Authentication Administration

The Concur Expense Service (CES) SSO was decommissioned on 29 October, 2021.

SAP Concur now provides a Single Sign-On self-service option that enables client admins to set up their SAML v2 connections without involving an SAP Concur admin.

This change provides better security and improved support for users logging in to SAP Concur products and services.

A new Company Request Token self-service tool is now available to SAP Concur admins who have been assigned the Company Admin or Web Services Admin role.

The Company Request Token self-service tool enables clients to generate the Company Request Token that is required to request a JSON web token (JWT) when connecting to APIs on the SAP Concur platform.

The Company Request Token self-service tool enables clients to generate Company Request Tokens without contacting SAP Concur support. This tool also enables clients to generate a replacement Company Request Token without assistance from SAP Concur support if their Company Request Token expires or is lost.

Client Web Services

Beginning with the October release, clients who have SAP Concur Client Web Services can request access to a new application management self-service tool, OAuth 2.0 Application Management. This self-service tool is enabled by the Client Web Services team for SAP Concur Web Services clients who request it.

When enabled, the tool is available from the Authentication Administration page to admin users who have been assigned the Web Services Admin role.

The OAuth 2.0 Application Management tool enables clients to generate Client IDs (App IDs) and Client Secrets without contacting SAP Concur support.

Localisation

With the November release, SAP Concur is changing the following terms in the Traditional Chinese version of the SAP Concur user interface to bring consistency in translation of the term “Distribute”:

These revisions provide a more accurate translation and improved user experience.

TripLink

As of 22 July 2021, the capability of forwarding confirmation e-mails to plans@concur.com was retired. The same functionality will continue to be available with plans@tripit.com. Users must have their TripIt and Concur Travel accounts linked so that the confirmation e-mails sent to plans@tripit.com are automatically synced to Concur Travel.

SAP Concur has retired support for plans@concur.com because a richer service is provided through TripIt Pro. Forwarding travel plans to plans@tripit.com not only provides the same functionality as plans@concur.com, but it also improves traveller satisfaction when using TripIt, a popular travel app and perk for business travellers.

After 22 July 2021 and until 1 September 2021, an email announcing that an itinerary was not imported successfully by plans@concur.com was sent to users. This email included additional instructions on alternative ways to import itineraries into Concur Travel. This email was available in US English, UK English, French, German and Japanese.

User Assistance

As of 4 November 2021, SAP Concur admins have the ability to enable a new user assistance tool for end users. The new tool helps end users learn and complete tasks more quickly by providing guided help.

On entities with admin user assistance enabled, user assistance for end users is enabled for all end users by default. User assistance for end users can be enabled and disabled by country/region or globally on the User Assistance Settings page.

SAP Concur clients who do not have admin user assistance enabled and who would like to have the ability to enable end user assistance can open a service ticket to enable the feature.

User Assistance for End Users assists users to learn new tasks more quickly and efficiently, driving user adoption, increasing efficiency and improving the end user experience and end user satisfaction with SAP Concur solutions.

Miscellaneous

On 27 October, SAP released Concur Experience Optimiser.

Concur Experience Optimiser collects and analyses employee sentiment and buying behaviour data from SAP Concur solutions. This helps clients assess and make changes to improve the user experience, increase efficiency, better manage spending, help ensure compliance and better align with their sustainability goals.

Concur Experience Optimiser helps clients to optimise their SAP Concur solutions to improve employee sentiment and efficiency, to help ensure compliance and to support client sustainability goals.

On 20 September, a new permission, SAP Fiori Theme Preview, was added to the list of permissions in Concur Travel Professional edition. When the SAP Fiori Theme Preview permission is assigned to a user, the user sees a new switch in the header of their SAP Concur site. They will also see a New Theme info bubble.

The switch enables the user to switch from the SAP Concur standard theme to the SAP Fiori Theme. The info bubble displays a brief message about the switch.

The new theme includes changes to visual elements such as fonts, colours and icons. In addition, some top-level tabs and menu items are relocated to the SAP Concur Home menu. These changes are site-wide and apply to all of the user’s SAP Concur products.

The SAP Fiori theme harmonises the look and feel of the SAP Concur UI with the look and feel of other SAP products, providing a more consistent user experience. The permission enables a client admin to allow designated users to preview and test the SAP Fiori theme.

This release note is intended for technical staff responsible for file transmissions with SAP Concur products. For SAP Concur customers and suppliers participating in data exchange through various secure file transfer protocols, SAP is making changes that provide greater security for those file transfers.

As of 10 April, 2021, non-SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol) protocols and SFTP password authentication are not allowed to connect to SAP Concur for file transfers:

• Non-SFTP file transfer accounts must switch to SFTP with SSH Key Authentication.
• SFTP file transfer accounts that use password authentication must switch to SSH key authentication.
• SFTP password reset requests require the client to provide an SSH key for authentication.

On 12 April, 2021, SAP started disabling non-compliant file transfer connections. The process of disabling non-compliant accounts will continue throughout 2021. If you have multiple file transfer connections configured, this change applies to all of your file transfer connections.

This announcement pertains to the following file transfer DNS endpoints:

• st.concursolutions.com
• st-eu.concursolutions.com
• vs.concursolutions.com
• vs.concurcdc.cn

These changes provide greater security for file transfers.

Files transferred to SAP Concur products must be encrypted with the SAP Concur public PGP key, concursolutionsrotate.asc.

• Key file is available in client’s root folder.
• Key ID 40AC5D35.
• RSA 4096-bit signing and encryption subkey.
• Key expires every 2 years.
• Client is responsible for replacing the key before it expires.
• • Next expiry date: 4 September, 2022.
  • SAP Concur plans to replace the current rotating public PGP key in the client’s root folder 90 days before the expiration date.

The SAP Concur legacy PGP key (key ID D4D727C0) remains supported for existing clients but will be deprecated in the future.

SAP Concur strongly recommends that clients use the more secure rotating public PGP key for file transfers. To facilitate the use of the more secure rotating public PGP key for file transfers, SAP Concur added the key to existing client’s home folders on Friday 15 January 2021.

This announcement pertains to the following file transfer DNS endpoints:

• st.concursolutions.com
• mft-us.concursolutions.com
• vs.concursolutions.com
• st-eu.concursolutions.com
• mft-eu.concursolutions.com

The rotating public PGP key provides greater security for file transfers.

In Q4 2021, SAP Concur began redirecting clients to a new homepage. The appearance of the new homepage is identical to the previous SAP Concur homepage. The new homepage has enhanced functionality when services become temporarily unavailable.

The roll out of the new homepage is phased:

Phase 1: At the beginning of Q4, SAP Concur began redirecting Concur Expense, Concur Invoice and Concur Request clients in the US Datacentre to the new homepage.

Phase 2: In November 2021, SAP Concur will begin redirecting Concur Expense, Concur Invoice and Concur Request clients in the EU Datacentre to the new homepage.

Phase 3: In Q2 of 2022, SAP Concur will begin redirecting the remaining clients in the US and EU datacentres to the new homepage. The remaining clients include those with Concur Travel standalone or Concur Travel with Expense, Invoice and/or Request.

This change ensures that the SAP Concur homepage is available even when some services are unavailable and improves the consistency of the sign-in experience.

This release note is intended for the technical staff responsible for file migrations with SAP Concur solutions. For our customers and suppliers participating in data exchange, SAP Concur solutions is maintaining our file transfer subsystem to provide greater security for those file transfers.

SAP Concur is in the process of migrating entities that currently use a legacy process for moving files to a more efficient and secure file routing process that relies on APIs.

Clients whose entities are currently configured to use the legacy process will be migrated to the more efficient process sometime between now and 24 January 2022. After they are migrated to the more efficient process, clients will see the following improvement:

• With the legacy process, clients had to wait for the file move schedule to run at a specified time. With the more efficient and secure API-based process, extracts and other outbound files from SAP Concur solutions will be available within the existing overnight processing period shortly after the files are created.

This announcement pertains to the following file transfer DNS endpoints:

• st.concursolutions.com

These changes provide greater security and efficiency for file transfers.

Profile

The XML Profile Sync, which is used to synchronise Concur Travel user profile data with TMC partners, will no longer be available, targeted for Q1 2022. We advise all partners to engage with SAP Concur representatives to adopt the Travel Profile v2 API for managing Concur Travel user profiles.

The XML Profile Sync was officially decommissioned in 2016 due to instability and other issues. The Travel Profile v2 API was built to replace this legacy synchronisation process. It has now reached such a level of stability and maturity that there is no longer any reason to maintain multiple profile sync options.