Secondary configuration tools are used to configure the items that are optional for the Concur Request system to function correctly. Many of these items are nice to have and are used by many customers, but they are optional for a system to functionn properly.
This lesson will cover only some secondary configuration items, such as those most commonly used by SAP Concur customers. This lesson will not cover any tools used solely for the integration with Concur Travel.
Please note that the items below can be configured in any order.- Segment Types
Segment Types are the different types of travel that a user can add to their request, effectively letting a user ask for permission to book that travel segment once their request is approved. If the site is integrated with Concur Travel, these segments can tie into a travel booking system so that a fully approved request can trigger the booking of these segments.
There are several default, system-generated segments that cannot be removed. You can also create segments if there is a requirement that is not met by the defaults. New segments are created by copying and modifying existing segments.
Once configured, Segment Types are activated and deactivated in each Request Policy.
- Expected Expenses
Additional request details might be required beyond travel items such as office supplies or conference supplies. Furthermore, even when not traveling, there might be some expenses that require pre-approval. These types of items are configured as Expected Expenses in Concur Request.
The list of Expected Expenses is first configured as expense types in Concur Expense. Once configured, these expenses are activated and deactivated in each Request Policy.
- Audit Rules
Much like in Concur Expense and Concur Invoice, audit rules can be used to provide users with important information (yellow flags) as they create their requests, and even prevent them from submitting (red flags) their requests.
You can create custom and validation rules in Concur Request.
- Email Reminders
The Email Reminders tool is used to configure e-mails that remind users if they are taking too long to perform their assigned tasks. A common example is to remind an approver to review requests that have been in their approval queue for a longer than expected time.
When configuring Email Reminders, you first create a rule that defines when the user has taken too long to complete their tasks. Then, you configure the e-mail itself which defines the content of the message, how often the user will receive the message, and whether the system will send a copy to other users.
Please note that the scheduling of Email Reminders is based on whole calendar days. They cannot be configured by hours or minutes or based on your business or fiscal calendar.
- Delegate Configurations
Delegate Configurations define what actions a user can perform on the behalf of another user. For example, some users might have an assistant that creates their requests for them, and an approver might wish to delegate their approval authority to another approver when they are away from the office. You can define if this is possible in the site, and if so, how long that approval delegation is valid for.
- Site Settings
The Site Settings are used to activate and deactivate certain system-wide settings. Because these settings are system-wide, activating or deactivating a setting turns it on or off for all users in the system. You cannot make these settings specific to a group, country, or policy.
- Attendees (Shared with Expense)
Attendees in Concur Request function the same as they do in Concur Expense. For some expense types, such as business meals or entertainment, users must identify all of the individuals at that event for business or legal reasons. In many cases, each individual attendee must be listed. In other cases, it may be acceptable to simply enter the number of each attendee type.
Please note that Attendee Types are created and activated in Concur Expense. You can then define if the system shows the cost per attendee, adds the user as an attendee by default, and allows users to manually add attendees to an expense within the Request Policy configuration.
- Printed Reports
Just like in Concur Expense and Concur Invoice, Printed Reports can be used to create reports that users can print if they need a hard copy that contains the information about their request. The Printed Reports available to a user are based on the policy that was used when creating their request.
One usage of Printed Reports that is more often in Concur Request than other SAP Concur services is the ability to include a report in system-generated e-mails. This is commonly used in scenarios where Concur Request has been integrated with Concur Travel. Successfully integrating these services is challenging and should not be attempted without assistance from SAP Concur.
- Travel Agency Offices
Some processes require the Concur Request system to send e-mails to a Travel Management Company (TMC). In order for the system to accomplish this, you must add the contact information for the TMC into the Concur Request configuration. This is done using the Travel Agency Offices tool.
- Locations
The Locations tool is used by an administrator to add, edit, or deactivate locations (cities, airports, and rail stations) used by Concur Request, Concur Expense, and Concur Invoice. Because multiple SAP Concur services utilize the list of locations, this tool is part of the Shared Configuration set of tools.
Now that you know about the configuration tools, let's take a closer look at how the configurable items relate to each other and the order SAP Concur recommends you follow when using these tools.