Concourse — Core comprises those features and functions utilized across all other Concourse products. This is the only business service that must be present for other Concourse products to exist. The following sections highlight some of the principle features and benefits of Concourse — Core.

Concourse — Core provides an extensible Transaction Repository that includes up-to-the-minute data gathered from multiple sources. The Browser-Based Viewer then provides viewing and research capabilities through a secure, browser-based user interface.

Concourse — Core can automatically load electronic payment transactions from one or more EFT authorization systems even if these transaction switching applications are from different vendors or have different record formats (e.g., BASE24™, CONNEX™, Alaric Authentic™, etc.). In addition to these direct transaction feeds, Concourse — Core can also load raw data files provided by networks and third-party processors (e.g., Visa®, MasterCard®, Discover®, NYCE®, PULSE®, STAR®, First Data®, TSYS®, Fiserv®, etc.). The external payment transaction records are automatically linked to the EFT system records to provide a complete view of the transaction's life cycle.

In addition to automatically linking the internal and external transaction views, Concourse — Core is able to detect and link duplicate internal views of the same electronic payment transaction. In many environments, separate EFT processing nodes are configured to address redundancy, disaster recovery, and other online transaction processing requirements. This configuration can result in a single transaction being recorded by multiple EFT systems. Concourse — Core automatically identifies the duplicate views of the original transaction, thereby ensuring that the cardholder transaction is only processed and reported once.

The Transaction Repository also provides the association from a reversal transaction to the corresponding original transaction. This association is leveraged by all Concourse business services to ensure each cardholder transaction is processed correctly. The Transaction Repository Viewer allows companies to streamline research procedures by providing a single user interface to access all transaction related data.

Learn More About the Concourse Transaction Repository
Learn More About the Concourse Browser-Based Viewer

Concourse — Core has the ability to link multiple records together that are related to a single electronic payment transaction. For example, if a cardholder uses a debit card at an ATM, all records relating to that event are linked together. Related records may include the original request, a stand-in authorization, a reversal of a late response, and a partial reversal because of an ATM misdispense. Similarly, if a cardholder uses a credit card at a hotel, the related records may include one or more authorizations, a settlement activity, and a subsequent chargeback.

In addition, the system has the ability to link related records from multiple sources together; e.g., the records received from a CONNEX™ system as well as those from an external network related to the same transaction. This provides a complete transaction life cycle history of the original consumer transaction. The Concourse Transaction Repository Viewer allows companies to see the individual transaction records as well as the other records that have been linked so that an overall view of the life cycle of the cardholder transaction is available immediately without cumbersome research.

Concourse — Core supports user-defined business rules that can be configured and made available to the business services during transaction processing. These rules allow a Concourse business service, like Fees & Commissions or Extended Settlement, to invoke custom methods of processing without the time and expense of custom software development. As a company's business needs change, rules may be altered and new rules implemented without code modifications or software outages.

The Concourse rules engine has a number of unique attributes that make it ideally suited for large transaction volumes and the complexities of EFT transactions. Specifically these features include

• User Friendly Interface: A browser-based graphical rules builder provides an intuitive, step-by-step process for the creation and modification of business rules. The point-and-click selection of appropriate rule attributes replaces the programming complexity of traditional rules engines without compromising the sophistication of the resulting business rules.



• High Performance: A significant benefit of the Concourse rules engine is the delivery of flexibility without reduced runtime performance. Concourse automatically compiles the configured business rules into executable libraries for use during runtime processing. The automated compilation of new rules results in significantly better performance than traditional interpretive rules systems. No software outage is needed for the system to start using a new version of rules.

The Concourse Transaction Repository is built upon a flexible, configurable data storage model where the majority of the transaction attributes are optional. The Concourse Task Processor supports segment and field level parameters to provide control of the amount of data that is stored for each activity detail. Storing smaller groupings of "like" data, along with the ability to control the data that is stored, enhances performance and reduces storage costs.

Concourse payment transaction processing is conducted on behalf of the system owner and reflects the contracted service agreements established between the system owner, its customers, external networks, and third-party processors. Each business entity can be configured for different time zones, different end-of-day cutover times, and different funds distribution frequencies. Additionally, the service fees assessed can be refined on a per partner basis to fully reflect the nature of the services agreement and business activity.

Concourse — Core offers a variety of features that enable companies to track the status of their overall business and to research problems if they arise. The features and functions available to Concourse customers include the following:

• Life cycle inquiry and research
• Transaction inquiry and research
• Adjustment aging and tracking
• Fees and commissions inquiry and reporting
• Settlement inquiry and reporting
• Reconciliation discrepancies and timeouts
• Support of report templates

The Concourse products leverage a robust repository with secure web access for use in online research and viewing. Each business service (Extended Settlement, Reconciliation, Disputes, and Fees & Commissions) supports a standard set of reports that can be easily customized through the use of report templates. Concourse uses open database standards and is compatible with ODBC or JDBC compliant report writing tools (e.g., Crystal Reports, Reporting Services, etc.) to assist in meeting unique reporting needs.

The Concourse business services utilize version management to protect key production configuration data while allowing future changes to be staged and scheduled for implementation. Version management ensures that production data is secured and business processing is performed without unexpected configuration changes. Version management also secures the user-defined business rules that are used by the Concourse business services. These rules require the same level of management as configuration data to ensure they are implemented in a controlled manner.

A user-friendly interface provides for the following:

• Viewing of all versions known to the system
• Generation of working versions to facilitate modifications
• Locking of a modified version to protect it from future modifications
• Scheduling of a working or previous version into production
• Compilation of user-defined business rules for use in runtime processing

As with any information system, the accuracy and validity of Concourse's outputs (e.g., reports, ACH files, summaries, fees assessment, etc.) are dependent on necessary transaction detail being correctly loaded and appropriately processed. Consequently, Concourse — Core includes a suite of operational services to ensure reliable processing and data management. It also provides the tools needed to manage the system and the Concourse products.