As you have seen in the previous lessons, there is quite a number of configurations that need to be created in a Concur Request site. Many of these configurations are tied closely together and impact each other. A change to one item may affect how another configuration behaves.
SAP Concur has created the Configuration Relationship Diagram to help illustrate how different configurations are related to each other. In summary, three items control how the system behaves for each user: the user's profile, Request Groups, and Request Policies.
- The User: The entire process starts with the profile of the user creating the request. The items in orange show some of the key areas that are directly assigned to the profile that have an impact on the user's Concur Request experience. These include things such as the user's country of residence, language, and home currency.
For example, the user’s country of residence controls items such as travel allowances and taxes that are unique to each country. A German user will be subject to Germany’s travel allowances, while a Canadian user will not.
The most important of these items is the group the user is assigned to. Each user can be assigned to one group, and that group assignment controls much of the functionality for that user.
- Group: The group is often defined as "User Settings" because the items assigned to a group have a direct impact on the user’s experience within Concur Request. The items in yellow must be assigned to one or more groups. The group the user is assigned to determines which of these items applies to that user.
For example, a U.S. user will be subject to the audit rules specified to the U.S. group while the users from the Czech Republic will be subject to the rules defined for their group.
The most important of these items is the policies assigned to each group because these policies control how the requests the user creates behave. Users can be given access to multiple policies based on their group assignment.
- Policy: The policy is often defined as "Request Settings" because the items assigned to a policy have a direct impact on how a request behaves in Concur Request. The items in blue can be associated to a policy once they have been configured. The policy selected by the user when creating a request determines which of these items applies to that request.
For example, you may require a different approval process for travel requests and authorization requests.
Another example is travel segments and expense types. The configuration allows you to activate different items by policy so users will only see the items they need for each request they create.
- Custom Lists: At the bottom is Custom Lists. These are the lists you create in the List Management tool. They can be used by fields that are attached to any data entry form used in the request process. These lists can also be used in Concur Expense and Concur Invoice.
Tips for Using the Diagram
When configuring a Concur Request site, use the diagram from the top down. Start by thinking about users and what they will need. Then move down the diagram to determine what new items you need to create and what existing items you need to modify by assigning them to a new group or policy.
When troubleshooting issues, use the diagram from the bottom up. For example, if you have issues with a workflow, determine what policies are impacted, then which groups, and then which users.
Select access diagram to open or save a non-annotated copy for your own use as you complete the rest of the trainings.
Order of Configuration
With so many tools to use to configure a Concur Request site, you might wonder if there is an order you should follow when configuring. While the tools can be used in any order, the implementation teams at SAP Concur have found an order that can make the process go as efficiently as possible, especially when working with the primary configuration tools. This is because many of the primary configuration tools have a dependency on each other: You can't configure a field to use a list unless the list already exists, and you can't fully configure a policy unless the workflow exists.
The secondary configurations have fewer dependencies, but SAP Concur still recommends doing things in a specific order when you can. In this case, the order is based on how much of an impact that tool has on a typical site and how much effort is required in each area.
Review the table below to see the most efficient order of using the configuration tools.
| Order | Primary Configuration Tools | Secondary Configuration Tools |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | List Management | Segment Types |
| 2 | Forms and Fields | Expected Expenses |
| 3 | Feature Hierarchies | Audit Rules |
| 4 | Workflows | Email Reminders |
| 5 | Request Policies | Delegate Configurations |
| 6 | Request Groups | Site Settings |
| 7 | Attendees | |
| 8 | Printed Reports | |
| 9 | Travel Agency Offices | |
| 10 | Locations |