Technical Articles
Financial Posting Configuration
Introduction
An important task for SAP ERP X Concur integrations is the configuration of importing accounting documents. At this point, we will have to keep in mind what type of document, account scheme, cost objects, filters and the frequency of document import. In this Post I will show you step by step how to configure. Come on!?
Main Part
The relevant Concur document types are displayed according to the integration activities you initially activated on the screen. Configuration of integration with SAP Concur.
If you only selected the integration activityPayment request (invoice), for example, this will be the only document type available.
Please note that not all Concur use cases are supported, but you can use the following BAdIs to implement release-relevant deviations:
- BADI_CTE_FIN_POST_DOC_CHANGES – for minor field modifications
- BADI_CTE_FIN_POST_USES_CASES – for customer-specific postings in reports
- BADI_CTE_FIN_POST_ADJUST_DOC – for changes to accounting data
Types of documents in Concur
To go to the next step, click Continue
General Settings
By default, only actual postings are considered. However, by selecting the checkbox below, you can also allow test user postings on your system.
Select one of the two expense account options available:
- Accounts as used in Concur
In this case, the accounts must exist with identical IDs in the Concur system and in the SAP system.
- Process Concur Accounts as Symbolic Accounts
If you choose this option, go to the SAP Concur Integration Setup screen and choose Ledger Posting -> Symbolic Accounts. There you can indicate your account mappings. In the General Change column, enter the symbolic account and in the Account column, select the real account.
The option you choose is valid for all accounts.
Expenses – Launch Settings
Choose a posting date and, if you want to prevent posting date and find it in a financial closing period, you can select the Recalculate option, in which case the system will automatically select the first day on which postings are again possible. Then select a financial document type that classifies accounting documents. Go to the next step by clicking Continue.
Expenses – Filter Definitions
If you want to connect to multiple systems with Concur, select a relevance filter below to restrict the import of accounting documents. Without a relevance filter, all entries will be considered for this system.
For expense reports, choose whether you want company and filter entries to be derived from Employee Fields or Concur Header Fields.
In this table, enter the corresponding criteria with which the filter can identify documents relevant to the posting – for example, if you selected the relevance filter Country, enter US and GB. Optionally, you can click Default Logical System, in which case the system ID will be added automatically.
If you are using travel advances in addition to expense reporting: The filter and company for travel advances always come from the employee fields. If you choose employee fields for expense reports, the same filtering criteria are applied to travel advances. However, if you determine header fields for expense reports, make sure who has also selected a relevance filter for travel advances.
Once you have completed this wizard, the traffic light on the SAP Concur Integration Setup screen (in the Journal Posting column) will turn green. Please note, however, that if you are using the Mapping Service and the client credentials you previously entered in the System Setup wizard have changed, or if your SAP system is not yet registered for the mapping service, the semaphore will change to yellow. In this case, run the System Setup wizard again and adjust the credentials.
Expenses – Account Definition
For the posting process, the SAP system needs the supplier and company account information. Concur provides the necessary company details in a custom field. Enter the custom field that contains the company. Company entries are derived from Concur Employee Custom Fields.
Company Code for Travel Advances: You can only choose a different company value for travel advances if, in the previous screen, you selected Header Fields for Expense Reports. Otherwise, the amount you selected for expense reporting is also applied to travel advances.
Vendor Determination: The information required for the vendor account is provided in Custom17 – one of the custom fields.
This can be:
- the supplier account ID directly
- the Personal Number and the Company
- or the user ID (Employee Central) and the Company
Supplier Account ID and Personnel Number can be obtained from this financial system. User ID (Employee Central) is required for standard integration with SAP Success Factors Employee Central and can only be obtained with the composite employee API, ie it is not visible in the financial system. In the Employee Central system, you will find the Company under Job Info -> Company.
Expenses – Cost Object Mapping
Here you can assign Cost Object Type and Concur ID to SAP cost object types.
Only cost object types that you previously configured in the integration system setup are listed.
If you have combined different cost object categories into one list when setting up your cost object integration, you also need to indicate the cost object category in the table below. However, if all cost object categories are distributed over different lists, you only need to indicate the cost object ID here.
Custom field entries are derived from the Concur expense report allocation fields. If you are using multiple lists for your cost objects, make sure that the company code you indicate in the table below matches the cost center company. The company code of the other cost objects is determined directly from the cost object itself.
Note for customers not using the default export function:
If a certain cost object category is missing from the table below, run the corresponding wizard and make sure the export is set to manual. This allows you to associate missing cost object types without exporting them.
Invoice – launch settings
For your payment requests (invoices), select a posting date, a document type, a company code and, if necessary, set a relevance filter to restrict the import of accounting documents. The relevance filter entries are derived from the Concur custom fields in the payment request header. To prevent the posting date from being in a financial closing period, you can select the Recalculate option, in which case the system will automatically select the first day on which postings are again possible.
Select a relevance filter if you work with multiple financial systems connected to your Concur system. Then enter all the values listed in the table below. For example, if you click the Country relevance filter, enter US, GB in the table.
Invoice – cost object mapping
Here you can assign cost object type and Concur ID to SAP cost object types.
Only cost object categories that you set up during integration setup are displayed.
If you have combined different cost object categories into one list when setting up your cost object integration, you also need to indicate the cost object category in the table below. However, if all cost object categories are distributed over different lists, you only need to indicate the cost object ID here.
Custom field entries are derived from the Concur payment order allocation fields. If you are using multiple lists for your cost objects, make sure that the company code you indicate in the table below matches the cost center company. The company code of the other cost objects is determined directly using the cost objects itself.
Note for customers not using the default export function: If a certain cost object category is missing from the table below, run the corresponding wizard and make sure the export is set to manual. This allows you to associate missing cost object types without exporting them.
Automatic import
If you want journals to be imported automatically, select the Automatic import option below. The job schedule is valid for all receiving systems. In the Batch User field, enter the user authorized for task processing.
Please note that the schedule is customer specific. Also, before scheduling an import, check for generic schedules using transaction SM37.
You can also assign a specific application server for the scheduled batch job:
- Execute transaction SM37 to open the Simple Task Selection screen.
- In the Task Name field, enter CTE* and as the Username enter *.
- In the Task Status section, select just Released and then click Run.
4.On the Task Overview screen, select the task and from the menu bar click Task -> Change.
- The Change Task screen opens. In the Execution target field, use the input help to select an application server.
- Save your entries.
You can always import objects manually with transaction CTE_POST_IMP – even if you have selected the Automatic export option.
Conclusion
Before thinking about configuring the import of accounting documents, we must analyze all the necessary requirements for this. Mainly how these documents will fit the customer’s business rules. Very common that BADI’s are implemented to follow the business rules. Have a nice work!
Hi Emerson,
Thank you for the detailed steps.
Do we have a direct integration for Replicating Employee Master Data from Employee Central to Concur?
Thanks,
Sree
Hello Kumar.
Yes, we have. They are a similar transactions for export Employee from SAP ERP to SAP Concur. You need install the SAP HR Concur Addon in the SAP ERP first. After, you need to configure it.
HI Emerson,
Thank you for the response. Can you please provide the steps or provide a guide to demonstrate the same, it would have been helpful. But let me know will SuccessFactors will be sending the employee data to concur directly like we have in sap ics where hcm module sends the data to concur.
Sorry, but i don't have those steps. In our customer, they don't have the HR Addon.
About the SF, i believe that, it´s not available this type of direct connection.
Thanks Emerson for the clarification.
Hello Emerson, do you know if it is possible to assign multiple account plans from the same SAP system to a single CONCUR instance?
Hello Cristian.
Yes, It's possible. Of course, you will export the G/L account where is possible to input travel expenses. But, don't worry! The SAP Concur Addon takes care of everything.
Hi Emerson,
Thank you for the responses.
I have a doubt, what is the difference between direct connection and middleware connection? As i knew if we are using PI/PO then we have to establish the connection via middleware. So is it just a routing mechanism and rest of the process and back ground things work the same as we have in the direct connection. Do we need to have any customizations or badi for a middleware connection when compared to a direct one? or both are just the same?
Also what versions of SAP ECC is supported by ICS?
Thanks,
Sree
Hello Sreelesh.
You answered your own question. The difference is the type of connection. If you are using PI/PO then you are using the middleware connection type. Therefore the Backend is the same, you are just using one more layer to establish the connection.
About the versions, you need to see the SAP Concur Addon, if in SAP ECC it is possible to install it, therefore it is possible to use ICS. (I don't remember the ECC minimum SP level)
Regards,
Thanks for the swift response Emerson 🙂
Thank you for clarifying the difference. Do you have a link for the sap concur addons to check on it.
Regards,
Sree
Everything about SAP Concur installation is here:
https://help.sap.com/docs/SAP_INTEGRATION_WITH_CONCUR_SOLUTIONS?version=1803&locale=en-US
Regards,
Thank you both, I have an additional question.
1)The middleware option is only for stablishing the connection?
2)What about the Cost Objects APIs / Finantial posting API, can they be done using middleware or it doesn't make sense when you use ICS tool?
Thanks!
Hello Ana.
The middleware is necessary only if the customer wants one more level of security. For example with PI, Integration Suite or any other.
Therefore, for both questions the middleware is optional, you can directly connect your SAP ERP with Concur.
Hi Emerson
How do we ensure that the postings coming from Concur to be paid in S4HANA are secured from a privacy perspective?
That means, anyone who has access to S4HANA can view the expense postings from other employees based on their Vendor Master ID (or Employee ID), and this should be avoided.
Thanks and best regards,
Rafael
Hi Rafael. Concur postings are the same as the others, only the type of document that you configure changes. So this is controlled by Roles. (transaction FBL5N example). But in CTE_SETUP or CTE* transactions, if I have permission, I can see all the postings, unfortunately.
Thank you, Emerson.
This should work for transactional data.
For Masterdata the best option I found from SAP is Note 2245536 - Encryption of Bank details in Vendor/Customer master data