Connecting to PowerFAIDS from J1

J1 Desktop Financial Aid Manager requires a direct database connection to the PowerFAIDS database for many of the key tasks it performs. The PowerFAIDS Database Connection information (ODBC profile name, user, and password) is encrypted and stored in the J1 database and is shared by all J1 users, which means that everyone who will use FAM must use the same ODBC connection and use the same PowerFAIDS login.

All client machines set up to access any of the Financial Aid functions requiring a direct connection to the PowerFAIDS Database must have the following (note that installation of the PowerFAIDS software is not required):

· An ODBC connection that accesses the PowerFAIDS database using the same profile name, user, and password that is stored in the J1 database. See the "How To Set Up a MS SQL Server ODBC Connection" section below.

Each user is required to access the PowerFAIDS database via the same user and password. This requires a universal login. Most of the J1 Desktop tasks directly accessing PowerFAIDS do not prompt the user to login. The login information is obtained from the ODBC.

The College Board has provided Jenzabar with a special user for this purpose. This special user has access to the PowerFAIDS database and is not able to log in to the PowerFAIDS application. This user is permitted view-only access to all tables in the PowerFAIDS database and full rights to the external_data table. The external_data table is used to hold database transfers from J1 to be loaded into PowerFAIDS via External Update. Contact the Help Desk to obtain the special user script and installation instructions.

Set Up PowerFAIDS Database Connection

The ODBC connection to PowerFAIDS needs to be set in the Financial Aid Configuration table. This is required whether you transmit J1 data via Create Student Update to Financial Aid using a file or database transfer. This choice has no bearing on the other Financial Aid tasks requiring a direct database connection.

If you use the campus portal (JICS)

The campus portal (JICS) references the PowerFAIDS Database Connection set in the J1 database to display data on each of the Financial Aid Portlets. Therefore, the PowerFAIDS ODBC profile name you created to support the Financial Aid Manager will be the same one you will use to support campus portal (JICS). This requires that an ODBC Connection of the same profile name, user, and password be created on the Web server running campus portal (JICS). See the "How To Set Up a MS SQL Server ODBC Connection" section below for full details.

How To

1. Create the ODBC on the client machine.

2. Log in to the Financial Aid Manager module.

3. Open the Financial Aid Configuration window.

4. Click the PowerFAIDS Database Connection button.

5. Select the ODBC from the PF Database Profile drop-down list that points to your PowerFAIDS database. Only those ODBCs created on the client running FAM will be available.

This is not the same as the Data Source Configuration you created that displays as the Database choice when you Launch New PowerFAIDS.

6. Set a valid PowerFAIDS Database User and Password. Jenzabar strongly recommends the special user that The College Board created for Jenzabar.

7. Click the Save button, which will do a test to confirm successful connection. If unsuccessful, you will be prompted to reset your values.

1. Start-> Control Panel-> Administrative Tools-> Data Sources (ODBC)

2. Select the System DSN tab and click the Add button.

3. Scroll down and Select SQL Server as shown below, and click Finish.

4. Enter the name for the data source. Keep in mind that this data source will need to be used to support both the J1 Desktop Financial Aid Manager module and campus portal (JICS), if installed. Jenzabar recommends identifying the ODBC name clearly as the connection to PowerFAIDS for J1 since the description is not available when selecting an ODBC in J1 Desktop.

5. Entering a description is optional.

6. Select the server where your PowerFAIDS database is housed, and click Next.

7. Select SQL Server authentication.

8. Enter a valid Login ID and Password to your PowerFAIDS database. This must be a login ID that has full viewing access to the PowerFAIDS database and full access rights to the external_data table. The College Board provides Jenzabar with a special user that is highly recommended for this purpose. Contact Help Desk for the script and installation instructions.

9. Click Next.

10. Select the Change the default database checkbox, and select your live PowerFAIDS database.

11. Click Next.

12. Click Finish to complete the ODBC setup.

13. Jenzabar recommends that you click the Test Data Source button to verify your setup.

14. If your setup is correct, you will receive the following confirmation.

15. If your setup is incorrect, you may receive one of the following error messages:

a. Error connecting to the PowerFAIDS Database. Please use Financial Aid Configuration window to rectify this issue.
Error Codes: -1, 999, Text: SQLSTATE = IM002
[Microsoft][ODBC Driver Manager] Data source name not found and no default driver specified

To resolve this error, create an ODBC on your desktop that matches the profile name, user, and password set in the PowerFAIDS Database Connection window of Financial Aid Configuration. For full details on how to create an ODBC, reference the Connecting to PowerFAIDS from FAM document located on MyJenzabar.net https://www.myjenzabar.net/ICS/Support/Jenzabar_One/Module_Resource_Center/J1_Desktop_Resources_Hub/Financial_Aid_Manager.jnz (Support | Jenabar One | Module Resource Center | Financial Aid Manager | Connection: Connecting to PowerFAIDS from J1 Desktop). Contact your IT Office for assistance.

b. Error connecting to the PowerFAIDS Database. Please use Financial Aid Configuration window to rectify this issue.
Error Codes: -1, 18456, Text: SQLSTATE = 28000
[Microsoft][ODBC SQL Server Driver][SQL Server]Login failed for user 'pf05roji3'.

This error means that an ODBC exists on your desktop that matches the profile name set in the PowerFAIDS Database Connection window on Financial Aid Configuration but the user login and password are not valid. To resolve this error, re-enter the PF05ROJI3 login and password in the PowerFAIDS Database Connection window. Ensure that you use the proper case as the password requires mixed case and SQL Server 2005 is case-sensitive. The PF05ROJI3 login is required. If you are not using this login, contact your IT Office for assistance. A script to create this login is available for download on MyJenzabar.net (https://www.myjenzabar.net/ICS/Support/Jenzabar_One/Module_Resource_Center/J1_Desktop_Resources_Hub/Financial_Aid_Manager.jnz) (Support | Jenzabar One | Module Resource Center | J1 Desktop Resources Hub | Finacial Aid Manager | Connections: J1 Login Script to PowerFAIDS). This script creates a special login to the PowerFAIDS database. It is provided to Jenzabar by The College Board. This login is granted viewing rights to all tables in the PowerFAIDS database. It has special write and delete rights to the EXTERNAL_DATA table to receive data transferred from J1 into PowerFAIDS. This login may not be used to directly log in to the PowerFAIDS application. This one login must be used to access the PowerFAIDS database by all J1 users.

If you continue to receive this error, it may be that your ODBC has the same profile name, user, and password but may reference a different server and/or database. If so, re-configure the ODBC to correctly access your PowerFAIDS database. For full details on how to create an ODBC, reference the Connecting to PowerFAIDS from FAM document located on MyJenzabar.net (https://www.myjenzabar.net/ICS/Support/Jenzabar_One/Module_Resource_Center/J1_Desktop_Resources_Hub/Financial_Aid_Manager.jnz) (Support | Jenzabar One | Module Resource Center | J1 Desktop Resources Hub | Finacial Aid Manager | Connections: Connecting to PowerFAIDS from J1 Desktop). Contact your IT Office for assistance.