June 2019 Expense Standard Edition Admin Summary
Update #2
Release Note Summaries
Admin
Add IP Addresses to Safe Sender ListSAP Concur is transitioning to a new email infrastructure for outbound email from our services to SAP Concur users. Because of this, companies who filter inbound email based on the sending IP address must add new IP addresses to their Safe Sender list to ensure that their users receive email from SAP Concur.
Initially, the issue described here affected only companies that use Concur Expense. Starting in January, email from other SAP Concur services (such as Travel and Concur Pay) will move to the new email infrastructure.
We will continue to add other services. Please monitor the release notes for more information about the timing of the additional changes.
SAP Concur Product Access ChangesWith this release, customers must access SAP Concur products and services via the following domains:
*.concursolutions.com
*.concurcdc.cn
SAP Concur recommends clients migrate to one of the domains at their earliest convenience, if they are not already using one of them.
Please contact appsec@sap.com for any questions regarding this change.
Business Purpose / Client Benefit: This change will allow customers to access SAP Concur services in a consistent, secure manner.
E-Receipts
Notice About Legitimate Email from UberUber will be deprecating an older connection method to Concur Expense, called SMTP or Receipt Images via Email, on 24 July. Uber will begin emailing certain SAP Concur users, asking them to reconnect their Concur Expense account to their Uber account.
This is a result of Uber updating their integration to the more robust SAP Concur Receipts v4 API and subsequently deprecating the SMTP connection. SMTP is a non-App Centre connected / non-OAuth integration which forwards PDF images of receipts to the user’s Concur Expense account.
Specifically, SAP Concur users who can expect this email are those that set up a Business Profile within the Uber app, selected Concur as their Expense provider and verified an email address associated with their Concur Expense account. Connecting to SMTP was available until March 2019.
SAP Concur users who, when prompted by this email, reconnect their Concur Expense and Uber accounts will continue to receive e-receipts from Uber displayed in Concur Expense.
User / Customer Benefit: Uber will be deprecating their SMTP/Receipt Images via Email connection in favour of the more robust Receipts v4 integration in the SAP Concur App Centre. The SMTP connection did not provide many of the features offered by the Receipts v4 integration, including pre-populated expense fields and matching to corporate card transactions (if available).
Benefits of the new Receipts v4 integration available in the SAP Concur App Centre include:
Global availability – works across US & EU Data Centres
Easier connection login
Better receipt image rendering
Richer receipt data, such as ride location and times
All standard Expense fields are pre-populated with data
Automatically matched to a corporate card transaction, when applicable
Expense Pay
New Approval Process for Classic Funding AccountsIn preparation for the deprecation of classic Expense Pay, customers who want a new funding account in the following currencies are required to contact SAP Concur support to have their request reviewed:
United States Dollar (USD)
Canadian Dollar (CAD)
Mexican Peso (MXN)
European Euro (EUR)
Swiss Franc (CHF)
Danish Krone (DKK)
Swedish Krona (SEK)
UK Pound (GBP)
After the June 2019 release, new funding accounts created in the above currencies will default to On Hold status and will not be available to process payments until they are reviewed by SAP Concur support and the migration team and approved for use.
In this instance, on the Funding Accounts tab of the Configure Batches page, the On Hold column will display Yes for the newly created funding or pre-funding account.
Customers will see the following text when creating a new funding account in North America (NA), Europe, Middle East or Africa (EMEA) currencies for direct-debit or pre-fund funding type accounts (after they click Save), directing them to contact SAP Concur support:
"Classic Expense Pay offerings are being deprecated and limited support is available for customers already using NA and EMEA currencies until a defined deprecation date. Please contact SAP Concur support to have your request for a new account reviewed."
Additionally, the following new text displays on the Funding Account page for all users of classic Expense Pay to remind users of the limitations:
"SAP Concur no longer supports customers adding new funding accounts for the following currencies: United States Dollar (USD), Canadian Dollar (CAD), Mexican Peso (MXN), Euro (EUR), Swiss Franc (CHF), Danish Krone (DKK), Swedish Krona (SEK) or UK Pound (GBP). New funding accounts in these limited currencies must be reviewed and approved by SAP Concur support. If a client is already implemented and is funding with an account in one of these currencies with the classic product, they can continue using these currencies until they are migrated to the new offering or until the deprecation date, which will be communicated separately by SAP Concur. Please contact paymigration@concur.com if you have questions about the migration process."
Business Purpose / Client Benefit: This additional text supports the migration of classic Expense Pay customers to the use of Expense Pay Global.
(USD/CAD) Update: Retirement of Classic Pay and Migration to Global Pay (Deadline 1 Sept.)SAP Concur’s Expense Pay (classic) products execute payments associated with processing expense claims. To ensure compliance with ever-changing regulatory requirements, tailored to geo-diverse markets, SAP Concur has engaged dedicated, experienced, third-party payment-processing partners and developed a next-generation pay product: Expense Pay – Global.
As previously announced in these release notes (September 2017), moving forward, SAP Concur will use one Expense Pay product to service your business anywhere in the world. SAP Concur’s Expense Pay – Global product will replace our existing legacy Expense Pay (classic) offerings (including NA Pay, EMEA Pay and next APA Pay.) For SAP Concur clients with an Expense Pay product, Expense Pay – Global will be our go-forward product. This notification begins our sunset process for all legacy Expense Pay (classic) products.
EXPENSE PAY – NORTH AMERICA SUNSET DATE: 1 SEPTEMBER 2019
Over 4000 customers have already migrated to Expense Pay – Global. Customers paying in USD and CAD must switch their subscription from the depreciating service, “Expense Pay – North America”, to “Expense Pay – Global” prior to the 1 September retirement date. Expense Pay – Global supports USD, CAD, GBP and EUR today. Customers using other currencies on classic Expense Pay are not required to migrate those currencies this year but are welcome to start the migration process. Contact paymigration@concur.com to discuss and schedule your migration.
EXPENSE PAY – NORTH AMERICA AND EXPENSE PAY – EMEA LIMITATIONS
SAP Concur does not support clients adding the following currencies with the classic product: United States Dollars, Canadian Dollars, Mexican Pesos, Euro, Swiss Franc, Danish Krone, Swedish Krona or UK Pounds. If a client has already implemented and is using these currencies with the classic product, they can continue using these until they are migrated to the new platform or until the defined sunset date.
Please also be aware of the following release note in this document: Expense Pay | New Approval Process for Classic Funding Accounts.
Business Purpose / Client Benefit: The Expense Pay – Global offering maintains industry best practices for payment processing functionality within SAP Concur.
Next Generation (NextGen) Expense
New User Interface for Concur Expense End Users **Ongoing**Update: In order to respond to and take advantage of feedback from customers, and to align with the SAP Concur commitment to ensure a smooth and successful transition, we are working on a revised deployment strategy for Next Generation Expense.
SAP Concur is dedicated to the consistent improvement of our products, not only the features they provide, but also the experience of using those features. How users interact with technology changes over time, along with needs and expectations. We are constantly listening to our customers and soliciting feedback on how we can improve the user experience.
NextGen Expense is the continued evolution of the SAP Concur user experience. It was built from extensive user research and data analytics that include 680 1:1 conversations, 58 usability studies, 3,000+ survey responses and 1.3B monthly user actions.
Customers will have the ability to preview and then opt in to NextGen Expense before the mandatory cutover.
Business Purpose / Client Benefit: The result is the next generation of the Expense user interface designed to provide a modern, consistent and streamlined user experience. This technology not only provides an enhanced UI, but also allows SAP Concur to react more quickly to customer requests to meet changing needs as they happen.
Product Settings
Cost Tracking Link Renamed to Custom FieldsThe Cost Tracking link in the Capturing Spend section in Product Settings is now renamed to Custom Fields. The new link name now aligns with the name of the Manage Custom Fields page. The on-page text that displays under the Custom Fields link in the Capturing Spend section is now updated.
The existing Shared: Cost Tracking Setup Guide for Concur Standard Edition is now renamed to the Shared: Custom Fields Setup Guide for Concur Standard Edition to coincide with recent updates to this feature. In addition, the existing file name SG_Shr_Cost_Tracking.pdf is now renamed to SG_Shr_Custom_Fields.pdf.
Business Purpose / Client Benefit: This update improves custom field management by providing a better end user experience.
Planned Change Summaries
Authentication
**Planned Changes** Change in IP RestrictionsThese changes are part of the SAP Concur continued commitment to maintaining secure authentication.
When a user signs in to SAP Concur, one of the validation processes includes checking for and adhering to any IP Restrictions (IPRs). IPRs are specific IPs or IP ranges that are defined by a company to restrict the IPs from which their users can sign in to SAP Concur. An IPR can be a string that contains a list of acceptable IP addresses and/or IP address patterns, for example: "170.242.6.43;170.243.70.42;170.243.70.43;171.159.*.*".
Currently, IPRs are set for each of a company's travel configurations, which creates maintenance issues for companies with many travel configurations and provides opportunities for errors. In addition, new travel configurations are not automatically included and can easily be forgotten.
Targeted for the August release, SAP Concur will change this setting from a configuration-level setting to a company-level setting. With the change, one set of IPRs will apply to the entire company.
Be aware that there are very few customers who will be affected by this change. In addition, all of the affected customers will be contacted individually – in advance – by SAP Concur to make any required settings changes.
Business Purpose / Client Benefit: Customers who use IPRs can be assured that the IPRs apply to the entire company.
(Release note updated: 8 June)
These changes are part of the SAP Concur continued commitment to maintaining secure authentication.
In a future release, the SAP Concur Sign In page will be updated, providing a new login experience for both direct SAP Concur username/password users and Single Sign-On (SSO) users. SSO users will be able to start the SP-initiated SSO login process at www.concursolutions.com. This feature is planned for 2019.
The new Sign In page will include a two-step login process that will provide enhanced security, meet current industry standards and provide a better login success rate. This feature is planned for 2019.
Business Purpose / Client Benefit: This feature provides better security and a faster, convenient experience for users logging in to SAP Concur products and services.
**Planned Changes** Single Sign-On (SSO) Self-Service Option Coming to SAP Concur(Release note updated: 8 June)
These changes are part of the SAP Concur continued commitment to maintaining secure authentication.
Single Sign-On allows users to access multiple applications using one set of login credentials. Currently, SAP Concur has two methods for signing in: with a user name and password or using SSO with identity provider (IdP) credentials, such as a user's login credentials for their organisation.
SAP Concur is planning to add a Manage Single Sign-On (SSO) feature to SAP Concur products that provides clients with a self-service option for setting up SSO for their organisation. SSO is currently supported for Concur Expense, Invoice, Request and Travel.
The new Manage Single Sign-On (SSO) feature is a replacement tool for clients using existing SSO configuration and a new tool for clients that now want to implement SSO at their organisation. Existing SSO configuration and the new SSO Self-Service tool will both be available until everyone has migrated to the new SSO Self-Service tool.
Other SAP Concur products and services are outside the scope of this initial release.
This feature is targeted for Q3 2019.
Business Purpose / Client Benefit: This feature provides SAP Concur customers with a self-service option for setting up SSO and for existing SSO customers who must eventually migrate to the new SSO service to manage SSO for their users.
Company Cards
**Planned Changes** Amex Business Card Connection (US)SAP Concur will soon offer an American Express (Amex) business card connection. The Amex Business Card direct connect feature will allow customers to connect Amex business credit cards while in Concur Expense.
The Amex Business Card feature provides the following functionality:
Provides an automatic daily refresh of transactions from Amex to SAP Concur (Concur Expense users do not need to sign into Amex to refresh transactions)
Offers compatibility with SAP Concur Expense Assistant
Allows the primary card holder to manage transactions without having to view all supplemental card transactions
Supports Delegate and Proxy capabilities on transactions
Provides transaction currency handling for foreign transactions
Includes viewing available transactions
Includes Concur Analytics for Standard reporting (including unsubmitted transactions)
Business Purpose / Client Benefit: This feature provides SAP Concur customers with a business card connector.
**Planned Changes** JP Morgan Chase MasterCard Feed Changes (Q3)For customers using the JP Morgan Chase (JPMC) MasterCard card feed, SAP Concur has modified the handling of certain inbound transactions to allow them to display as regular expenses. Specifically, inbound transactions that have the following ARC type and description pairings:
| ARC Type | Description |
|---|---|
| 0130 | DISPUTE REBILL |
| 0138 | FRAUD REBILL |
| 0106 | DISPUTE CREDIT |
| 0168 | FRAUD CREDIT |
Business Purpose / Client Benefit: This change will allow certain transactions to display (as intended by the issuer, JPMC) as regular expenses (rather than being hidden, as they currently can be, based on your configuration) so that users can include them on expense claims.
E-Receipts
**Planned Changes** New Look for Air E-ReceiptsAs part of our ongoing commitment to e-receipts and the effortless expense claim, air e-receipts generated by SAP Concur based on ticket and coupon data from GDS and some TripLink transactions will be getting a new look.
The new e-receipt format will be released in stages, targeting the July/August timeframe.
User / Client Benefit: This change brings air e-receipts up to SAP Concur’s standard e-receipt format, providing users with a more consistent experience in Concur Expense. The format is also more convenient for users working in NextGen Expense. This change also eliminates a performance/stability issue for end users who would sometimes not see new air e-receipts as quickly as they should.
FTP Updates
**Planned Changes** Mandatory SFTP with SSH Key AuthenticationNon-SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol) protocols and password authentication will eventually be deprecated.
NEW CUSTOMERS
New file transfer accounts must use SFTP with Secure Shell (SSH) Key Authentication.
EXISTING CUSTOMERS
Existing non-SFTP file transfer accounts need to switch to SFTP with SSH Key Authentication.
Business Purpose / Client Benefit: These changes provide greater security for file transfers.
**Planned Changes** Source IP Checking (EMEA)SAP Concur will implement source Internal Protocol (IP) checking for all Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) file transfer accounts, beginning on 15 July 2019.
NEW CUSTOMERS
The IP addresses for new customers will be added by SAP Concur during new customer implementation to the SAP Concur access control list (ACL).
EXISTING CUSTOMERS
Please contact SAP Concur support by 1 July 2019 to have your source IP addresses added to the SAP Concur access control list (ACL).
Business Purpose / Client Benefit: These changes provide greater security for file transfers.
Product Settings
**Planned Changes** User Export Allows Bulk Edit of Multiple UsersThe email invitation that is sent to new users to log in to Standard Editions of Concur Expense, Invoice and Request will soon be updated. The email invitation is an optional feature that can be sent to new and existing users from the Users page in Product Settings.
The email invitation changes include the following benefits:
Improved link location so users can easily find the link to log in to SAP Concur products and change their password
Clarified text and formatting changes
This change will be available to new and existing clients.
Business Purpose / Client Benefit: This change will improve the usability of the email invitation for users by providing clear, concise instructions to log in and change the password when logging into the product for the first time.
**Planned Changes** User Export Allows Bulk Edit of Multiple UsersCustomer administrators will soon be able to export all existing users in SAP Concur to an Excel spreadsheet file, allowing admins to make bulk edits for multiple users. Once edits are made in the spreadsheet, the information can be uploaded into SAP Concur, populating user profiles with new data.
Previously, if customer administrators needed to edit user profiles, the edit would need to be done individually for each user in their user profiles. This was a time-consuming process for admins.
The new user export feature will allow customer admins to:
Export a list of existing users and their profile attributes, including active and inactive users
Perform a bulk edit of user data, such as marking multiple users as inactive
Complete user profile information imported using QuickBooks Web Connector
Populate custom field information when new fields are created after the initial user import
Existing users will be placed into the existing spreadsheet template. The structure of the employee import spreadsheet template will remain the same, except that it will now also be used to export users. The spreadsheet will include all existing user attributes except for passwords and credit card and banking information. Up to a maximum of 1,000 users can be included in the export.
This change will be available to new and existing customer administrators.
Business Purpose / Client Benefit: This feature allows customer administrators to bulk edit multiple users and upload the data from the spreadsheet back into SAP Concur.
Quick Expense
**Planned Changes** Quick Expense v3 API DeprecationSAP Concur will be deprecating the Quick Expense v3 API in a future release. This API will be replaced by Quick Expense v4. Developers using Quick Expense v3 should transition to Quick Expense v4 when it is available.
Business Purpose / Client Benefit: The Quick Expense v3 API only supports the previous authentication method, and it provides access to some fields that are not necessary to expose. These issues are resolved with the new Quick Expense v4 API.
**Planned Changes** Quick Expense v4 API AvailableSAP Concur will be releasing Quick Expense v4 for partner and client use. Quick Expense v4 includes the following improvements over Quick Expense v3:
Secure authentication: This API supports the current SAP Concur authentication method.
Multi-part messages: A developer can post both the data & receipt image in a single call rather than separate calls required by v3.
Supports digitisation status: Quick expense v4 POST API supports the eBunsho timestamp requirement, if the client is using this functionality and has completed the required configuration in Concur Expense.
Global availability: Quick expense v4 POST API is supported in all SAP Concur data centres.
Quick Expense v4 removes some of the functionality available in v3:
ReceiptImageID attribute will no longer be exposed: This attribute may contain personally identifiable information and therefore has been removed to increase data security.
GET, PUT and DELETE endpoints will no longer be exposed: These endpoints are not provided in v4 as there is no known business need.
Business Purpose / Client Benefit: This new version of the Quick Expense API supports the latest SAP Concur API authentication method, and provides several enhancements to the POST functionality.
Receipts
**Planned Changes** Receipt Digitalisation (Paper into Digital) (France)SAP Concur will soon allow the conversion of paper receipts into digital copies with legal value. Receipt Digitalisation will provide SAP Concur customers the ability to conform a paper receipt into a legal digital copy according to their country's regulatory or government authorities.
Once it is available for general release, this feature will be available to new customers and existing customers in France and those who have configurations in France. Additional countries will be included in future releases.
The Receipt Digitalisation feature requires that users must be using the NextGen Expense UI. It is recommended that customers migrate to the NextGen Expense UI before activating this service.
To capture legal receipt images, clients must also be using the SAP Concur mobile app and can use ExpenseIt with the mobile app, though ExpenseIt is not required.
Business Purpose / Client Benefit: This feature provides a paperless receipt option that adheres to local requirements and regulations for paper into digital tax receipt processing and compliance.
Client Notifications
SAP Concur Non-Affiliated Subprocessors
The list of non-affiliated subprocessors is available here: SAP Concur list of Subprocessors (English Only)
Monthly Browser Certifications
Monthly browser certifications, both current and planned, are available with the other SAP Concur monthly release notes, accessible from What's New - Standard Edition
