Event Notification Callout

The Event Notification callout allows clients to choose to be notified through web services when certain actions take place in their SAP Concur company. If the client uses Concur Expense, the supported events are the Expense report entering the Post-Submit or Pre-Extract workflow steps. If the client uses Concur Travel Request, the supported events are the Travel Request entering the Post-Submit or Pre-Extract workflow steps. When the event happens, SAP Concur generates a notification and places it into the notification system queue. When the notification reaches the front of the queue, we send a request to the configured endpoint with event information.

This callout differs from the standard SAP Concur web services in the following ways:

  • It uses an outbound callout where Expense calls a public facing URL provided by the application connector, which is a web server hosted by the third-party developer or client. Refer to Callouts and Application Connectors for more information.
  • The application connector can also use the web services to retrieve or send SAP Concur data.
  • The developer or client can configure and maintain the public web service interface (the application connector), or the connector can be maintained by us. This guide specifies the request and response format we require.
  • The developer or client can choose to create their own application connector using a different language, such as PHP, if preferred.

Process Flow

Process Flow for the Event Notification Callout

Products and Editions

  • Concur Expense Professional Edition
  • Concur Request Professional Edition
  • The SAP Concur Mobile App

Example Use Case

An example use of this callout is:

  1. A user submits an expense report, triggering an Event Notification.
  2. The notification is placed in a queue and processed in a first come, first served order.
  3. When the notification gets to the front of the queue, it is sent to the endpoint specified by the developer.
  4. The application connector returns the HTTP 200 status code, and the notification is removed from the queue.
  5. The developer uses the Report information to make the Get Expense Report Details request.
  6. The developer uses the additional information to validate some expense report information.
  7. The developer then uses the Post Expense Report Exceptions function to approve the report.

This is one use case for the Event Notification callout, however it can be used for a wide variety of requirements.

Product Restrictions

SAP Concur products are highly configurable, and not all clients will have access to all features.

Partner developers must determine which configurations are required for their solution prior to the review process.

Existing clients can work with Concur Advantage Technical Services to create custom applications that work with their configuration.

Event Notification Process Overview

The configuration process has the following steps:

  1. Third-party developer, client or we download, install, configure, and customize the application connector. The application connector may make requests to the inbound web services.

  2. The developer or the clients register the application connector. Refer to Installation > Process for the detailed steps.

Once the configuration is complete, the callout uses the following process:

  1. The configured event occurs in the SAP Concur platform.
  2. We send the request information to the specified endpoint for the application connector.

Security

We will make calls to the application connector’s endpoint using SSL. During configuration, we will connect to the application connector to validate that its hostname and access credentials are valid.

In the code we provide for a sample application connector, credentials are stored in a web configuration file that varies by platform, such as web.xml or web.config. However, if you are hosting the connector, you can customize where and how the credentials are stored by customizing HTTPBasicAuth.java or Authentication.cs.

Expense or Travel Request will not be able to connect to the application connector until a certificate signed by a Certificate Authority (CA) is installed in the application connector. If you are hosting the application connector, you will need to install the signed certificate before we can access the connector.

Authentication

Authentication between the SAP Concur platform and the application connector is performed using HTTP Basic Authentication. By default, these credentials are stored in the appropriate web configuration file for your platform, such as web.xml or web.config. These credentials are entered in the SAP Concur platform on the Register Application Connector page in Web Services under Administration.

Refer to the Callouts and Application Connectors page for more information.

Functions

Delete Notification

Get Notifications by Status

Post Event Notification Request 

Installation Process

The installation process includes installing the application connector, and registering it with us.

  1. The third-party developer or client will create and install the application connector on their web site or a third party hosting site. The connector should be programmed to accept the requests from us and provide the documented responses.
  2. The client registers the application connector with us:
    1. Log in to the SAP Concur platform as an administrative user.
    2. Select Administration > Web Services.
    3. Click Manage Application Connectors.
    4. Click New.
    5. Fill out the fields:
    Field Description
    Name Enter the name that should appear in the list of connectors.
    Description Enter the description of the function of the connector, such as what back-end system it might connect to.
    Host Name Enter the hostname for the connector. Example: https://{servername}
    User Name Enter the user name required to authenticate with the host. This must be the same as the user name specified in the configuration file for the application connector, using HTTP Basic Authentication.
    Password Enter the password required to authenticate with the host. This must be the same as the password specified in the configuration file for the application connector, using HTTP Basic Authentication.
    1. In the Services section, select Send Notification.
    2. Click Configure. The Configure Service window appears.
    3. Enter the endpoint that we will connect to on your server. Example: /concur/v1.0/notify
    4. Select the Enabled check box if the endpoint is ready for use. Usually you will do this after you have implemented and tested the endpoint in your application connector.
    5. In the Workflows section, select the workflow step for each expense report or travel request workflow that requires notifications. The two supported work steps are “External Validation - Pre-Extract” and “External Validation - Submit”.
    6. Click OK.
    7. Click Test Connection. We will attempt to access the configured endpoint with the provided user credentials.
    8. Click Save. The application connector is now registered with us and enabled.

Responses and Errors

Refer to the HTTP Status Codes page for details of the common responses and errors.

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