In today’s data-driven business landscape, the ability to analyze travel and expense (T&E) data effectively is critical for organizations seeking to optimize costs, improve compliance, and drive strategic decision-making. SAP Concur, a leading T&E management platform, offers a range of advanced analytics capabilities that transform raw travel and expense data into actionable insights.
This article explores how organizations can configure SAP Concur to unlock the full potential of advanced travel and expense analytics, enabling finance, procurement, and management teams to gain deeper visibility and control over corporate spend.
Traditional expense reports provide limited visibility, often delayed and siloed within departments. Advanced analytics enables organizations to:
SAP Concur’s analytics tools, when configured properly, empower businesses with comprehensive dashboards, detailed reports, and predictive insights.
SAP Concur includes standard dashboards that provide an overview of key metrics such as total spend, expense categories, policy violations, and top spenders. These are useful for quick insights and regular monitoring.
Concur’s reporting engine allows users to create custom reports tailored to specific business needs, combining multiple data sources and filters for granular analysis.
By integrating SAP Concur with SAP Analytics Cloud, organizations can leverage advanced visualization, predictive analytics, and AI-driven insights to uncover deeper trends and optimize travel spend.
For enterprises needing extensive data manipulation, SAP Concur provides API access and data extraction capabilities to feed into external data warehouses or BI tools.
Begin by identifying the key questions your organization needs answered, such as:
Clear objectives help tailor the analytics setup effectively.
Accurate master data configuration (cost centers, GL accounts, employees, projects) is essential. Categorize expenses consistently to enable meaningful aggregation and comparison.
Review SAP Concur’s out-of-the-box dashboards and configure them by setting filters, date ranges, and drill-down options relevant to your organization’s structure.
Use Concur’s report builder to create specialized reports. Include parameters such as traveler behavior, expense types, approval times, and policy exceptions.
Connect SAP Concur data with SAP Analytics Cloud for enhanced visualization and AI capabilities. This requires configuring secure data flows and aligning data models.
Set up automated report delivery and alerts for critical metrics like policy violations, budget overruns, or unexpected expense spikes to enable proactive management.
Ensure finance teams, travel managers, and executives understand how to access and interpret analytics dashboards and reports. Ongoing training fosters data-driven culture.
Configuring SAP Concur for advanced travel and expense analytics transforms raw T&E data into strategic business intelligence. By leveraging SAP Concur’s robust analytics tools and integrating with SAP Analytics Cloud, organizations gain unprecedented visibility into their spend, enhance compliance, and optimize travel budgets. A well-executed analytics strategy empowers finance and travel managers to make smarter, data-driven decisions that improve operational efficiency and drive business success.