SAP Cloud for Travel and Expense is an enterprise cloud application made for effective travel management and expense processing. While we are talking about the business travel and expense reimbursement, there are two big elements involved: People and Money. Most companies have ERP systems in place to manage enterprise wise human capital and financial data, and the related business processes. From organizational point of view, human capital is managed by HR department, accounting data is managed by Finance department. In terms of travel and expense, the application is for end user, which is the employee. To enable employees to plan the travel and manage expense conveniently from web or mobile interface, the backend data integration and the real time transaction integration between the cloud and the ERP is a minimum requirement to support the seamless business flow.
The purpose for introducing a Best Practice solution for SAP Cloud for Travel and Expense and SAP ERP integration is to provide onboarding and integration content for SAP ERP and SAP Cloud for Travel and Expense, and provide best practices for accelerated customer implementation and partner enablement. The solution is to solve the major problem of integration between SAP Cloud for Travel and Expense and SAP ERP that currently bothers majority of the customers, especially SAP installed base customers, with a simple, easy, and quick solution to scale.
Customers have various scenarios on their ERP configuration and customization, they use different system combination and various interfaces. Especially for those existing SAP ERP customers who have been using the system for years, it’s very common that their systems have been customized to a level which is very specific to their business requirements and system landscape. They need more detailed guidance on integration to guide them through the processes of setting up and configuring business objects and data flows. There are quite some needs on sample data or test data, sample templates, the description of data structure, tables and fields used in the implementation process. Many customers also use PI (SAP NetWeaver Process Orchestration) as middleware, handling the routing and mapping through PI becomes another challenge.
SAP Best Practices for SAP Cloud for Travel and Expense offers end-to-end, real-time process integration between SAP ERP (HCM and FIN) and SAP Cloud for Travel and Expense. In this solution package, it covers the main processes around the integration of employee master data, financial master data, and expense business processes. The solution handles the hybrid integration scenario through either the middleware PI (SAP NetWeaver Process Orchestration) or direct P2P (point to point) without middleware. Consultants will be able to leverage the best practices content to establish integration between SAP Cloud for Travel and Expense and SAP ERP more easily and efficiently.
Master Data Replication
- Employee master data replication: from SAP ERP HCM to SAP Cloud for Travel and Expense, including initial data replication and delta data replication.
- Financial master data replication: from SAP ERP FI to SAP Cloud for Travel and Expense, including initial data replication and delta data replication.
Expense Business Integration Process
This is the real time data transaction for expense posting and reimbursement. This can be done by integrating with SAP ERP FI and/or HCM, with three scenarios explained below depending on customer's system landscape and preference. Partners or implementers may pick one of the scenarios that is a best fit to customer's requirements.
- Scenario 1 - FI Vendor Payment
This scenario is a common expense process scenario, the integration is between SAP ERP FI and SAP Cloud for Travel and Expense, and may not integrate with SAP ERP HCM at all. It requires FI vendor account to be created or mapped in SAP ERP FI. The expense related account data and G/L are posted to SAP ERP FI for payment and reimbursement, payment is through SAP ERP FI (A/P), then payment and reimburse notification is sent back to SAP Cloud for Travel and Expense.
- Scenario 2 - FI Vendor Payment with HR Taxation
This scenario is a typical expense process scenario using SAP ERP FI for vendor payment and integrated HR taxation with SAP ERP HCM, the integration is between SAP ERP FI, SAP ERP HCM, and SAP Cloud for Travel and Expense. The expense related account data and G/L are posted to SAP ERP FI for payment and reimbursement, tax related data is posted to SAP ERP HCM for HR taxation, payment is through SAP ERP FI (A/P), then payment and reimburse notification is sent back to SAP Cloud for Travel and Expense.
- Scenario 3 - HR Payment and Taxation with FI G/L Posting
This scenario is a expense process scenario using SAP ERP HCM for HR payment and taxation, and SAP ERP FI for G/L posting, the integration is between SAP ERP HCM, SAP ERP FI, and SAP Cloud for Travel and Expense. The expense related account data and tax are posted to SAP ERP HCM for payment and taxation, G/L data is posted to SAP ERP FI, payment/reimburse is through SAP ERP HCM (HR payroll).
For details on expense scenarios, refer to this blog: Expense Scenarios with SAP Cloud for Travel and Expense.
SAP Best Practices for SAP Cloud for Travel and Expense provides best practice integration contents for the master replication and expense scenarios, based either on SAP NetWeaver Process Orchestration (PI) running on-premise or direct point to point (P2P) integration between SAP ERP on-premise and SAP Cloud for Travel and Expense. With this solution, you get step by step guidance on configuration, best practices on expense business processes, sample data and templates, PI contents, and more.
SAP Best Practices for SAP Cloud for Travel and Expense is available in 2014 Q4. Get started? Check here.