Concur

SAP Concur

This skill enforces correct Concur implementation practices, ensuring that audit rules are configured before go-live, expense policies are fully defined for all categories, and integration posting to FI is validated with every expense type — because an expense report that posts incorrectly to the general ledger is worse than one that does not post at all.

Content Routing

Iron Laws

1. ALWAYS CONFIGURE AUDIT RULES BEFORE GO-LIVE. Audit rules are the automated policy enforcement layer. Going live without audit rules means every expense is trusted at face value. Configure duplicate detection, receipt requirement thresholds, per diem limits, and policy violation flags before the first expense report is submitted.
2. NEVER SKIP POLICY CONFIGURATION FOR EXPENSE CATEGORIES. Every expense type (meals, lodging, mileage, airfare, ground transport, entertainment) needs explicit policy limits, receipt requirements, and approval routing. An undefined expense category is an uncontrolled spending category.
3. ALWAYS TEST INTEGRATION POSTING TO FI WITH ALL EXPENSE TYPES. Each expense type maps to a different GL account, cost center, and possibly WBS element or internal order. Test every expense type end-to-end: expense creation -> approval -> extraction -> SAE posting -> FI document verification. One missing mapping means that expense type fails in production.
4. NEVER ALLOW EXPENSE SUBMISSION WITHOUT RECEIPT FOR AMOUNTS ABOVE THRESHOLD. Receipt-less expense claims above the configured threshold (commonly $25-$75 per jurisdiction) are audit red flags. Configure receipt-required thresholds per expense type and enforce them with hard stops, not warnings.
5. ALWAYS CONFIGURE DELEGATION RULES FOR APPROVERS. Approvers travel, get sick, and go on vacation. Without delegation rules, expense reports queue indefinitely. Configure delegation, escalation timeouts, and backup approvers for every approval step.

Concur Expense

Core Capabilities

Expense Report Flow

Expense Creation (manual/OCR/card import)
  → Itemization (detail breakdowns for lodging, meals)
  → Allocation (cost center, project, WBS element)
  → Submission (employee submits)
    → Approval (manager + additional approvers per policy)
      → Audit (automated rules + manual sampling)
        → Extraction (Standard Accounting Extract - SAE)
          → FI Posting (via integration to S/4HANA)
            → Reimbursement (payment processing)

Expense Types Configuration

Concur Travel

Booking Capabilities

Travel Policy Enforcement

• Fare class restrictions (economy for domestic, business for 6+ hour flights)
• Hotel rate caps by city tier
• Advance booking requirements (14-day, 21-day advance purchase savings)
• Preferred vendor steering (negotiated corporate rates)
• Out-of-policy justification and approval requirements

Travel Configuration

• Define travel policies per employee group (executive, staff, intern)
• Configure preferred vendor lists and corporate rate programs
• Set up pre-trip approval rules (Concur Request integration)
• Enable TripLink for capturing out-of-channel bookings

Concur Request

Pre-Approval Process

Concur Request enables pre-trip or pre-purchase approval before expenses are incurred.

Use Cases

• Travel pre-approval (required for international travel, executive travel)
• Conference attendance approval
• Large purchase pre-authorization
• Budget availability check before commitment

Request Flow

1. Employee creates request with estimated costs, dates, purpose
2. System checks budget availability (if integrated)
3. Approval workflow routes based on amount, category, destination
4. Approved request links to subsequent expense report for reconciliation

Concur Invoice

AP Automation

Concur Invoice (formerly Invoice Professional) automates the accounts payable process for non-PO invoices and payment requests.

Key Features

Invoice vs. Expense

Receipt Management

ExpenseIt (OCR)

• Employee photographs receipt with mobile app
• AI/OCR extracts: vendor name, date, amount, currency, expense type
• Auto-creates expense entry with extracted data
• Employee reviews and submits (correction if needed)

E-Receipts

Direct electronic receipt from vendors (airlines, hotels, car rental, ride-share). Automatically matched to credit card transactions. No manual entry or paper receipt needed.

Receipt Store

Cloud storage for all receipts. Linked to expense entries. Audit trail with timestamp and source (photo, email, e-receipt). Configurable retention period.

Approval Workflows

Approval Chain Configuration

Workflow Rules

• Amount-based: Additional approval above threshold
• Category-based: Entertainment requires department head
• Exception-based: Out-of-policy items route to additional approver
• Delegation: Configurable absence delegation with time boundaries
• Escalation: Auto-escalation if approval pending beyond SLA (e.g., 5 business days)

Expense Policy Configuration

Policy Elements

Multi-Country Considerations

• Per diem rates vary by country and city (GSA for US, HMRC for UK, custom for others)
• Tax reclaim rules (VAT recovery in EU requires itemized receipts)
• Currency handling (exchange rate source, conversion date)
• Local compliance requirements (Nota Fiscal in Brazil, Fapiao in China)

Audit Rules and Compliance

Automated Audit Rules

Compliance Monitoring

• Random audit sampling (configurable percentage)
• Risk-based audit targeting (employees with prior violations)
• Compliance dashboard for finance team visibility
• Exception reports with aging (unresolved violations)

Integration with S/4HANA

Standard Accounting Extract (SAE)

The SAE is the standard extract format that moves approved expense data from Concur to the ERP for posting.

Integration Architecture

Key Mapping Requirements

• Expense type -> GL account determination
• Concur policy -> S/4HANA company code
• Cost center/project codes -> S/4HANA cost objects
• Tax codes -> S/4HANA tax code for input tax reclaim
• Currency -> Exchange rate type and conversion logic
• Employee -> S/4HANA vendor master (employee vendor type CPD or named)

Integration Testing Checklist

1. Test every expense type posts to correct GL account
2. Test multi-currency reports with exchange rate conversion
3. Test cost allocation split across multiple cost centers
4. Test tax code mapping for VAT-eligible expenses
5. Test cash advance reconciliation and clearing
6. Test rejection and return flows (reversed postings)
7. Test with realistic report volumes (batch performance)

Concur APIs

Key APIs

Authentication

OAuth 2.0 with Company JWT and User JWT. Scopes control API access level. Rate limits apply per API endpoint.

Best Practices

1. Configure audit rules before go-live — first batch of expense reports will establish behavioral norms
2. Use ExpenseIt — OCR reduces manual entry errors and accelerates submission
3. Integrate credit card feeds — auto-match transactions reduce duplicate claims
4. Set up e-receipts — hotel chains, airlines, and ride-share provide automatic receipts
5. Review per diem rates annually — rates change; outdated rates create policy violations
6. Train employees on mobile app — real-time receipt capture prevents lost receipt claims

Anti-Patterns

• Going live without audit rules (first 90 days establish spending behavior patterns)
• Configuring expense types without GL account mapping (extraction fails for unmapped types)
• Allowing receipt-optional for all categories (weakens compliance posture)
• Skipping multi-currency testing (exchange rate issues surface only with international expenses)
• Implementing Concur without delegation rules (approver absence blocks reimbursement)

Verification

This skill is complete ONLY when ALL of the following are true:

• Correct Concur module identified (Expense, Travel, Invoice, Request)
• Expense policy rules defined for all relevant categories
• Audit rules configured (duplicate detection, receipt requirements, limits)
• Approval workflow validated (routing, delegation, escalation)
• Integration with S/4HANA FI mapped (GL accounts, cost objects, tax codes, payment)
• Multi-country requirements addressed if applicable (per diem, VAT, currency)

Evidence required: Specific policy rules, audit rule configurations, GL account mappings, and integration test scenarios — not generic T&E descriptions.

Next Skill

After completing this skill, invoke:

• fi — When GL account mapping, payment processing, or tax code configuration is the focus
• integration-suite — When CPI middleware for Concur-S/4HANA integration is needed
• co — When cost center allocation or internal order posting from expenses is the focus

Cross-References

• fi — GL account determination, accounts payable, payment runs
• co — Cost center accounting, internal orders, WBS element allocation
• integration-suite — CPI for Concur integration middleware
• sf — Employee data synchronization for user provisioning
• ariba — Complementary: Ariba for procurement, Concur for T&E