Forms and Fields: Connected List

Objective

After completing this lesson, you will be able to create a Connected List and apply it to a Form

Forms and Fields: Connected Lists

Connected Lists represent a valuable feature designed to optimize the expense management process. By establishing dependencies between various lists, this functionality ensures users select appropriate and validated combinations of expense-related data. The result is enhanced data integrity, improved compliance with organizational policies, and a more efficient experience for both expense submitters and approvers.

To access this tab, select the Connected Lists tab on the Forms and Fields page.

Screenshot of Concur Expense Forms and Fields page, showing the Connected Lists tab selected with related list details displayed.

Note

Connected lists are only available for the Employee, Expense Entry, Expense Report Header, Expense Allocation and Expense Attendee form types.

Create a Connected List

Defining a new connected list involves a structured, five-phase process that ensures effective data organization and management within the system. The process is as follows:

Select a List: Choose the primary list you want to use and assign a descriptive name to the connected list definition.
Select Fields: Determine which fields from the selected list will be included in the connected list definition.
Configure Fields: Adjust the properties of each field to ensure they function as intended within the connected list.
Preview: Review the fields and their configurations to see how the connected list definition will appear and function with the applied changes.
Assign to Forms: Choose the specific forms where the new connected list will be available for users.

Review the following steps to learn how to configure a connected list.

Steps

On the Connected List tab, select New.
The Select a List page appears, displaying all available lists. Select the desired list.
Enter the Connected List Definition Name and then select Next.
Note
The Connected List Definition Name must be unique.
The Connected List Definition page appears, with eligible fields populating the left pane. In the left pane, select the desired fields. To select multiple fields, use Shift+click or Ctrl+click.
Note
The number of fields selected must equal the number of levels in the list.
The selected fields appear in the right pane. Select Next.

The Configure Fields page appears. In the left pane, select the desired field. The attributes available for editing appear in the right pane. Edit the attributes as needed and then select Next.

Screenshot of SAP Concur “Connected List Definition” wizard in the Configure Fields step. Left panel lists levels: Org Unit 1 – Company, Org Unit 2 – Department, and Org Unit 3 – Cost Center (selected). Right panel “Select Level Properties” shows Field Name: Org Unit 3 – Cost Center; Data Type: Connected List; Default Value Type: None; Access Rights set to Employee Role: Read-only, Employee Administrator Role: Modify, Sponsor Role: Modify. Bottom buttons: Cancel, <<Previous, and Next>> (highlighted).

Review the following table to learn more about the field attributes.

Field	Description
Field Name	The field label displayed on the form.
Data Type	The data type of the selected field.
Default Value Type	Choose whether the copy-down functionality automatically populates the field. Copy-Down: Copy-down allows the information entered in a field by an employee to be automatically entered into duplicate fields on other pages. This option takes precedence over other methods of pre-populating fields, such as the Exchange Rates feature. If you select this option, you must also select the copy down source. This tells Concur Expense which form type to use for the duplicate field. For example, if you want to copy down the Country Code, the copy-down source will be Employee. Therefore, Concur Expense will look to the Country Code field on the employee form type and duplicate the entered information automatically. None: Indicates this field does not use copy-down functionality. Constant: The first field in the connected list can also be configured as a constant; this allows you to enter a default value that will always be entered for the employee when that selected field appears.
Field Default Value	Only appears when Constant is selected in the Default Value Type field (first connected list field only). Enter the constants that appears.
Copy Down Source	Only appears when Copy Down is selected in the Default Value Type field. Select the source of the copied down data.
Field	Only appears when Copy Down is selected in the Default Value Type field. Select the field the data will be copied down from.
Access Rights	Select the access rights to the field for different user roles.

The connected list preview displays. The set of connected list fields function as they will on the form they are assigned to. This allows you to validate that the connected fields appear in the correct order and include the expected list item values. If the fields appear correct, select Next. Otherwise, select Previous to return to the previous step and make changes.
The Assign to Forms page displays a list of all forms for the selected form time. Select the check box for the desired form(s) and then select Done.

Result

The configured connected list appears on the Connected Lists tab.

Screenshot of SAP Concur “Forms and Fields” for Form Type: Employee, on the Connected Lists tab. A highlighted row shows List Definition Name “Emp Level Org Str,” List Name “ORG STR Comp > CC,” with hierarchy Company > Department > Cost Center, used on “US Employee Information – AP.” Buttons New, Modify, and Remove appear above the table.

Summary

Connected Lists enforce valid, dependent field combinations for better data integrity and policy compliance.
Create in five phases: Select List, Select Fields, Configure Fields, Preview, then Assign to Forms.
Use a unique Definition Name; select fields equal to list levels, then configure field attributes.
Preview to validate field order and values; go back to adjust if anything looks incorrect.
Assign to Employee, Expense Entry, Expense Report Header, Expense Allocation, or Expense Attendee forms; appears on Connected Lists tab.

Reference

Topic	Link
Configuration – Connected Lists	SAP Help Portal

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