Exploring the Basics of the Budget Dashboards

Objective

After completing this lesson, you will be able to explain the purpose and benefits of using the Budget feature.

Basics of the Budget Dashboards

The Budget Dashboards feature in SAP Concur, integrated with Budget, provides a comprehensive and real-time view of your spending patterns, allowing you to make informed decisions and maintain financial control. This powerful tool combines the robust expense management capabilities of SAP Concur with detailed budget tracking and analysis, streamlining the budgeting process and enhancing financial transparency.

Budget Dashboards resides under the Reporting tab and provides a graphical overview with the ability to view budgets with detailed spending information. It shows how much is pending and spent to date, the remaining budget, and other details.

The image is a screenshot of the SAP Concur interface showing a dropdown menu under Home. The dropdown menu has two main sections: APPLICATIONS and ADMINISTRATION. The APPLICATIONS section contains the following options: Requests, Expense, Invoice, Approvals, Reporting, and Budget Dashboards (highlighted in yellow). The ADMINISTRATION section includes Company, Company Admin, Tools, Request, Expense, and Invoice. The SAP Concur logo is visible at the bottom of the screenshot.

User Experience

Budget Overview

Once you select the Budget Dashboards menu option, you will see the Budget Overview page.

On the Budget Overview page, color-coded bar graphs display the percentages of the budget that are spent, pending, or remaining:

  • Green - equals 80% or less
  • Yellow - equals 80-99%
  • Red - equals 100% or more
The image shows a budget dashboard with My Budgets and Shared Budgets sections. Both sections include tiles with budgets. Each budget include details like name, total, spent, pending, and remaining and has visual indicators for spending and balances. The Add Team Budget button is present.

Choosing any of the budgets displayed on the page will show details about that budget.

The image is a screenshot of the Budget Overview page under the Budget Dashboards section for the Equipment 2023 budget in SAP Concur. The page provides a detailed view of the budget status for the fiscal year 2023 in USD. Key budget metrics are displayed including: Total Budget, Spent, Pending, and Remaining. Below these metrics, there is a chart section featuring Budget Breakdown, Top Sending Categories, Spending Trend. At the bottom of the page there are tabs: Pending Transactions, Spent Transactions, Spending Categories, Budget Adjustments, and Filters.

Unexpensed Amounts

When an admin enables the Unexpensed Amounts feature in Budget Settings, it provides an additional layer of financial oversight for Expense budget owners. This feature allows budget owners to see values for expenses that have been recorded but not yet submitted for approval or reimbursement, providing a more comprehensive view of the organization's financial commitments.

The image is a screenshot of the Budget Overview page, under Budget Dashboards, for the Entertainment 2023 budget in SAP Concur. It provides detailed budget information for the fiscal year 2023 in USD. The page displays several key metrics: Budget, Spent, Pending, Remaining, and Unexpensed (highlighted in yellow). Below these metrics, there is a chart section featuring Budget Breakdown, Top Sending Categories, Spending Trend. At the bottom of the page there are tabs: Pending Transactions, Spent Transactions, Spending Categories, Budget Adjustments, and Filters.

Credit Card Transactions

For users who have credit card transactions, additional functionalities are available to enhance the tracking and reporting of these transactions. Users will see a dedicated Credit Card column in the export file if they have defined data to export and have credit card transactions. This column will help distinguish and detail expenses incurred via corporate or personal credit cards, offering clearer insights into how funds are being utilized.

Approver Experience

An administrator can enable the following options in Budget Settings:

  • Alert Limit Percentage: Displays a visual green indicator when budget consumption reaches 80% by default.
  • Control Limit Percentage: Triggers a red indicator when budget consumption reaches 100% by default.

The budget owner will see these indicators when the budget is consumed beyond these percentages. A yellow indicator will be displayed when consumption falls between the two.

When users submit expense reports, invoices, purchase requests, or authorization requests, the approver will see a View Budget link on the Approvals page. Based on the alert and control limit percentages, and the amount of the submitted request, color-coded alerts will allow the approver to quickly identify the budget status:

Scenario 1

If the remaining budget is below the Alert Limit Percentage, it will be displayed in green, indicating that the spending is within a safe limit.

The image shows a My Budget section for Equipment 2023 with a total budget of $50,000.00 for FY 2023 in USD. It features a breakdown of expenses with $0.00 spent, $21,000.00 pending, and $29,000.00 remaining, alongside a visual bar chart indicating these amounts. There is a View Equipment 2023 Budget Details link highlighted in yellow. Below, a table lists detailed spending per line item, including an entry for Expo 2023 requested by Jack Aranda, with $100.00 allocated, which is 0.20% of the budget. The right side of the image displays a detailed budget overview with the same financial metrics, pie charts for the Top Spending Categories, and Budget Breakdown highlighting the spent, pending, and remaining amounts. The financial figures are highlighted in green.

Scenario 2

If the remaining budget falls between the Alert Limit Percentage and the Control Limit Percentage, it will be displayed in yellow, indicating caution as the budget nears its limit.

The image displays a budget overview for Division Travel 2023 with a total budget of $100,000.00 for FY 2023 in USD. On the left, the My Budget section shows a visual bar chart with amounts indicating $0.00 spent, $84,900.00 pending, and $15,100.00 remaining. A highlighted View Division Travel 2023 Budget Details link is present above a detailed table featuring a single line item: Training 2023 requested by Hugo First, with a $19,000.00 allocation (19.00% of the budget). On the right, the detailed budget page for Division Travel 2023 shows similar metrics with a visual breakdown of expenses, including a Budget Breakdown bar chart and a Top Spending Categories chart, both indicating the distribution of funds. The financial figures are highlighted in yellow.

Scenario 3

If the remaining budget exceeds the Control Limit Percentage, it will be displayed in red, indicating the budget has been exceeded and requires immediate attention.

The image shows a budget overview for Division Travel 2023 with a total budget of $100,000.00 for FY 2023 in USD. On the left, the My Budget section features a bar chart indicating that $0.00 has been spent, $105,900.00 is pending, and the budget is over by $5,900.00 (highlighted in red). A View Division Travel 2023 Budget Details link is present above a detailed spending table showing one line item: Team Building 2023 requested by Hugo First, with $21,000.00 allocated (21.00% of the budget). On the right, the detailed budget page for Division Travel 2023 mirrors these metrics, displaying a Budget Breakdown bar chart and a Top Spending Categories chart. The financial figures are highlighted in red.

These visual indicators help budget owners and approvers quickly assess the budget status and make informed decisions.

Features of the Budget Dashboards

Share Budget Overview via Export

Budget owners can share budget information with other users by selecting Send to Excel on the Budget Overview page of the Budget Dashboard. They can export the same data available in the list view option of the Budget Dashboard, plus additional fields such as Original Budget Amount, Adjusted Budget Amount, Period Type, Budget Category, and Budget Type.

The image depicts a Shared Budgets dashboard for the 2023 period, displaying five items managed by Hugo First and Simon Sais. Budget summaries are shown for Equipment 2023 ($50,000 budget, $4,000 spent), Simon Sais 2023 ($2,000 fully unspent), Travel 2023 ($10,000 budget, $4,500 spent), and Team building 2023 (entire $2,000 budget pending and leading to a negative unexpensed balance). Beneath the dashboard, there is a financial table with specific budget details, like type, currency, and amounts for adjustments, spent, pending, and unexpensed categories. Options to send data to Excel (highlighted in yellow), switch period views, and add new team budgets are available.

Filters Feature on Budget Overview and Budget Details Pages

The filter feature enables users to filter budgets by budget description, budget owner, and budget category. It is very useful, especially for Budget Dashboards with multiple pages of budget items. The filter feature is available on the Budget Overview and Budget Details pages of the dashboards.

Changing budget periods does not require navigation back to the Budget Overview page of the dashboard. If the filter set returns one budget item, the user remains on the Budget Details page. If the filter returns multiple items, the result appears on the Budget Overview page.

The image shows a Filter by Calendar pop-up for managing shared budgets, with options to filter by either Period Budgets or Date Range Budgets. The current selection is set to 2023 - Annual Period Budgets, with navigable options for past years (2020 to 2022) and future months within 2023. The interface includes Annual, quarterly (Q1 to Q4), and monthly (April to March) filter options. The layout features Search and Cancel buttons to apply or discard the selected filters.

Budget Owners Implement Budget Adjustments

The image displays the budget overview for Simon Sais 2023, showcasing a $2,000 budget for FY 2023 in USD. The budget breakdown indicates $0 spent, $0 pending, and $2,000 remaining. The section includes a spending trend chart, though data for top spending categories is unavailable. Interactive options allow for viewing pending transactions, spent transactions, spending categories, budget adjustments (highlighted in yellow), and filters, with the ability to export data. There is also an option to add a budget adjustment (highlighted in yellow).

Budget owners can add adjustments to their budgets from the Budget Dashboards to manage their budgets and help budget admins work more efficiently. To enable this option, go to the Budget Settings tab and select the Enable Budget Owners Adjustments checkbox.

Budget Owners Share Budget with Budget Viewers

Budget owners can share their budget with multiple budget approvers/managers and budget viewers, such as direct reports, managers, and project members. To enable this feature, assign the Budget Viewer role to users who need access to shared budgets. Then, add these users to existing budgets in the configuration area.

The image shows a Shared Budgets table overview for the 2023 annual period, listing 5 budget items. It includes columns for Owned By, Budget Name, Budget Amount, Spent, Pending, and Remaining. Hugo First manages Entertainment 2023 with a $5,000 budget and a $500 remaining balance, Equipment 2023 with $50,000 budget and $46,000 remaining, and Team building 2023 with a $2,000 budget and negative $2,500 remaining. Simon Sais manages Simon Sais 2023 with a $2,000 budget fully remaining and Travel 2023 with a $10,000 budget and $5,500 remaining. The interface offers options to filter, search, send data to Excel, and adjust views.

Budget Owners Export Unexpensed Data

Exporting unexpensed amounts allows budget owners to view the balance of expense items that have not been submitted. Pending transactions include unsubmitted expense reports, expense reports that have been submitted but not yet approved, and available expenses not yet attached to an expense report. Use the Show Unsubmitted Expense setting to capture unexpensed data and turn it into the budget.

The image presents a detailed view of the Equipment 2023 budget, showing a total budget of $50,000 in USD for the fiscal year 2023. Out of this, $4,000 has been spent, with $0 pending, leaving $46,000 remaining and $0 unexpensed. The section includes charts for budget breakdown, top spending categories (unavailable), and a spending trend chart. The interface features tabs for pending transactions, spent transactions, spending categories, budget adjustments, and filters, along with an option to export data (highlighted in yellow). The layout features elements like navigation and a search bar.

Send to Excel Feature Uses .xlsx File Extension

The Send to Excel feature for budget item lists and the Budget Dashboards export function create Excel files with the .xlsx file extension, which supports up to one million rows. This is particularly useful for customers working with many budget and spend items, as they can efficiently export them to Excel. It's also valuable for the bulk export UI, which serves as the central location for all export budget offerings.

The image features a Shared Budgets dashboard overview for 2023, showcasing five budget items managed by Hugo First and Simon Sais. Each card indicates the budget name, total budget amount, and fiscal year currency. For Equipment 2023, the budget is $50,000 with $4,000 spent; Simon Sais 2023 has a $2,000 budget fully unspent; Travel 2023 has a $10,000 budget with $4,500 spent; Team building 2023 is over-budget with $2,000 pending, showing negative unexpensed amounts. The interface allows switching views to Period: Monthly to Yearly, adding new team budgets, and exporting data to Excel (highlighted in yellow), with search and filter functionalities.

Add Teams Budgets

Team budgets enable budget owners to create and self-manage budgets for their team(s). This is useful for lower-level managers who receive an informal budget from their direct manager but lack a way to track their team's spending. With team budgets, they can monitor spending against a set amount over time.

Caution

A manager can create as many team budgets as they like. However, they can only create team budgets for their own team.

Steps to create a team budget:

  1. Select Add Team Budget on the Budget Dashboard.
  2. Enter the required information in the fields: Budget Name, Budget Display Name, Budget Owner, Period Type, Fiscal Year, and Currency. By default, the Budget Type is set to Team Account.
  3. Enter the Budget Amount.
  4. Select Save to apply these changes.
The image features a Shared Budgets dashboard overview for 2023, showcasing five budget items managed by Hugo First and Simon Sais. Each card indicates the budget name, total budget amount, and fiscal year currency. For Equipment 2023, the budget is $50,000 with $4,000 spent; Simon Sais 2023 has a $2,000 budget fully unspent; Travel 2023 has a $10,000 budget with $4,500 spent; Team building 2023 is over-budget with $2,000 pending, showing negative unexpensed amounts. The interface allows switching views to Period: Monthly to Yearly, adding new team budgets (highlighted in yellow), and exporting data to Excel, with search and filter functionalities.

Note

Once you save the team budget, the Adjustments tab becomes available.

The Team Members tab lists all employees for whom the budget owner approves spending items. This information is pulled automatically when the team budget is created. Team members can participate in a budget:

  • All Time - participating in the budget.
  • Period of Time - between the dates shown in the From and To columns.
  • Not Enrolled - not participating in the budget.

Alerts can be created when:

  • A new employee has been added to a team after the team budget is created.
  • An employee has left the team, but is still shown as participant in a budget.

View Year-to-Date Budget Spend on Budget Dashboards

On the Budget Overview page in Budget Dashboards, view year-to-date budget spending using the card or list view options. For monthly and quarterly budgets, the budget amount takes into consideration the budget amount of the current period, as well as the amounts from prior budget periods of the current fiscal year.

This feature provides customers with a clearer view of budget spending from the start of the fiscal year to today. Yearly and date-range budgets do not include a year-to-date view.

The image shows a 2023 budget overview for shared budgets managed by Hugo First and Simon Sais, detailing budgeted, spent, pending, and remaining amounts. Notably, Hugo First's Entertainment 2023 is mostly pending, and Team building 2023 shows a negative remaining balance. The interface offers functionalities like sorting, expanding sections, sending data to Excel, and a YTD View option (highlighted in yellow).

Summary

  • Budget Dashboards provide a real-time, graphical overview of spending, pending, and remaining budgets for better financial control.
  • Color-coded indicators (green, yellow, red) help monitor budget status and alert users when spending nears or exceeds limits.
  • Features include exporting data to Excel, filtering budgets, sharing budget views, and managing team budgets.
  • Unexpensed amounts and credit card transactions are tracked for comprehensive budget oversight.
  • Approvers and budget owners use visual alerts to quickly assess and act on budget statuses during approvals.

Learning

SAP FacebookSAP YoutubeSAP LinkedIn