¶ Creating and Managing Custom Travel Categories in SAP Concur
Subject: SAP-Concur
Field: SAP
In today’s global business environment, travel is a critical part of operations for many organizations. SAP Concur, a leader in integrated travel and expense management solutions, offers businesses the ability to streamline travel processes and improve visibility into travel spend. One of the key customization features in SAP Concur is the ability to create and manage custom travel categories, which allows organizations to align travel data with internal policies, reporting structures, and compliance requirements.
Custom travel categories in SAP Concur are user-defined groupings that categorize travel expenses beyond the default or standard categories provided by the system. These categories are used to:
- Track travel expenses by specific business needs
- Enhance reporting granularity
- Support policy enforcement and auditing
- Align with company-specific travel workflows
For example, while SAP Concur may offer default categories like Airfare, Hotel, and Car Rental, a business may wish to create sub-categories like Economy Flights, Premium Hotel Stays, or Electric Vehicle Rentals for more detailed tracking.
Organizations implement custom categories to meet a variety of goals, including:
- Policy Compliance: Ensures travelers select approved vendors or expense types
- Budget Control: Tracks spend in business units or departments more accurately
- Improved Analytics: Offers deeper insights for financial and operational reporting
- User Experience: Simplifies entry for employees by reflecting terms they recognize
To create custom travel categories, administrators with the appropriate permissions can follow these steps:
- Log in to SAP Concur as an administrator.
- Navigate to Administration > Expense Settings > Expense Types or Travel Settings > Travel Categories (depending on module).
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Click Add New or New Travel Category.
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Enter the following details:
- Category Name: A clear and descriptive name (e.g., “Regional Train Travel”).
- Code: A unique identifier for internal tracking.
- Description: Optional, but useful for context and user guidance.
- Parent Category (if needed): For hierarchical organization.
¶ Step 3: Define Rules and Parameters
- Assign to Expense Policies: Link the category to applicable travel and expense policies.
- Enable for Certain User Groups: Limit visibility by department, location, or role.
- Integration Settings: Map the category to general ledger (GL) accounts if needed for financial postings.
- Set Approval Workflow Triggers: Configure if using custom rules for approvals.
¶ Step 4: Test and Deploy
- Validate the category through test user profiles and sample bookings.
- Communicate the changes to end-users with guidance on how to use new categories.
- Monitor usage in the first few cycles and adjust as needed.
Managing existing custom categories is just as important as their creation. Best practices include:
- Regular Reviews: Quarterly audits to ensure relevance and eliminate unused categories.
- Version Control: Document changes to categories, including who made them and when.
- User Training: Keep employees informed of changes to avoid misclassifications.
- Reporting Alignment: Ensure custom categories are reflected in reports and dashboards correctly.
When using SAP Concur with broader SAP ecosystems (such as SAP S/4HANA or SAP SuccessFactors), ensure custom categories are synchronized for consistency in:
- Financial postings
- Cost center tracking
- HR travel profiles
- Vendor master data alignment
Custom travel categories in SAP Concur offer a powerful way for organizations to fine-tune their travel and expense management process. With proper setup and maintenance, these categories can provide clearer insight, enforce policies, and drive better decision-making. As with any configuration in SAP, planning and ongoing governance are key to long-term success.