SAP Concur Release Notes

SAP Concur Migration to Cloud Platform in AWS

• SAP Concur plans to migrate from pure private cloud operation, where all equipment is owned by SAP Concur, to a cloud platform implemented in Amazon Web Services (AWS)
• This change provides a stronger security posture, improved performance and stability, and faster innovation for the clients
• This change will occur automatically
• What the User sees during Migration:
  • While a company is being migrated from an SAP concur private data center to the cloud platform, their SAP Concur solutions might not be available to end users.
  • If an end user attempts to sign in to SAP Concur solutions during the active migration process, they might not be able to sign in and they might see a message
  • If an end user is working in SAP Concur solutions when their company is migrated, they might be returned to the sign in page.
• Admin Experience – Preparing for Migration
  • Review Network and API Connections:
    • For clients who use allow lists to manage connections to their SAP Concur solutions including API connections, SAP recommends you add *.concursolutions.com to your allow list
    • Always store the geolocation and the refresh token as they may have changed
  • Updated Naming Convention for Sub-URLs:
    • Following URLs were implemented in June 2021:
      us us.concursolutions.com
      eu.concursolutions.com
      us2.concursolutions.com and eu2.concursolutions.com

• With the release, the Expense Admin has the option of adding an additional viewing choice for their users when viewing their expense reports – the Detail view
• If configured, the user will now see a View menu and may select from the menu two different view of their report – the new Detail or the default List view
• This feature lets the client add specific information in column format that may be especially useful for their users
• This View menu’s Detail option appears only of the form has been configured.

New Comments Column Added to Expense List View

• The Expense list table view will now include a new Comments column.
• This column will display only when one or more comments created at the expense-level of the report are detected

Alert Popup Redesigned to Meet Accessibility Requirements

• The alert popup now message detailing errors in an expense report
• This update conforms to accessibility requirements for all users of Expense

Mileage Taxability

• Mileage taxability is now supported for countries with variable rate vehicle criteria by distance, additional rates and accumulation period, in addition to countries with fixed rate criteria

Enhancements to the Hotel Itemization Wizard

• With this release, several usability enhancements are now added to the Hotel Itemization wizard. They include:
  • General Accessibility Improvements: Overall, Tax fields are now more clearly displayed and labeled for quick identification and entry, reducing confusion, and increasing the accuracy for this complex task

• • Default Tax Field Display Based on Location: Initial display of tax fields is now based on location to display the ‘expected’ fields for that location

• • VAT Itemization: Handling for VAT configuration of FULL tax, where the result is an itemization for the VAT amount

• • Add Tax Fields During Itemization: Additional tax fields may optionally be added by the user when working within locations with many local taxes

Personal Expense Now Labeled as Personal on the Expense List Request Column

Prompt to Register Car when Using Mileage Expense Type

• Under certain conditions, a prompt display to register a car when a user enters a Mileage expense type in their expense report
• This message only appears if a Personal or Company car has to be registered by the user and they have not yet done so

Display Itemizations in the Expense Report Page

• The user may now review their itemization by opening them directly within the expense report page view.
• To open this view, the user click the arrow (^) to open the single-line parent entry to a multi-line view that lists all the itemizations

Travel Allowance Service

• Trips may now be configured in minutes
• This supports users whose travel spans two calendar days during a trip exceeding 12 but not 24 ours without accommodation

New Itinerary Covering Option for First and Last Day of Trip

• A new option is available that applied when the admin is configuring start and end times that, when applied, allow or disallow allowances based on an itinerary’s overlap of these set times
• This time range is measured systematically by Expense against the traveler’s itinerary for any overlap which, depending on the overlap, results in an allowance being allowed or disallowed based on the selection of an option under Itinerary Coverage

Enhancement to Single Day Travel in U.S Rate Bundle

• When allocating expected expenses that are segments, segments can now bei individually allocated on a request
• Before this update, segments could only be allocated as a group on a request
• This change has to be done by the implementation partner if needed

Cost Object Selection for Travel Segments

• Cost object fields can now be configured for travel segments on a request
• This update can help with cost object identification and reserving funds for anticipated spend against appropriate budgets
• This change has to be done by the implementation partner if needed

Enhancement to Single Day Travel in U.S Rate Bundle

• When allocating expected expenses that are segments, segments can now bei individually allocated on a request
• Before this update, segments could only be allocated as a group on a request
• This change has to be done by the implementation partner if needed

Select All Check Box Added for Selecting All Participants

• A select all check box is now added to the Add Participants dialog so that you can select all participant for an event request by selecting the new check box

SAP Global Identification Import Added as 315-Level Record Set

• SAP Global Identification is now added to the employee import job at the 315-record level.
• The purpose is to support end-to-end access to the SAP Intelligent Enterprise suite through a common identification attribute assigned to the user through this import.

Ongoing – Standalone White Spaces No Longer Valid in First and Last Name Fields

• Since July 26, 2022, an error message is returned and the entries are not accepted if a field is populated with only white space characters via the profile v4 API
• In the future release, standalone white space characters will no longer be accepted as a valid entry in name fields on the My Profile – Personal Information page and If a name field is populated with only white space characters via the employee import file or through manual entry, a message or error will be returned and the entries will not be accepted.

­> White space characters that are part of valid name will be accepted

Copy Downs Attendees Information to Itemizations

• The NextGen UI now matches the existing legacy functionality to copy down attendee information from the parent expense to itemizations
• This helps streamline data entry for the employees creating the expense report

Standard Accounting Extract (SAE) Selected Car Mileage Data Fields now activated

• When using the Mileage Service feature in the NextGen UI, selected Car Mileage Data fields in the Standard Accounting Extract (SAE) are now populated with data from the milage-related expense entries on an expense report
• The selected fields are:
  • Business Distance
  • Personal Distance
  • Car Passenger Count
  • Vehicle ID
• This feature applies to Mileage Service customers only

Expense Detail View

• With the release, the Expense Admin has the option of adding an additional viewing choice for their users when viewing their expense reports – the Detail view
• If configured, the user will now see a View menu and may select from the menu two different view of their report – the new Detail or the default List view
• This feature lets the client add specific information in column format that may be especially useful for their users
• This View menu’s Detail option appears only of the form has been configured.

New Comments Column Added to Expense List View

• The Expense list table view will now include a new Comments column.
• This column will display only when one or more comments created at the expense-level of the report are detected

Consolidation of Resources Under Help Menu

• The Help menu was updated
• Updates include changes to the overall appearance and organization of the menu
• The list of items in the Help menu depends on a user’s roles and permissions

Future release:

• User assistance for admin and end users, video tutorials, and tools for contacting support
• The Get Assistance icon (?) that is currently used to access those items will be removed from the UI
• On SAP Concur Standard edition, if user assistance is enabled and a client is in the implementation phase or trying the free trial version, a new chat icon will be available

Support for SAP Enable Now

This change enables clients to use SAP Enable Now to create user assistance content to improve user adoption and increase efficiency with SAP Concur solutions

• When SAP Enable Now is enabled, end users who have permission to view the content see Explore Interactive Walkthroughs in the Get Assistance section of the Help menu
• The interactive walkthroughs give end users access to guided assistance

App Center Page Filter

• When a user goes to the App Center or clicks the App Center tab, they can filter the apps that display based on criteria (such as product configuration and region)
• If the user is logged into the app, the App Center automatically filters app based on that user’s data, including their country of residence and company’s configured products
• The option to disable the filters and view all listed apps is also available

Add Additional Deduction Categories, Types, and Values for Rate Bundle Deductions and Adjust Default Time for a Deduction

• The Expense Admin may now create new deduction category types using options on the Add or Edit Rate Bundle page
• These custom deductions appear alongside the default deductions (Breakfast, Lunch etc.) for addition to any rate bundle the admin is working with

Deduction types:

• Now one or more values for a deduction are configurable which can appear for the user as a single checkbox or a drop-down list with multiple choices

• Germany
• Portugal
• Spain
• Denmark
• Finland

• Norway                                                                                
• Sweden
• Poland
• Russian Federation
• Czech Republic

• Slovakia
• United Staties
• United States Joint Travel Regulations
• Italy

Disconnection Process

• There are now additional steps to take when disconnecting the Amazon Business account from Concur Expense
• The Admin is redirected to the Amazon Business page to confirm the disconnection from the Amazon Business application, after which the application will no longer have access to the Concur Expense account
• The transactions before the disconnection process will be unaffected
• The admin must reconnect to Concur Expense to gain access to the Amazon application and its Services

Payer Buyer Information

• Concur Expense receives transaction details from Amazon Business with the email address of the buyer and the payer
• The email address should match a user within Concur Expense to route the transaction details correctly
• For this the email address should be verified otherwise Concur Expense discards the transaction
• If both the payer’s and Buyer’s email addresses are present, Concur Expense uses the payer’s email address to route the user transaction
• There is an Amazon Business group account for shared payments, where all users use the same payment method for Amazon purchases. In this scenario the payer’s email address will always be present and is used to send all the transaction details

Japanese Translation Available

• As of June 2, 2022 the ability to switch between English and Japanese has been added to SAP Concur Open pages
• In Addition, you can set English or Japanese as your preferred language on theSet Notification Preferences pages

Support for New Language (Ukrainian)

With the release, SAP Concur now supports the language Ukrainian

Ongoing – Accessibility Improvements to My Profile – Personal Information Page

With the June release the following changes are being implemented on the My Profile – Personal Information page:

• In the TSA Secure Flight section, the link to www.tsa.gov will be changed to plain text to better support the use of screen readers
• In the Email Addresses section, tags, labels and captions will be added to better support the use of screen readers
• In the Travel Preferences section, tags, labels and captions will be added to better support the use of screen readers
• Minor changes will be made to improve tabbing between page items, including resolving issues where the tab order was not logical and issues where some page items were skipped

Following changes are being implemented in the Credit Card section of the My Profile – Personal Information page:

• Table headers were added to the display table.
• Tags and captions were implemented to support the use of screen readers.
• Minor changes were made to facilitate tabbing between elements.

The Assistants and Travel Arrangers section now includes the following column headers:

• Assistant
• Can Book Travel?
• Update/Delete

April Release

• The greeting on the SAP Concur Home page was removed and the preferred name and last name is displayed if the user added a preferred name in the Profile  settings
• In the Future a new option Mx will be added to the Titke list and the user is enables to select a non-binary gender in the Travel Preferences
• This changes reflect SAP’s commitment to supporting gender diversity

May Release

• The Nickname field on the Personal Information page, Employee import file and Employee Travel Import 350 file was changed from Nickname to Preferred Name

June Release

• The Nickname field on the user details page in User Administration was changed from Nickname to Preferred Name

Future Releases

• A new option, Mx, will be added to the Title list on the Personal Information page
• New options will be added to enable users to select a non-binary gender in the TSA Secure Flight section of Travel Preferences
• New options will be added to the gender field in the Travel Profile 2.0 API. This change enables caller (TMCs and Partners) to write and read the new non-binary gender values

Rate Calculation for Multiple Trips in One Day

• Concur Expense supports a new option for rate calculation for multiple trips held in one day
• The business trip with the longest duration can be considered for reimbursement during multiple trips in one day

Ongoing – Accessibility Improvements to My Profile – Personal Information Page

Following changes are being implemented in the Assistance and Travel Arrangers section of the My Profile – Personal information page:

• Table headers will be added to the display table
• Tags, labels, and captions will be added to support the user of screen readers.
• Minor changes will be made to facilitate tabbing between elements

Following changes are being implemented in the Credit Card section of the My Profile – Personal Information page:

• Table headers were added to the display table.
• Tags and captions were implemented to support the use of screen readers.
• Minor changes were made to facilitate tabbing between elements.

The Assistants and Travel Arrangers section now includes the following column headers:

• Assistant
• Can Book Travel?
• Update/Delete

Ongoing – Changes to My Profile, Home Page, and Profile Menu

• In April the greeting on the SAP Concur Home page was removed and the preferred name and last name is displayed if the user added a preferred name in the Profile  settings
• In the Future a new option Mx will be added to the Title list and the user is enables to select a non-binary gender in the Travel Preferences
• This changes reflect SAP’s commitment to supporting gender diversity

Branch Codes and Bank Account Number for SGD Currency

• Previously, when an SGD (Singapore Dollar) payment was sent to the payment provider, the branch code was automatically included with the account number.
• When branch codes are appended, payments do not succeed for these beneficiary banks
• SAP Concur will allow now manual entry of the 3-digit branch code before the account number when needed, so that payments can succeed for all scenarios

(Norway) Updated Calculation Rules for Meals and Compensation Allowance

• SAP Concur has changed the rule options for the Meals and Compensation Allowance

Policy and Receipt Audit Performance Improvement

• Adjustments are being made to the audit process that will improve service efficiency and turnaround times

Reauthentication of Linked Cards to Yodlee Required 

• Concur Expense card users benefit from Yodlee’s adoption of the Banking functionality 

• Banks will work with Yodlee to adopt the new functionality over the time 

• This means the card user in Concur Expense must first identify if their card is ready for reauthentication before doing so 

• As for this release the following cards may now be reauthenticated: Chase, Capital One, Schwab  

Email Notifications 

Update to Expense Report Link in Workflow Notifications Email  

• The URL link to Concur expense within the workflow email notification is updated to a new format 

• When approvers open their workflow email to approve an expense report, they can access and approve the employee’s expense report directly by clicking the link 

• When users open their workflow email, they can access the expense report directly by clicking the link 

Home Page Greeting Removed 

• The “Hello, <First Name>” greeting has been removed from the home page  

Audit Rules based on the new Travel Allowance 

• Now Audit Rules can be created for the new Travel Allowance  

SAP Help Portal Updates 

• SAP Concur offers a Help Portal for many SAP products including SAP Concur products  

• Now there is a What’s new link, to allow clients self-serve information at their convenience 

Resend Card Batch Remittance File Feature 

• Client admins can now resend card batch remittance/allocation file to the card company  

• Corporate card banks can request that remittance/allocation details be re-sent for a received payment. With the new resend button the client can do this themselves when needed  

New Mileage Service Features

• On March 8, 2022 Concur released functionality and UI updates to clients using the Mileage Service
• These Updates provide clients with automatic best practice government mileage rates, support for mileage-expected expenses, mileage calculator integration with Concur Request, and improved user interfaces and end-to-end user experience
• These updates enhance the milage functionality by providing:
  • Automatic best practice government mileage rates à no manually change is necessary, the government updated its rates every year
  • Custom Rates still possible
• The milage Service update is deployed automatically ONLY to net new customer entities being created from March 8, 2022 and onward à It is not available to Customers with existing legacy car mileage configurations

JPT on NextGen UI Migration for JPT 1.0 Users

• Japan Public Transport (JPT= on NextGen UI is the only service that enables users to expense rail and bus travel in Japan using the NextGen UI
• Existing JPT 1.0 clients will now be able to transition to JPT on NextGen UI, the new version of JPT 1.0
• Global clients can anticipate to option to migrate to JPT in April 2022 and Clients must plan to activate both the NextGen UI and JPT on the NextGen UI at the same time
• During the opt-in period from April 2022 through Semptember 2022, clients who want the transition must create a change request case
• Clients who do not take any action will automatically be moved to both NextGen UI + JPT on NextGen UI on the cutover date October 1, 2022

Advanced and Basic Views Added to Product Settings

• You can now switch between basic and advanced views in Product Settings
• This change enables client admins to view or hide their advanced settings as desired without assistance from SAP Concur personnel

Suggested Solutions Migration

• SAP Concur solutions has replaced the Solution Suggestions platform with the SAP Continuous Influence – Improvement Request program
• This change provides better user experience and a single place for Authorized Support Contact (ASC) users to engage with all SAP Concur Customer Influence programs

Concursolutions.com SSL Certificate Renewal

• In most cases, certificate renewal is invisible to the user. When a new certificate is issued, web browser automatically accept the new, authorized certificate and update the serial number, version, and other data included in the certificate
• To avoid disruption of SAP Concur products and services, clients who have pinned the expiring certificate must replace it before it expires on April 20, 2022.
• Clients who have not pinned the expiring certificate, do not need to take any action.
• The new SSL certificate can be accessed through the following URL: http://assets.concur.com/concurtraining/cte/en-us/concursolutions.cert.pem

Enable Report Number in Concur Expense Accounting Extracts

• A new site setting, Enable Report Number for Expense Accounting Extracts, is now available for all Concur Expense accounting extract file types
• This setting lets the client elect to extract the Report Number field data instead of the Report Key field data by changing the extract output to include one and not the other
• This change is reversible and can affect up to no more than 5 same-type extracts at the client site
• At this time, no change is planned to the Report Key field's availability or functionality in any way

New Tours Added to User Assistance for Admins and End Users

• The new release includes new User Assistance content (tours).
• The new tours expand the scope of information provided by User Assistance for Admins and End Users
• The following new tours are included in the March release:
  • Concur Travel
    • Book an Air Ticket
    • Book a Car Rental
  • Concur Expense
    • What does this mean: "Combine room rate + taxes into single entry"?
    • How do I delete an expense report?
    • Adding JPT Route to an Expense Report
  • Concur Request
    • Error Handling for Cash Advance solution •
  • App Center
    • App Center Overview
• User Assistance assists admins and users to learn new tasks more quickly and efficiently by providing guided tours with step-by-step instructions for completing a task
• The tours are automatically available on entities when it is enabled

Application Connector Username and Password Length Requirements Updated

• The length of the username and password associated with an application connector on the Application Connectors page must be at least 10 characters long and not more than 50 characters long
• On February 28, 2022, SAP Concur began enforcing the 10-character minimum and 50-character maximum
• If the usernames and passwords are not updated prior to this change, some aspects of SAP Concur solutions might stop working
• Application connection usernames and passwords can be updated by an administrator with the Company Administrator or Web Services Administrator role.

Ongoing: SAP Concur Migration to Cloud Platforms in AWS 

SAP Concur plans to migrate from pure private cloud operation, where all equipment is owned by SAP Concur, to a cloud platform

This change provides a stronger security posture, improved performance and stability, and faster innovation for the clients

This change will occur automatically

• What the User sees during Mirgation:
  • While a company is being migrated from an SAP concur private data center to the cloud platform, their SAP Concur solutions might not be available to end users.
  • If an end user attempts to sign in to SAP Concur solutions during the active migration process, they might not be able to sign in and they might see a message
  • If an end user is working in SAP Concur solutions when their company is migrated, they might be returned to the sign in page.

Concur plan to implement migrations on weekend and after business hours

Meals provided by default

• Meals can now be marked as provided by default
  For example: Breakfast is always marked as provided for all days except the first
• This can also be done city specific, for example: If the employees travel into the city of the headquarter, automatically all meals are marked as provided
•  

New features for the User experience  

Calender

• By entering the trip segments the calender is now showing, when the User was on trips.
• All complete travel days are grayed out and cannot be selected
• All half days, or start and end dates of a trip are marked and can be used for another half day

CFDi Version 4.0 Now Supported (Mexico)

This update supports users reporting to Mexican tax authorities who need their invoice or receipt and attached CFDi tax document submitted as a single invoice in Concur Invoice or reimbursable expense in Concur Expense.

Ongoing: SAP Concur Homepage Changes

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

Ongoing: SAP Concur Migration to Cloud Platforms in AWS

• SAP Concur plans to migrate from pure private cloud operation, where all equipment is owned by SAP Concur, to a cloud platform
• This change provides a stronger security posture, improved performance and stability, and faster innovation for the clients
• This change will occur automatically

Profile Menu Functional Changes Under Fiori Light Theme

With the January release, the Profile menu within the SAP Fiori theme has been updated. This update includes changes to the layout of the menu items and some changes in functionality.

What the user sees:

• The layout and appearance of the Profile settings and Sign out buttons changed
• Act as another User option include:

• Myself: allow visual identification and confirmation that the user is working on their own behalf and enable the user to return to working on their own behalf after acting as another user
• Switch: This button toggles the user between working for a user and working on their own behalf

The Profile menu in the SAP Concur Fiori Light Theme is automatically updated with the January 2022 release

Removal of the Connected Apps Page

• SAP Concur plans to remove the Connected Apps page in Profile Settings
• This improves the usability. This is a rarely uses page; it no longer meets its purpose of driving partner application usage
• The users can continue to connect to available apps through the App Center on the SAP Concur page header.

Notice Regarding Stale Documentation

• SAP Concur User Assistance will achieve and eventually delete documents as needed to maintain accurate, relevant and concise information for all supports audience
• Archiving activities will comply with data retention best practices and adhere to legal compliance requirements
• Current online help documents are now located on the SAP Help Portal

Some TLSv1.2 Ciphers No Longer Supported (Feb 1, 2022)

SAP Concur solutions will no longer support connections to *.concursolutions.com and * api.concursolutions.com that use some ciphers. The list of the supported and unsupported ciphers you find  in the Release Updates

If your cipher suite includes supported and unsupported ciphers, connections to *concursolutions.com through a web browser will not be disrupted. During the process of establishing the connection, the *concursolutions.com server will choose the most secure cipher in your cipher suite.

Change in Support for Internet Explorer 11

• On January 1, 2022, SAP Concur began transitioning away from support for Internet Explorer 11.
• SAP Concur Users are not blocked from access when using IE 11. They can still sign in to their solutions. However SAP recommends that clients move away from IE 11 and move to a more modern, secure and supported browser
• Users who navigate to the Concur page will see a banner with a the following message:
  "You are using Internet Explorer. Beginning January 1, 2022, SAP Concur began transitioning away from support for Internet Explorer 11. For details, refer to the SAP concur Internet Explorer 11 Support Policy Change FAQ. View FAQ"

Ongoing: Rotating PGP Key for File Transfer

• Files transferred to SAP Concur products must be encrypted with the SAP Concur public PGP key, concursolutionsrotate.asc.
• The SAP Concur legacy PGP key (key ID D4D727C0) will be decommissioned on October 11, 2022. You must switch to using the rotating PGP key before that date. Files encrypted with the legacy PGP key will not be processed after October 10, 2022.
• 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

Ongoing: SAP Concur Legacy File Move Migration  

Clients whose entities are currently configured to use the legacy process will be migrated to the more efficient process sometime between now and January 24, 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 will be available within the existing overnight processing period shortly after the files are created.

This announcement pertains to the st.concursolutions.com file transfer DNS endpoints

Ongoing: Rotating PGP Key for File Transfer

• Files transferred to SAP Concur products must be encrypted with the SAP Concur public PGP key, concursolutionsrotate.asc.
• The SAP Concur legacy PGP key (key ID D4D727C0) will be decommissioned on October 11, 2022. You must switch to using the rotating PGP key before that date. Files encrypted with the legacy PGP key will not be processed after October 10, 2022.
• 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
  •  

Ongoing: SAP Concur Legacy File Move Migration  

Clients whose entities are currently configured to use the legacy process will be migrated to the more efficient process sometime between now and January 24, 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 will be available within the existing overnight processing period shortly after the files are created.

This announcement pertains to the st.concursolutions.com file transfer DNS endpoints

Ongoing: SAP Concur Homepage Changes

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

Ongoing: Changes to Page Header and Profile Menu

Beginning in Q1 2022, the following changes will be made:

• The greeting on the SAP Concur Homepage will be removed
• If a user has entered a nickname/preferred name in the Profile settings, the nickname/preferred will be displayed in the Profile menu
• Otherwise the first name will be displayed

Shared Planned Changes Moved to New Shared Changes Release Notes

• Beginning with the January 2022 draft release notes, shared changes, shared planned changes and changes to SAP Concur core technologies are published in a new document “Shared Changes Release Notes”
• Changes that are specific to one product and that impact that product's functionality or UI for admins or for end users will continue to be documented in that product's release notes

New SAP Fiori Themes Available for Preview

• With the January 2022 release, a new list field Appearance Settings has been added to the Profile Settings > System Settings page
• Users who have been assigned the SAP Fiori Theme Preview permission can choose between different SAP themes
• SAP themes harmonize the look and feel of the SAP Concur UI with the look and feel of other SAP products, providing more consistent user experience

Profile Menu Functional Changes Under Fiori Light Theme

With the January release, the Profile menu within the SAP Fiori theme has been updated. This update includes changes to the layout of the menu items and some changes in functionality.

What the user sees:

• The layout and appearance of the Profile settings and Sign out buttons changed
• Act as another User option include:

• Myself: allow visual identification and confirmation that the user is working on their own behalf and enable the user to return to working on their own behalf after acting as another user
• Switch: This button toggles the user between working for a user and working on their own behalf

The Profile menu in the SAP Concur Fiori Light Theme is automatically updated with the January 2022 release

Some TLSv1.2 Ciphers No Longer Supported (Feb 1, 2022)

SAP Concur solutions will no longer support connections to *.concursolutions.com and * api.concursolutions.com that use some ciphers. The list of the supported and unsupported ciphers you find  in the Release Updates

If your cipher suite includes supported and unsupported ciphers, connections to *concursolutions.com through a web browser will not be disrupted. During the process of establishing the connection, the *concursolutions.com server will choose the most secure cipher in your cipher suite.

Ongoing: Enable Report Number in Concur Expense Accounting Extracts (March 2022)

• A new site setting, Enable Report Number for Expense Accounting Extracts, will be available in an upcoming release in Q1 of 2022 for all Concur Expense accounting extract file types
• This setting lets the client elect to extract the Report Number field data instead of the Report Key field data by changing the extract output to include one and not the other
• This change is reversible and can affect up to no more than 5 same-type extracts at the client site
• At this time, no change is planned to the Report Key field's availability or functionality in any way

Change in Support for Internet Explorer 11

• On January 1, 2022, SAP Concur began transitioning away from support for Internet Explorer 11.
• SAP Concur Users are not blocked from access when using IE 11. They can still sign in to their solutions. However SAP recommends that clients move away from IE 11 and move to a more modern, secure and supported browser

Permanent Test Entity Renamed to Production Sandbox Environment

• SAP Concur has renamed the Permanent Test Entity (PTE) service to Production Sandbox Environment (PSE).
• A PSE is a copy of a client's SAP Concur production entity.
• Clients can use the PSE to set up and test new products, features, and services before introducing them into the production environment.
• The PSE can also be used to train users on SAP Concur products, features, and services.

Test Entity (PSE) Data Maintenance and Entity Deletion (Dec 6)

• As part of SAP Concur routine data maintenance and operations, they will begin deleting stagnant data in SAP Concur Production Sandbox Environment (test entities)
• Beginning December 6, test entities that have not been signed in to within 180 days will be deleted
• As of January 2022, test entities that have not been assigned within 180 days will also be deleted on a regular basis
• The deletion of data or entities in the production sandbox environment has no impact on live production entities

Ongoing: Most Recently Used Lists Not Migrated

• Some SAP Concur users use Product Sandbox Environment (PSE) entities to set up, test, and train on new configurations prior to deploying them to their live production entity
• Due to the architectural changes that SAP Concur must make to support this move, when PSEs are migrated to the new environment, some Most Recently Used (MRU) list items within the PSE will not be migrated.
• MRU lists consist of recent selections made by the user. These lists are generated overtime as users interact with various menus and other defined lists and they will be regenerated after the PSE is migrated to the new environment.

New Tours Added to User Assistance for End Users and Admins (US, EMEA)

• SAP Concur January release includes new User Assistance content.
• The new tours expand the scope of information provided by User Assistance for End Users and Admins
• Following new tours are included:

Admins with the necessary permissions can navigate to the User Assistance page by clicking Administration > Company > Company Admin > User Assistance.

Ongoing: Application Connector Username and Password Length Requirements Updated

• The length of the username and password associated with an application connector on the Application Connectors page must be at least 10 characters long and not more than 50 characters long
• On February 28, 2022, the 10-character minimum and 50-character maximum will be enforced
• If the usernames and passwords are not updated prior to this change, some aspects of SAP Concur solutions might stop working
• Application connection usernames and passwords can be updated by an administrator with the Company Administrator or Web Services Administrator role.

Application Connector Username and Password Length Requirements Updated

• The lengths of the username and password associated with an application connector on the Application Connectors page must be at least 10 characters and not more than 50 characters long.
• On February 28, 2022 the 10 character minimum and 59 character maximum will be enforced.
• If the usernames and passwords are not updated prior to this change, some aspects of SAO Concur solutions might stop working
• Application connection usernames and passwords can be updated by an administrator wit the Company Administrator  or Web Services Administrator role

Test Entity Data Maintenance and Entity Deletion (Dec 6)

• As part of SAP Concur routine data maintenance and operations, they will begin deleting stagnant data in SAP Concur Production Sandbox Environment (test entities)
• Beginning December 6, test entities that have not been signed in to within 180 days will be deleted
• As of January 2022, test entities that have not been assigned within 180 days will also be deleted on a regular basis
• The deletion of data or entities in the production sandbox environment has no impact on live production entities

Delta Posting Phase 2 (Dec 2021)

This change is part of the NextGen UI experience

• The first phase of the Delta Posting feature allowed end-users to reopen the expense report and change custom fields only. Expanded features are now available
• Multiple configuration levels allow companies to control which actions the end- user can perform in a reopened report
• The configuration level allow the choice if assigning increasing degrees of modification privileges to an Expense User Group. E.g a user in a group assigned the level 1 permissions can add or append receipt images and modify allocation and org unit field. A user in Level 3 may further modify the report for number of attendees and  amounts, add receipt images, and move entries between reports

In Phase 2 now following features are additionally available:

• Allow end-user to add new entries to expense report or delete/move entries from expense report
• Allow end-user to modify virtually any field including entry amount, itemizations, mileage, expense types, attendees, non-custom fields
• Allow end-user to adjust new (only) travel allowance and itinerary data (add or remove allowances, edit location and dates) 
• Allow a traveler to update receipt images for an existing entry: Append image where image already attached > image available in imaging service but SAP not notified of change
• Calculate delta for payroll posting of employee taxability and/or reimbursement (reversal original  + post new) 

Available End User Support Options

• SAP provides many support pathways for many products
• SAP Concur solutions end user receive support in one of the following ways:
  • User Support Desk (USD): of your company has purchased User Support Desk, end users can access support within the SAP Concur application. Click Help > Contact Support to access the User Support Desk Portal and begin support via phone or chat
  • Internal Support: If your company has not purchased USD, end users work with internal contacts to support their SAP Concur solution, and supplement with the self-serve resources in the next section

Self-Serve End User Resources:

• SAP Concur Community: https://community.concur.com/
• Support Info and FAQs on SAP Concur Community: https://community.concur.com/t5/Support-and-FAQs/bg-p/Support
• Professional Edition SAP Concur Training Toolkit: http://www.concurtraining.com/
• Standard Edition SAP Concur Training Toolkit: http://www.concurtraining.com/toolkit/standard/en
• Concur Expense End-User Online Help: https://help.sap.com/viewer/product/CONCUR_EXPENSE/LATEST/enUS?task=use_task
• Concur Invoice End-User Online Help: https://help.sap.com/viewer/product/CONCUR_INVOICE/LATEST/enUS?task=use_task
• Concur Request End-User Online Help: https://help.sap.com/viewer/product/CONCUR_REQUEST/LATEST/enUS?task=use_task
• Concur Travel End-User Online Help: https://help.sap.com/viewer/product/CONCUR_TRAVEL/LATEST/enUS?task=use_task

Streamlined Delivery

• Previously the monthly release note admin summaries were provide in pdf files from the classic landing pages and as HTML files from the in-product Help systems and the SAP Help Portal
• SAP Concur now provides only HTML files from the in -the-product Help system and the SAP Help Portal
• The SAP Help Portal provides a Create Custom PDF link

Profile Menu Functional Changes Under Fiori Light Theme

• The SAP Fiori theme release includes changes to the layout of the menu items and some changes in functionality

Standard Accounting Extract (SAE) Version 4 to be Available to New Onboarding Clients

• A new Standard Accounting Extract (SAE) specification, version 4, is now available for new clients onboarding to SAP Concur who require this extract.
• This version includes the Report Number field which replaces the Report Key field in the earlier extracts
• This update is designed for use by new clients
• It is strongly recommended that now existing clients migrate to the new version à If they require the Report Number field they will use the new Site Setting Enable Report Number for Expense Accounting Extracts setting for this purpose (available in early 2022)

Decommission of All Currencies (Jan 1, 2022)

• SAP Concur will decommission the legacy Expense Pay Classic solution
• This decommission will require all Customers using Expense Pay to enable alternative solutions, but they have been communicated to directly regarding this change
• Currently, Expense Pay Flex (aka Direct) is being offered only to existing clients (those already using Expense Pay classic) and not to new clients or existing clients who do not currently use an Expense Pay solution.
• This announcement does not impact existing Expense Pay Global solution with Bambora which remains available and fully supported

Lodge Cards: Purchasing Addendum Data Added for User Identity Retrieval for Selected VISA VCF Import Formats:

• A new field, Purchase Addendum Data, is available as a Custom field 1
• Used to retrieve the Employee or Request ID value for VISA VCF4.0 and VCF4.4 CR and Lodge cards accounts
• This field joins Passenger, Car and Hotel data as additional option that may be added to the import to configure the retrieval of the Employee or Request ID value for matching transactions to users
• Additional the Employee ID From Passenger or Car Rental of Hotel Specific Data field is renamed to Employee ID from Addendum Data

Company Request Token Self-Service Tool:

• Company Admin can now generate Company Request Tokens without contacting SAP Concur Support
• After Expiration of the Company Request Token they can generate a replacement Company Request Token
• There is no configuration needed

 Self-Service Tool for Application Management

• Web Service Administrators can enable the OAuth 2.0 Application Management tool to generate Client IDs and Client Secrets without contacting SAP Concur Support
• This can be enabled on request for clients with SAP Concur Client Web Services

Concur Experience Optimizer (US)

Concur Experience Optimizer collects and analyzes employee sentiment and buying behavior data from SAP Concur solutions.

Available for following User:

• Concur Expense or Concur Travel & Expense
• Concur Intelligence or Consultative Intelligence
• Licenses for Qualtrics Employee XM for IT

Features of Concur Experience Optimizer

• Diagnostic feedback templates to gather employee sentiment
• Dashboards to analyze and understand data
• Expert services to help interpret data and develop an effective response to findings
• Qualtrics platform to ensure availability, scalability, confidentiality, data privacy, and security

New Permission to Enable Preview of Fiori Light Theme

• New switch in the header of the SAP Concur site and a new Theme info bubble when enabled
• New Theme includes changed to visual elements such as fonts, colors, and icons
• Additionally some top-level tabs and menu items are relocated to the SAP Concur Home menu
• The theme harmonizes the look and feel of the SAP Concur UI with the look and feel of other SAP products
• To enable the User needs the “SAP Fiori Theme Preview” permission on the Company Permissions page and switch the info bubble to “ON”

Ongoing Updated User Interface for Concur Expense End Users

Active Move Period: October 2021 – September 2022

12-month period  for customers to complete the transition at their own pace before the automatic transition date.

Automatic Transition Date: October 1, 2022

All customers will be automatically transitioned to the NextGen UI.

“View Batch Data” Link

For all Expense Pay User a new link “View Batch Data” is available. It shows all the masked payment and remittance data that is transmitted to the payment and/or card provider when applicable

Help Menu Directed to SAP Help Portal

New look and feel and additional functionality for the Help Portal

New User Assistance Tool for End User (US, EMEA)

• The new tool helps end users learn and complete tasks more quickly by providing guided help
• User assistance for end users can be enabled and disabled by country/region or globally on the User Assistance Settings page
• When the tool is enabled the User see the Get Assistance (?) button

Ongoing Application Connector Username and Password Length Requirements Updated

The lengths of the username and password associated with an application connector on the Application Connectors page must be at least 10 characters an not more than 50 characters long.

Authorized Approvers Sort Order Enhancement

• Automatically assign authorized apprivers setting ensures that all Authorized Approval steps in the workflow are pre-populated with an assigned Authorized Appriver
• If multiple possible Approvers are possible the system now orders the choices alphabetically by last name, followed by first name