Customizing the Expense File Export

Objectives

After completing this lesson, you will be able to:
  • Access the Expense File Export configuration.
  • Configure an expense file extract.

Path to Access the Expense File Export Configuration

How to Access the Expense File Export Configuration

From the Expense Settings page, under the Connections section, select Edit from the Expense File Export tile.

An SAP Concur interface under the heading Connections. There are two cards side by side. The first card, labeled Accounting, has a button labeled Edit on the right side. Below the label, there is a description that reads, Provide some information to help us optimize Concur to meet your accounting needs. The second card is labeled Expense File Export and also has an Edit button on the right side, highlighted with a yellow border. The description below this label reads, Customize the format of the expense data extract file. This file is used to export data from Concur if you cannot sync directly using a financial connector.

Expense File Export

If you have chosen to use the custom file format, you will configure six sections. If you select the default format, no additional action is needed.

How to Customize an Expense File Export

Follow these steps to customize the Expense File Export. We'll walk you through each part of the process, complete with detailed instructions and screenshots to help you along the way.

Once you complete these steps, a demo video is available at the end to reinforce what you've learned and provide a quick recap.

Steps

  1. Once you navigate to the File Export page, on the first tab labeled Select Format, choose Option 2: Use a custom GL File format.

    This is the section where you can determine whether to use the default or custom export file format for your General Ledger (GL) accounting feeds. The file format that you choose will be the format of the export file you receive when you close batches in Payment Manager.

    The File Export - Select Format interface. The interface includes a navigation bar with six steps: Select Format, Select Account String, General Settings, Define Header, Define Details, and Summary/Copy. The Select Format step is highlighted. Below, there are two options for selecting the GL file export format: Option 1: Use the default GL file format and Option 2: Use a custom GL file format. A blue Save button is also present.

  2. Select Save to enable this change.

  3. Proceed to tab 2, titled Select Account String. This is the section where you create the accounting string you need for your GL and all payment batches. Under Step 1: Select Account String Segments identify and select the checkboxes next to the fields that will be part of the custom accounting string.

  4. Choose Add.

  5. Arrange the fields into the intended order for your extract file using the available arrows in the Sequence column. If you wish to make each field a fixed length, select None for the justification rule.

    A Select Account String tab interface in a file export process. The interface is divided into two main steps: Step 1. Select Account String Segments. Users can select fields that will be concatenated to form the accounting string. There is a list of available field labels on the left side, including options like Business Unit, Division, Employee ID, Journal Account Code, Location, and Project. Users can add selected fields to the accounting string by selecting the Add Content button. Step 2. Order Account String Fields. Users can configure the order of the account string segment fields using up and down buttons/arrows. The selected fields are displayed in a table with columns for Sequence, Field Label, Justification, Padding Character, and Segment Length. In the example shown, Company and Department are the selected fields with no justification or padding character specified. The interface also includes tabs at the top for different steps in the file export process: Select Format, Select Account String, General Settings, Define Header, Define Details, and Summary/Copy.

  6. Go to the third tab General Settings.

    On the General Settings section, you can do the following:

    • Select the payment batch type that you want to configure.
    • Determine whether the export file has descriptive column labels.
    • Create an offsetting GL entry for each group of expenses.
    • Define fields such as delimiter and date format.
    The File Export - General Settings page interface. The page includes several tabs at the top: Select Format, Select Account String, General Settings, Define Header, Define Details, and Summary/Copy. The General Settings tab is currently selected. Below the tabs, there is a section titled General Settings with the following options: 1. A drop-down menu labeled Select the payment batch that you wish to configure with USD Company Paid: Card Batch Paid by Company Check (via Accounts Payable) selected. 2. A checkbox labeled Include descriptive column labels at the top of the file. 3. A checkbox labeled Place quotation marks around text and field data in the file. 4. A checkbox labeled Choose an offsetting entry for each group of expenses. 5. A drop-down menu labeled Select an offsetting Account Code if you wish to generate offsetting entries in your feed. Further down, there are additional settings: 1. A field labeled Select a delimiter to separate the fields in the file; 2. A drop-down menu labeled Select the date format, with yyyy-mm-dd selected; 3. A drop-down menu labeled Select the file extension, with CSV selected; 4. A drop-down menu labeled Tax Details on Separate Line, with Yes selected.

    Note

    Under this tab, you can set the file extension that will be used in the Payment Manager for the batch. This file extension will be applied when you close the batch and download the file.

    A configuration interface with the following options: Select an offsetting Account Code (input field), Select a delimiter to separate the fields in the file (dropdown with '|' selected), Select the date format (dropdown with 'yyyy-MM-dd' selected), and Select the file extension (dropdown with options '.csv', '.txt', and '.xls', with '.csv' selected).

  7. Select the payment batch that you wish to configure:

    A dropdown menu is displayed with the following options: 1. USD Company Paid: Card Batch Paid by Company Check (via Accounts Payable); 2. USD: Employees Batch Paid by Company Check (via Accounts Payable); 3. American Express Corporate Card IBCP - US: Card Batch Paid By Company Check (via Accounts Payable); 4. Bank Implementing Concur Standard VISA Corporate Card CBCP- US: Card Batcg Paid By Company Check (via Accounts Payable).

  8. Enter the required options.

  9. Move to tab 4 Define Header. On this section, you can configure the header row and the field header for grouping expenses. Identify and select the checkboxes next to the fields you want to add to the extract file header. For example, you may want the Company, Department, Batch Date, and Batch ID in the header row. To do so, select these fields.

  10. Choose Add.

  11. Use the arrows to reorder the sequence you want the fields to appear on the extract.

    An interface titled File Export - Define Header.The interface is divided into six main steps: 1. Select Format; 2. Select Account String; 3. General Settings; 4. Define Header (highlighted in yellow); 5. Define Details; 6. Summary/Copy. The Define Header section is active. It contains instructions and options for defining the group header record. Step 1. Select Header Fields (highlighted in yellow): A list of available fields is shown on the left, including options like: Account String, Business Unit, Company, Department. Users can add fields to the header by selecting them and choosing the Add Content button. Step 4. Order Header Fields: On the right, users can configure the order of the selected fields using the up and down arrows. The fields currently listed are Batch ID, Batch Date, Company, and Department. There are drop-down menus and buttons for adding and removing fields, as well as for configuring. the grouping of results.

  12. Select tab 5 Define Details. You can add and remove detail fields to customize for each expense transaction. Identify and select the checkboxes next to the fields you want to include in the extract file line details.

  13. Choose Add. Rearrange the fields selected into sequence using the available arrows.

    The Define Details interface for defining the details of a file export. The interface is divided into two main sections: Step 2 section. Select Expense Details Fields. This section allows users to select the fields that will appear for each expense transaction. There is a list of available fields on the left, such as Account String, Batch ID, Bank/Cardholder, and various Cash Advance related fields. Users can add fields to the export by selecting them and choosing the Add button. They can also remove or replace fields using the Remove and Replace buttons; Step 3 section. This section allows users to configure the order of the fields in the Expense Details records. There is a list of fields with their sequence numbers on the right, such as Batch Date, Employee Last Name, Employee First Name, Field Label, Alpha Code, Processing Payment Date, Expense Type, Transaction Date, and Personal Expense (do not reimburse). Users can adjust the order of the fields using the up and down arrows buttons. The interface includes navigation tabs at the top for different steps in the file export process: Select Format, Select Account String, General Settings, Define Header, Define Details (highlighted in yellow), and Summary/Copy.

  14. The final step involves tab 6, labeled Summary/Copy.

    This tab allows you to evaluate every selection you have made in the previous steps. Once you are pleased with the file export configuration for the selected batch, you can conveniently copy this setup to all remaining batches.

    The File Export - Summary/Copy page. This page allows users to review and copy the configuration of their file export format. The page includes the following sections: 1. File Export Summary. Drop-down menu to select the payment batch to review. Drop-down menu to select the payment batch to copy to. Copy button.; 2. Account String Fields. Table with columns: Order#, Field Label, Justification, Pad Char, Length. Rows include fields such as Company, and Department; 3. Header Fields. Table with columns Order# and Field Label. Rows include fields such as Batch ID Batch Date, Company, and Department; 4. Detail Fields. Table with columns: Order# and Field Label. Rows include fields such as Batch Date, Employee ID, Employee Last Name, Employee First Name, Report ID, Submit Date, Processing Payment Date, Payment Date, Expense Type, Transaction Date, and Personal Expense (do not reimburse).

Result

References

TitleLink
File Export Configuration GuideFile Export Configuration Guide

Summary

Thank you for completing this unit!

Throughout the lessons, you have gained a solid understanding on how to manage Expense Export Files in Concur Expense. This unit provided a detailed overview of the basics, including how to customize and configure the Expense File Export to meet your organization's needs.

Before you move on from this unit, there is a knowledge check to help reinforce and assess what you've learned.

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