This is a good question. While the data NSF pre-loads into your FastLane user
data base comes from our corporate data, it is only loaded to assist
institutions by eliminating the need to individually enter FastLane users. Any
changes, deletions subsequently made do not affect our mainframe data -- it only
affects the database of authorized FastLane users. Right now, the only changes
to PI data that affect our corporate data tables are those that a PI might make
from within the proposal preparation module (where we allow the PI to edit
his/her info). A future release of FastLane will allow controlled updating of PI
information apart from proposal preparation, and this could potentially be tied
into the FastLane user table as well). Another planned enhancement is to allow
downloading of each institutions user file.

So, the bottom line is that old names can be safely deleted without messing up
NSF.

Bill Kirby

.

______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: NSF Fastlane System
Author:  Research Administration Discussion Group
<xxxxxx@health.state.ny.us> at NOTE
Date:    11/13/96 7:45 PM

A question for any of you who've been using this system for awhile...

NSF pre-loads the system with the names of all PI's from your institution who
have ever submitted proposals.  What are the pro's and con's of cleaning up that
list by deleting the names of those faculty members who have died, retired, or
otherwise moved on and aren't expected back?

My first instinct was to delete all those names -- but once done they would be
hard to retrieve.  So I'm looking for advice from the more experienced...

Thanks.

Frances Vinal Farnsworth
Coordinator of Sponsored Research
Grants Office - Forest Hall
Middlebury College
Middlebury, VT  05753

Tel:  802-443-5889
Fax:  802-443-2083
email:  xxxxxx@mail.middlebury.edu