therefore, when QA Tool prompts you to Skip, Update, or Discontinue, choose Update or
Update All to replace the blank Paid On records with your actual Paid On data.

Important Notes
You can construct special queries to use for importing records from your EDExpress database.
See “Using Queries to Import Records from EDExpress” in this desk reference for more
information.

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Importing Data
To import data:

1. Click File, Import on the menu bar.

2. Click the down arrow on the Import Type box to display a list of file types to import.

3. Click the type of file you want to import: ISIR Data – SARA, etc.; 2002-2003
EDExpress Database; or User Defined Data.

• If you are importing ISIR data in ASCII format, click the File button to specify the
location of the file.

• If you are importing ISIR data from EDExpress, click Selection Criteria to choose a
query to help you narrow the number of records.

4. Click Printer, File, or Screen as the output destination for the import report. If you
choose File, click the File button to locate and name the report file.

5. Click Update “paid on” records only or Update “initial” records only.

6. Mark the Prompt for Duplicates checkbox if you want QA Tool to alert you when it
encounters a duplicate SSN during the import process.

7. Click OK to import the file and send the import report to the output destination you
selected.

Important Notes
• Remember that if you print to a file, no hard copy prints on your printer.

• To print a hard copy, repeat the print process and select Printer as your output destination.

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Multiple Entry
Multiple Entry is a function that allows you to enter data on multiple records at one time.

Using the Multiple Entry function in QA Tool, you can update two fields on a group of records:
Initial School Verification Flag and a user-defined field that you created in User Database setup.

You must run the Data Validation process before using Multiple Entry.

To edit multiple records:

1. Select Process, Multiple Entry from the menu bar.

2. Mark the check box in the Select column for the field you want to update. Then click in
the Value column for the field and enter the value. Repeat this step for each field you
want to update.

3. (optional) Click on SSN File to choose an SSN file from your database. For information
on creating an SSN file, see “Creating an SSN File” in this desk reference.

4. (optional) Click on Selection Criteria to select records by using a query.

5. Select Printer, File, or Screen as the output destination. If you want to send the report to
a file:

• Click the File button to locate the file, then click OK. QA Tool enters the filename and
location in the text box automatically.

• Remember that if you print to a file or the screen, no paper copy prints on your printer. To
print a paper copy, repeat the print process and select Printer as your output destination.

6. Click OK. A second window appears that has all records that you selected and the fields
to be updated displayed in a scrollable spreadsheet. The fields to be updated are displayed
in the rightmost columns and can be modified on a record-by-record basis.

7. Click Save and then confirm Yes twice to perform updates and initiate the save process.
QA Tool generates an edit report that identifies which updates were not made, which
student records were affected, and why the update was not made.

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Creating an SSN File
If you want to update a group of student records using Multiple Entry, an SSN file is a
convenient way to select the records.

To create an SSN file:

1. Type the nine-digit SSNs using a DOS text editor (such as the Windows Notepad) or a
word processing program.

• Type one SSN per line. Do not use hyphens, spaces, or empty lines.

• Do not press Enter after the last SSN, because doing so inserts a blank line and causes an
error in EDExpress.

2. (optional) Type an end of file (EOF) marker.

3. Name and save the file as an ASCII file.

• For example, in WordPerfect for Windows, select File, Save As, then choose ASCII Text
(DOS) in the Format field. In Microsoft Word, select File, Save As, then choose MS-
DOS Text in the Save File as Type field.

• If you use a DOS text editor to create the file, just save the file. Windows Notepad and
other DOS text editors save files only in ASCII format.

4. Enter EDExpress and select File, Print from the menu bar.

5. Select the module you want to use.

6. Click the down arrow in the Report text box to view the types of items that you can print.

7. Select the type of report you want to print.

8. Click the Multiple button to the right of the Report text box.

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9. Click Printer, File, or Screen for the output destination. If you want to send the report
to a file:

• Click the File button to locate the file, then click OK. QA Tool enters the filename and
location in the text box automatically.

• Remember that if you print to a file or the screen, no paper copy prints on your printer. To
print a paper copy, repeat the print process and select Printer as your output destination.

10. Select any of the various options that appear below the Enter SSN text box.

11. Click OK to send the report to the output destination you chose. If you chose Screen as
your output destination, use the scroll bars to view and click OK when you are finished.

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Validating Data
Data Validation is a process that alerts you of incomplete records (records with only one
transaction, Initial or Paid On) in your database and prompts you to delete the records.

If you prefer, you can complete the records by importing the missing data instead of deleting
them.

It also calculates and stores data on scheduled Pell awards, which is used in some reports.

Assumptions
When calculating, QA Tool makes these assumptions:

• The student’s enrollment status is full time.

• The Pell budget is more than $3,750.

• The student is Pell-eligible if the EFC is within a Pell range.

Running the Process

Click Process, Data Validation to start the Data Validation process.

Run the Data Validation process after you import data and before you analyze the data.

You must run the process before you can print these reports:

• Corrected Records in EFC Range

• Custom Report
• Field Change Report with Corrected Field Counts
• Field Range Report with Corrected Field Counts
• Pell Corrected Records Report
• List—EFC Change by Student
• List—Verification Flags by Student

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• List—Verification Selection Criteria by Student
• Transaction Comparison
• User Database

Important Note
You can run the Data Validation process at any time when a student record is not open.

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Analyzing Data

Transaction Comparison
The Transaction Comparison tab shows the student’s demographic data, as well as a side-by-side
comparison of Initial and Paid On transactions.

You can choose to see all fields, or you can choose a specific group of fields using Selected
Fields Codes that you define in Setup, Custom Formats, Selected Fields.

If you did not choose a Selected Fields Code when you opened the record, all fields are
displayed.

This table explains the notations in the Change column:

This symbol or notation Indicates

Blue shading A change between the Initial and Paid On values
in that row
0 (zero) No change between Initial and Paid On dollar
values
- (minus symbol) next to The dollar value for the field on Initial ISIR
difference in value transaction is greater than the value for the field
on the Paid On transaction
Y A change between Initial and Paid On in this
numeric or alpha-numeric field
N No change between Initial and Paid On in this
numeric or alpha-numeric field

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Other Options

Reset School Verification Flags

If you set School Verification Flags on some or all student records, you can use this option to
reset the flags for all records in the database.

Remove Verification Edit Profile Flags

If you flagged records with verification edit profiles, you can use this option to remove the flags
from all records in the database.

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Reports
The reports you can generate in QA Tool help you examine subsets of your sample and analyze
your student population.

You can select a report to print to a printer, print to a file to save the report, or print to the
screen to view it.

These reports are available:

• Corrected Records in Initial EFC Range. This report prints the corrected records in an
initial EFC range for a selected sample.

• Custom Report. Custom reports are reports that you design for your needs, using fields that
you select.

• Field Change Report with Corrected Field Counts. This report lists fields that affect the
EFC and displays the number of corrections made to those fields with a corresponding
percentage of the total number of corrections. It also shows the number of records for which
the EFC increased, decreased, or remained unchanged as a result of a change to any of the
selected fields, as well as the corresponding percentages for each changed field.

• Field Range Report with Corrected Field Counts. This report shows the number of
corrections made to the selected field for a specific increment and the corresponding
percentage of the number of corrections for that field. It also shows the number of times the
EFC increased, decreased, or remained unchanged due to a change to the field, as well as the
corresponding percentages for the field.

• Pell Corrected Records Report. This report shows counts and percentages for Pell eligible
corrected records. It also shows the scheduled Pell award data that was calculated and stored
during the data validation process.

• Query Management. The Query Management report is a list of both the queries you have
created and the predefined queries provided with the QA Tool software.

• Record Layout—Export Full. This option prints a record layout for full data export.

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• Record Layout—Export UD. This option prints a record layout for the User Database.

• List—EFC Change by Student. This report shows differences between the Initial value and
the Paid On value of the field selected for a sample of students. It also shows the Initial and
Paid On EFC values and the difference between them.

• List—Verification Flags by Student. This report shows the values for CPS verification
flags (Initial and Paid On) and school verification flags (Initial and Paid On) for a selected
list of students. These values show students who became Pell eligible and ineligible and
students whose EFC changed and whose EFC remained unchanged.

• List—Verification Selection Criteria by Student. This report shows a list of students to

whom verification edit profiles apply, along with the codes and descriptions of those profiles.
More than one profile can apply to a student.

• List—Verification Selection Criteria by Code. This report shows a list of verification edit
profiles and each student to whom the profiles apply. More than one profile can apply to a
student.

• System Setup. You can print the System setup information including System and File
Management information.

• Transaction Comparison. This report shows the demographic data and transaction
comparison data for a student or a group of students.

• User Database. This report provides the field names and values entered in the user database
for each student, listed by SSN.

Important Notes
• Step-by-step instructions for building queries can be found in the Bits & Bytes section of this
desk reference.

• You can create queries to use with all reports except Record Layouts.

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Printing a Report
To print a report:

1. Click File, Print on the menu bar.

2. Click the down arrow in the Report box to display a list of reports and choose the type of
report you want to print.

3. Choose where you want to send the report: Printer, File, or Screen.

4. (optional) Click the Selection Criteria button to use a query.

5. Select additional options or enter additional data as necessary, such as the student’s SSN
or a Selected Fields code.

6. Click OK to print.

Printing a Custom Report

To print a custom report:

1. Click File, Print on the menu bar.

2. Click the down arrow in the Report box to display a list of reports and choose Custom
Report.

3. Choose where you want to send the report: Printer, File, or Screen.

4. Type the format code you want to use in the Custom Report Format field, or click the
ellipsis (…) button to choose a code from a list.

5. Type an SSN in the Enter SSN box, or click the ellipsis (...) button to choose an SSN
from the database.

6. (optional) Click the Selection Criteria button to use a query.

7. Click OK to print.

Important Note
When you want to print a report that contains data from specific fields (a custom report), you can
use a query to compile the data. To use a query, click the Selection Criteria button in the Print
dialog box.

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Bits and Bytes

Queries
A query is a set of criteria that describes a particular student population. Queries are used in
functions such as Print to select specific groups of student records from all the records in the
database. Some queries have fixed values, or you can enter different values each time you use the
query.

Queries can be used to limit the number of students selected when you are generating a report,
or they can target information about a select group of students.

QA Tool comes with a set of commonly used predefined queries. Wherever the Selection Criteria
option is available in QA Tool, you can use these queries to identify groups of records. You can
also use predefined queries as templates to create your own queries.

When you open Query for the first time, you will see that the predefined queries are stored as the
first set of records in the Query database. You will know that a query is predefined when you see
“PREDEFINED QUERY” in the upper right corner of the Query box.

Important Notes
• Use the Query function to create queries that are most useful for you in the way that you
collect and analyze data for QA Tool.

• You cannot delete predefined queries.

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Rules for Queries
Some basic rules apply to constructing queries in QA Tool:

• Queries are processed from left to right, or beginning to end; however, AND is applied first,
even if it appears after OR in the query statement.

• Parentheses change the order of precedence. Expressions enclosed in parentheses are

processed before AND and OR.

In the case of nested expressions, innermost parentheses are processed first. See the topic
“Using Parentheses” in online Help for more information.

• Both segments of the query connected by AND must be true for a field value to be selected.

• Only one of the segments connected by OR must be true for a field value to be selected.

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Sample Queries

Sample 1
This query finds all records with the CPS Verification Flag set to Yes.

(SELECTED FOR VERIFICATION = “Y”)

Sample 2
This query is a parameter query. It prompts you to enter the dependency status, D (Dependent) or
I (Independent), at the time you run the query. The query finds only the records with the
dependency status you specify.

(DEPENDENCY STATUS = “[PARAMETER]”)

Sample 3
This query finds all records with Parent’s Adjusted Gross Income of less than $50,000 and
prompts you to enter the value for Student’s Adjusted Gross Income at the time you run the
query. The query finds only the records that meet both criteria.

(PARENT’S ADJUSTED GROSS INCOME < 50000) AND (STD’S

ADJUSTED GROSS INCOME < [PARAMETER])

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Creating a Query
To create a query statement, select a field from the Field list (you can type the first letter of a
field to see the field names that begin with that letter) and then select an operator and a value to
narrow the range of values for the field you have selected.

• To see the valid values for the field you chose, click the Value Help button.

• To connect two or more statements, click the And or Or button and then create another
statement using the Field, Operator, and Value fields. Your query appears in the Criteria box.

To create a query:

1. Select Tools, Query from the QA Tool menu bar.

2. If you are creating a query to import records from EDExpress, click the EDExpress tab.

3. Click the Add button.

4. Type a descriptive title for the query.

5. Select a field from the Field list. You can type the first few letters of the field name to
find the field names that begin with those letters.

6. Click the down arrow in the Operator field to select an operator.

7. Type a value for the field. Click the Value Help button to see the valid values for the
field.

• If you want to be prompted for a value at the time you use the query, do not specify a
value for the query statement.

• Instead, click the Prompt at Execution checkbox.

8. Click the Append button to add the query statement to the Criteria box.

9. (optional) Click the And button or the Or button to add another statement to the query.
Repeat steps 3-8 until you have added all statements for the query, then continue with
step 10.

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10. Click Save to save the query, then click OK.

11. Click OK to close the Query dialog box, or click Add to create another query.

Important Notes
• To create a query for Initial or Paid On data, select Transaction for the field, LIKE for the
Operator, and IN (Initial) or PD (Paid On) for the value.

• To create a query to import records from EDExpress for Windows, select Tools, Query from
the menu bar, then click the EDExpress tab.

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Creating a Query from a Predefined Query
To create a query from a predefined query:

1. Select Tools, Query from the QA Tool menu bar.

2. Use the arrow buttons in the database buttons box to locate the predefined query you
want to use for a template.

3. Type a new title for the query. You can modify and save a predefined query only if you
rename it.

4. Modify the query. Click any line to select it and change the Field, Operator, or Value.
Then click the Change button.

• You can also delete lines or add new lines to the query.

• To add new lines, select the line that should appear after the new line. Specify the Field,
Operator, and Value for the new line, then click Append.

• Use the other buttons located around the Criteria box to fine-tune the query statement if
necessary.

5. Click Save to save the query, then click OK.

6. Click OK to close the Query dialog box, or click Add to create another query.

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Using a Query
To use a query:

1. Click the Selection Criteria button.

2. Click the ellipsis (…) button next to the Query Title field to display a list of queries. The
Query Grid dialog box displays.

3. Click on the query you want to use to select it.

• If the Parameter Query column is not checked, click OK. QA Tool returns you to the
Selection Criteria dialog box and enters the title of the query in the Query Title field. Skip
to step 9.

• If the Parameter Query column is checked, click OK. The Parameter Query Entry dialog
box displays. Continue to step 4.

4. Click in the Field Value column next to each Field Name and type a valid value. Click the
Value Help button to see a list of valid values.

• If you leave a value blank, QA Tool automatically enters NULL as the value.

• When you run the query, records that contain NULL for that field value are returned.

• See “Null Values” for more information.

5. Click the View Query button to see the completed query. Review the query carefully to
be sure you have entered the correct values for each field.

6. Click Close to return to the Parameter Query Entry dialog box.

7. Click OK to save your entries.

8. Click Close at the View query box to return to the Selection Criteria dialog box. QA Tool
enters the title of the query in the Query Title field.

9. (optional) Finish choosing options in the Selection Criteria dialog box.

10. Click OK to run the query. A box displays the progress of the process.

11. Click OK to clear the In Process box.

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Null Values
When you click OK in the Parameter Query Entry dialog box, QA Tool automatically enters
NULL for any values you have left blank and displays a warning.

• When you click OK to clear the warning, the Parameter Query Entry dialog box displays
again so you can enter a value.

• If you leave the value blank, QA Tool enters NULL as the value.

When you run the query, records containing NULL for that field value are returned.

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Using Queries to Import Records from EDExpress
Your EDExpress database may be very large, so you can construct special queries to use for
importing records from EDExpress into QA Tool.

These queries help you limit the number of records quickly and easily.

The fields for the queries are derived from the demographic record in EDExpress and are
available only for this import, not for other QA Tool functions:

ADD DATE LAST NAME

ADD TIME ORIGINAL SSN
ADD USERID UPDATE DATE
CURRENT SSN UPDATE TIME
FIRST NAME UPDATE USERID
To create one of these special import queries, click the EDExpress tab in the Query dialog box
and follow the same steps as you would for creating other queries. Then, to import the records,
follow the steps for importing.

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Modifying a Query
To modify a query:

1. Select Tools, Query from the QA Tool menu bar.

2. Use the arrow buttons in the database buttons box to locate the query you want to modify.

3. Modify the query. Click any line to select it and change the Field, Operator, or Value.
Then click the Change button.

• You can also delete lines or add new lines to the query.

• To add new lines, select the line that should appear after the new line. Specify the Field,
Operator, and Value for the new line, then click Append.

• Use the other buttons located around the Criteria box to fine-tune the query statement if
necessary.

4. To delete a line, select the line and click Remove.

5. Click Save to save the query, then click OK.

6. Click OK to close the Query dialog box or click Add to create another query.

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Deleting a Query
To delete a query:

1. Select Tools, Query from the QA Tool menu bar.

2. Use the arrow buttons in the database buttons box to locate the query you want to delete.
You cannot delete predefined queries.

3. Click the Delete button in the database buttons box. QA Tool asks you to confirm that
you want to delete the query.

4. Click Yes to delete the query.

5. Click OK to continue.

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Getting Help

Online Help
Instead of a paper user’s guide, QA Tool has online Help. General help is available from the
menu bar, and field help is available by pressing the F1 key. See the topic “Using Help” in the
online Help for more information.

CPS/WAN Technical Support

For questions regarding technical assistance and software functionality, call CPS/WAN Technical
Support at:

800/330-5947

TDD/TYY: 800/511-5806

or e-mail CPS/WAN Technical Support at:

[email protected]

Sources of Assistance for Schools

See Sources of Assistance for Schools for contact information for Performance and
Accountability Improvement support staff, the QAP listserv, and the QAP Web site. This
document contains helpful contact information for all Student Financial Assistance programs,
including frequently called help lines, e-mail addresses, phone numbers, and Web site addresses.
You can download the software and the related user documentation from the U.S. Department of
Education’s Student Financial Assistance Download (SFAdownload) Web site located at
SFAdownload.ed.gov.

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Downloading Software and Documentation
You can download the software and the related user documentation from the SFAdownload Web
site located at SFAdownload.ed.gov. This Web site was created to give you access to financial
aid tools (for example, software and paper documents) for easier and more efficient use of QA
Tool.

Paper documentation is available to download from the Internet in both Adobe PDF and
Microsoft Word format. The following types of paper documentation are available to download:

• Installation Guides

• Cover Letters

• Technical References

• Desk References

The amount of time it takes to download a file depends on the file size and the speed of the
Internet connection. If you do not have a direct connection to the Internet, a 56 KB modem is
recommended.

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