SAP Travel Management ..

1/28/2015
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SAPTravelManagement 12Posts
WheretodiscussConcurTravelandExpense
PostedbySvenRinglingDec21,2014
Discussions and blogs about Concur are currently spread across various spaces including this one (SAP Travel
Management), SAP Cloud Solutions, SAP HCM and more. So, I was wondering where the best space for future
Concurdiscussionsshouldbe.
MypreferencewouldactuallybetokeepitinthisspaceasfarasTravelandExpenseisconcerned(ConcurInvoice,if
goingtosurviveformuchlongeratallasanindependantsokution,probablyfitsintoaProcurementspacemuchbetter
ormaybeintoFinancials.)
Myreasoningis:theT&Eprocessisheretostay,whilsttechologiesandplatformswillchange,bemergedtogether,
vanishcompletelyorchangenames.So,theremaybeatime,whereitwillbedifficulttodiscussthecurrentlyseperate
3T&EsolutionsfromSAPasindividualpackages.Also:manymembersinterestedinonpremTravelManagementwill
alsobeinterestedinConcur.
ButI'mnotpostingthistojustsharemyview.Wouldbegreattohearfromothermembersandeventuallygetsome
guidancefrommoderators,whichwouldhopefullyconsidermembers'/customers'viewsratherthantheinternalSAP
orgstructure:)
633Views
2Comments
Tags:travel,sap_cloud_for_travel,expense_management,concur
Rant:Useatyourownrisk:FITVPLBIB/FITVPL
HRS
PostedbyLukasWeigeltNov26,2014
Folks,
I'vethoughtquitesometimeaboutwhetherIshouldwritethisblogornot.Fortunately,recenteventsledto"thestraw
breakingthecamel'sback"soInowhavetherequiredamountofadrenalinetowritethis.Havefun.
Disclaimer
Thisblogisarant.Ifyoudon'tlikerants,leavenow.TheblogisnotrepresentativeoftheSAPproductsthatare
describedinit(yesitis)andyoushouldnottakethisblogasarecommendationforyourstrategicdecisionwhetherto
buy/usethisproductornot(yesyoushould).Theblogcontainsslang,foullanguage,roastingandalittlebitof
blasphemy.Incaseyouareeasilyoffendedbythis,beniceandleavenowinsteadofreportingtheblog.Thanks!
"WhatisFITVPL?"
"FITVPL"or"SAPTravelManagementTravelPlanning",ifyoudon'tlikemoduleabbreviations,isorratherwas
SAP'sattempttosupplementtheirpartiallywellengineeredonpremiseFITVmodulewithPlanningSolutionsthat
canbehighlyintegratedintotheoverallprocessveryorganically.Sometimelater,unfortunately,SAPapparently
realizedthattheprocessesofexternalserviceproviderschangetoofasttocopewith.Thisthenledtothestatement
"FITVPLwillbemaintainedbuttherewillbenofurtherdevelopmentsinthefuture".Abitlater,SAPannouncedthe
greatnewsolution"SAPexternalTravelPlanning"nowdoesn'tthissoundcoolandfancyandinnovativeand
whatnot?Here'sthedeal:It'sanapplicationlauncherforexternalonlinebookingengineswhichthenagaindon'thave
theslightestintegrationwithSAPatall.It'scallingURLs,that'sallthefancynewBusinessFunctiondoes.Allthisand
alsotherecentacquirementofConcurtellsusthatthemajorstrategyintermsofdevelopmentforonpremiseTravel
Planningisthefollowing:"Fortheloveofgod,leaveusthehellaloneandbuyCytricorsomething".
Well,itcouldbeworse,right?AtleastFITVPLisstillbeingmaintained,right?(pssssst:Thisisawellwovenwebof
lies)
"WhatisFITVPLBIB?"
http://scn.sap.com/community/erp/travelmanagement/blog
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1/28/2015
ThissubmoduleoftheTravelPlanningmoduleisapurportedstandardAPIInterfaceforthe"BahnInternetBooking
Engine"(short:BIBE)whichistheBookingInterfaceofthecompanyDeutscheBahnAG.ThisAPIworkswitha
standardScenarioforPI/PO.Here'saroughschematictoshowhowthetechnicalprocessworks.
Thisprocessisabitoddbecauseitdoesn'tfullyworkoverthePIscenario.Insteadthere'saPortalCallforthebooking
andasubsequentresultinterfacecalltopollthebookingdatafromtheBIBEintotheSAPSystem,i.e.thisisasimple
HTTPSconnectioninthebrowser.
ThesecondbitoftheprocessisasynchronousSOAPRequestviathePI/PO.
"WhatisFITVPLHRS?"
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ThissubmoduleoftheTravelPlanningmoduleisapurportedstandardAPIInterfaceforthe"HotelReservation
Service"(short:HRS)whichisoneoftheBookingInterfacesofthecompanyHotelReservationServiceRobertRagge
GmbH.ThisAPIalsoworkswithastandardScenarioforPI/PO.Thetechnicalprocessflowisidenticaltostepstwoand
threeoftheBIBE,i.e.thisscenarioworkspurelyoverthePI/PO.
"Lukas,whyareyouangry?"
Documentation
YesIknowwhatyou'rethinking."Haha,SAPanddocumentation,whatdidyouexpect?",butIbegtodiffer:Alotofthe
SAPdocumentationhashighqualityindepthtechnicalinformation(forexamplePAESS,CAMSSHCM)with
practicallyrelevantexamplesandwhatnotpeoplejustfailatsearching.Thenthere'sthemainstreamdocumentation
whichmostofthetimelacksthe"Why"and"How"whichleadstomostoftherantingconcerningdocumentationandto
hiringoverpaidairheadswithtieswhatwastheir"profession"calledagain?Iforgot.Now,here'sthedealwiththe
documentationfortheinterfaces:
ImplementationGuide:Thesinglestepsaredocumentedquitewell,ifsometimesabitclumsilymaintained.
SomeoftheIMGdocumentationssimplysay"referthefieldhelp"andthefieldhelpthenissurprisinglyhelpful
indeed.Fairenough.Theproblemhoweveris,that,dependentontheoverallprocesstheIMGpartiallyleadsto
fallaciousinformationandconsequencesyouwillonlyfindoutaboutwhendebugging.Iwillnotpointofthe
detailshere,sinceitwouldkillthe"fun".
InterfaceDocumentationfromtheServiceMarketPlace(reachableonlywithanSAccountvia
service.sap.com/tmdownloads):TheDocumentationfortheBIBEis10yearsold(from2005),theoneforHRS
slightly"newer"(from2008),hencehalfofthedocumentation'scontentsbynowareobsoleteandfallacious(the
otherhalfisprettygoodactually).
Well,itcouldbeworse,right?ImeantobesafeyoucanstillcontactqualifiedSAPconsultantswhocandisentangle
thatwholeconfusionoraskothercompaniesthatalreadyimplementedthesesubmodules,right?(pssssst:It'smuch
worsethanyouthinkitisatthemoment).
AcquisitionofKnowledgeandavailablesources
Thispartisgoingtobeveryshortandvague,becauseIdon'twanttoskinandsaltpeopleopenlybyname.Letmeput
itthisway:Therearealotofsuccessstoriesfromothercompaniesandconsultantcompaniesdepictingthesuccessful
implementationofthesetwosubmodules.Uponcontactingtheseconsultantsandcompaniesforadvice(ifneedbe,
againstpayment)theresuddenlywasagreatsilenceandtheattempttoshuffleoutofthesituation.
I'vecreatedseveralthreadsontheSCNforumsaddressingmyquestions(andsubsequentlyfollowingproblems)andI
haven'treceivedasingleanswer.WiththatIdon'tmeanIdidn'tgetafeasiblesolutionformyproblems,no,Imean
nobodyeverpostedinthesethreadsofmine(thatusuallyneverhappens).
Well,apparentlypeopledon'tlikeus/meanddon'twanttotalktous/me,fairenough.Couldbeworse,right?Atleast
thereappeartobeothercustomerswhousethesestandardmodulessotheyshouldamounttosomethinguseful,
right?(pssssst:Oh,thehumanity!)
Firstattemptsofimplementationonourside
WestartedourfirstimplementationeffortsinourDEVenvironmentin2011.WhatIfoundoutwhileswimminginthe
depthsoftheAPIandthesourcecodeandlookingattheinterfacemappingsinthePI/POwashorrifying:
afewnonsencialservicecallshereandthereleadingtorandomerrorsintheprocessflow
wrongnavigationcallsintheFPMoftheWDAsandmissingtechnicalplausibilitychecks
tonsofwrongandmissingfunctionalplausibilitychecksonERPside
tonsandtonsofwrongcardinalitiesandwrongdatatypesinthePI/POmessagemappings
customizingtablesreadfortheirfirstentryinsteadforkeys
incompatibilitywithnonunicodesystemsduetohardcodedvalidationrulesintheXMLAdapteronERPside
leadingtorandomunicodeerrors
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Now,theseareallfundamentaltechnicalerrorswhichexcludemyownstupiditytomaintainthecustomizingcorrectly
ordowntimesandbugsonserviceprovidersides,i.e.thisisallverybasicfunctionalitywhichdidnotworkatall.Iwant
toliftoutthisoneverydisturbingthesisI'vecometobelief:Thesemoduleshaveneverworked.Bestofall,Ican
actuallyprovethisthesiswithtechnicalevidence.
WhatintheworldhappenedtothemostsimplistickindsofQualityAssurance?Itseemssomebodyputtheminsacks,
drownedthemandjustreleasedthesubmodules.Well,here'syourCustomerFeedback:Theproductisbadandyou
shouldfeelbad.
Thestrategicdecisionuponpassingthisinformationtomyprojectmanagementwas:"Lukas,you'resomehowgoingto
makeitwork".Fairenough.
SAPSupportviaOSSMessages
I'msureyouexpectthisparttobethepeakoftherant.Wayoffthemark!OnecolleaguefromtheAGSwasalways
fishingoutmymessagesonlyhoursafterIsentthemandforwardedthemdirectlytoacolleagueinthedevelopment
sectionwhowasveryfriendly,helpfulandcompetent.Iwaseternallygratefulforthatfactbecausethetechnicalsubject
matterwasandisextremelycomplexbecausetherearealotofAPIsandinterfacestalkingtoeachothers,someblack
boxeshereandthere,lotsofpacketsniffingneeded,etc.I.e.Expensiveandnervewreckingstuff.
So,KudostotheSAPSupport!
~Threeyearslater~
After"finishingthedevelopments"onthetwosubmoduleswiththedevsupportsotheywereactuallycapableof
functioning,thingsfinallystartedworking.Ittookmeanothersixmonthstoshapethebusinessprocesstothestandard
functionalityandyetanotherthreetogetthingsworkinginproduction(anotherloadofstandarderrorsfoundin
between).Sowe'renowinthemiddleof2014,thingsfinallyturnoutwellandeverybodyishappy.
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"Lukas,intheendeverythingturnedoutjustfine,whyareyoustill
angry?"
Letmeelaborateonthatandlet'stakealookattheterm"Maintenance".Here'swhatIunderstandtheterm
"Maintenance"inthefancySAPuniversemeans:SAPisgoingtoactivelymaintainthefunctionalityoftherespective
subjectbutdoesnotconsidernewfunctionalities.Here'swhatactuallyhappens:SAPdoesn'tdoagoddamnthinguntil
acustomersuffersfromagenericproblemthatcouldhavebeendealtwithyearsago.
Here'swhatrecentlyhappenedafteroursystemsworkedsmoothlyforacoupleofweeksafterthreefreakingyearsof
nervewreckingwork:
TheDeutscheBahnhasrecentlyimplementedanewfunctionalitywhichslightlychangestheoutputfromaservice
consumption(yetitdoesnotinterferewiththeservicedescription!).Asaconsequence,yetanotherblatantlywrong
datatypeinamessagemappinginthePI/POcausestheprocesstocrash(ithasn'tdonesointhepastandithasn't
beendetectedbecausetherewerenopossibleusecaseswhichwouldhaveledtoacrash),i.e.theserviceisdownin
ourproduction.Here'sthefunpart:Thisisconsideredanewfunctionality!Yes!Youknowwhatthatmeans,right?:)
TheHotelReservationServicehasrecentlyimplementedanewfunctionalityforpaymentpurposes.Theconsequence
is,thatwecan'tpayourbillswiththe"old"serviceinterfacebecauseitdoesn'tprovidetheneededparameters!Woo!
NewFunctionality!:)
Bottomline:Nothingworks,yetagain>fallbacktoournonSAPintegratedsolutionswealreadyusedthreeyears
ago.
Myrecommendations
IfyouhavetomakeachoicewhethertogoforFITVPL
Idonotknowwhetherthere'salikewisecataclysmpresentwithinthesubmodulesforAmadeus,Sabre,Galileo,etc.
ButaftermyexperienceswithBIBEandHRSIwouldn'tgetmyhopesup.Ifyouhavetheluxurytodecidewhethertogo
forFITVPLorwhethertobuyathirdpartyallinonesolutionlikecytric(assumingthiscan'tbeanyworse),forthelove
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ofHassoPlattner,goforthethirdpartysolution.
Ifyou'realreadystuckwithFITVPL
Suckstobeyouherearesomeideas:
encapsulatethetopofyourdeskwithfoammaterialsoitdoesn'thurtsomuchwhenyoubangyourheadonit
caramelizeyourkeyboardsoit'sdeliciouswhenyoubiteit
trynottorememberDr.WeirfromthemovieEventHorizonstating"Hellisonlyaword.Realityismuch,much
worse"
retireearly
drinkheavily
converttoCatholicismandtellyourself"Ideservethis"
useafallbacktopenandpapertoreducetheTCObyatleast500%
ifyouhaveflyingscreamingmonkeysatyourdisposal,youcouldorderthemtofindthereponsiblepeopleforthis
messandmakethempay
Ifnoneoftheaboveisfeasible,youcanstill:
IhopethisblogpreventssomepeoplefromexperiencingthevaleoftearsIhavemarchedthrough.Ifnot,thenIhopeit
wasatleastfuntoread.
Nowifyou'llexcuseme,Ihavetoreadymyflyingmonkeystodomybidding.
Cheers,Lukas
844Views
6Comments
Tags:rant,fitv,travel_planning
TRIPNumberRangeConceptBestPractice+FAQ
PostedbyLukasWeigeltOct13,2014
Hellofolks,
ThisblogpostismeanttoshowabestpracticeapproachfordesigningthetripnumberrangesusedintheFITV
module.I'mwritingthisbloginthefirstplace,becauseI'veseenseveralthreadsontheforumswherethistopicis
discussedoverandoveragain,therearesomewikisandthereareseveralSAPNotesandI'mkindoftryingto
combinealltheinformationhereaddingmypersonalexperience.
SystemInformation:
AssumingyouareawareofthedependenciesoftheFITVmoduleanditsBusinessFunctionstherearenoadditional
restrictions,sinceit'smostlycustomizing.There'stheuserexitIncludeMP56TFEXwhichexistssincebeforethe
netweaveradaptionandaBadiTRIP_WEB_NUMBERwhichshouldbeavailableasofECC6EHP2(orevenearlier).
LookingattheIMGdocumentation:
(SystemStatusSnapshot:NWAS7.03ABAPStack731Level13,ECC606(EHP6)withSAP_HR604Level78and
EA_HR607(HRRenewal1)Level29)
ThefirstthingtheIMGdocumentationtellsus,is,thattherearetwopossibilitiesfortheassignmentofthetripnumber:
1. Internal:AutomaticallybytheSystem,i.e.withtheincrementofthenumberintervall
2. External:Numberischosenbytheenduser,i.e.theemployeedirectly
I'mnotevengoingtoassumewhythepossibilityforanexternalnumberassignmentexists.Theproductownermight
know,Idon't.Myadvise,whichoverlapswiththeofficialrecommendationfromSAP,is,usetheInternalNumberRange
approach(ifyouusetheexternalnumberrangeforwhateverreasonsyouhave,youcanstopreadingthisblogright
now
).
Thenthere'sanothergoodhintinthedocumentationthatgoeslike"Don'tuseoverlappingintervalsindifferentnumber
ranges"I'llbouncebacktothisstatementafewparagraphslater.Lastbutnotleast,there'sagenerichintthatnumber
intervalsarenottransportedautomatically,fairenough.
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1/28/2015
BottomLinesofar:UsetheInternalNumberRangeApproach,Don'toverlapyourintervalsandtakecareofthe
Transportmanually(careful,transportingnumberintervalsaftergoliveisanogo!)
Myconcreterecommendation:
I'mpartiallycopyingfromoneofmypostsofthefollowingthread:
Tripnumberrangeconcept
UseCase:
Let'ssayyouhaveanumbervolumeof1000and3personnelareas
1.ExamplehowitisNOTdone:
PersonnelArea1:01000
Whynot?Let'ssayyouhave3PersonnelAreasinthatcaseyou'dhaveamultiplicationofthenumber
volumeby3,right?Wrong,becausewhathappenswhenanemployeeswitchesthepersonnelarea?Data
inconsistencyhappens,becausethetripnumbersofemployeewhoswitchesthePAmightalreadybetaken
byanotheremployee.That'swhyyoudon'tdoitthisway.
Furthermoreyou'dhaveaTripNumbercollisionfasterthanyoucansay"Helpme,DietmarHopp!".
2.ExamplehowitshouldbedoneaccordingtoSAP(notgoodinmyhumbleopinion):
PersonnelArea1:0333
NowwehavenicelysplitnumberrangesforeveryPAandifanemployeeswitchesthePA,thetripnumber
can'thavebeengiventoanemployeeofthisPAheswitchedtobecauseitisn'tdefinedthere.Sonow
everything'sfine,right?Wrong.Threethingsarecertainincompanies:death,taxesandreorganization.
Let'ssay,afteryouhaveusedupallyournumbersforthesplitintervalsandwentproductive,thereare
created10newpersonnelareas,also90%oftheemployeesinPA1gotoPA2.numberintervalforPA2will
overflowandontopyoudon'thaveanynumbersfor10newpersonnelareasresultinginchaos.
3.Howtodoitright(inmyopinion):
NowthatI'veexplainedhowtoNOTdoit,lookatwhathappenswhenyouhaveonegenericnumberinterval
forallPAs:
Youuseallnumbersinanycase,thismeansroughly10billionnumbers.Soevenifyouhave500Tripsaday,
you'dlast10.000.000/500/365=~54yearswiththis.IfyoustilluseFITVafterthattime,youcaneither
archiveordeleteoldtripsandresettheintervallcounterto0tolastforthenext54years
WhathappensifanemployeeswitchesthePersonnelAreas?Nothing,doesn'tmatter,thenumber
intervalisthesameforall.
WhathappenswhennewPersonelAreasarecreated?Nothing.
WhathappenswhenhugeamountsofemployeesswitchcertainPersonnelAreas?Nothing.
"HowdoIdothis?"
1. CreateaDummyPersonnelAreaviaTableT500Pandmaintainthesubsequentdependantcustomizing
tables(likeV_T500P,forexmpamle)accordingly.
2. InIMGactivityFinancials>TravelManagement>CreateNumberRangeforTripNumbers,create
onesingleintervalforyourDummyPersonellArea"TRIP"from0000000001to9999999999.
3. IntheUserExitIncludeMP56TFEX,maintaintheFormRoutineex_get_numberandhardcodeyour
DummyIntervalintotheexportingparameterswithmeansofamodificationoranimplicitenhancement
attheend(Ipreferenhancements).Example:
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4. IfyouareusingtheWDAscenariosinyourbusinessprocess,alsoimplementtheBADI
TRIP_WEB_NUMBERMethodIF_EX_TRIP_WEB_NUMBER>USER_EXIT_NUMBER_INTERNAL
likewise.
5. Youaredone.EnjoyyoureternallyconsistentTRIPNumberRange
UsefulSources(Notes,Discussions,Wikis,helplinks,etc.)covering
thetopic:
TripnumberRangeERPHumanCapitalManagementSCNWiki
KBA#1581701
SAPNote#62077
Tripnumberrangeconcept
SetupTripNumberRangesTravelManagementSAPLibrary
IncludeMP56RFEXforUserExitsTravelManagement(FITV)SAPLibrary
NumberrangeobjectreadandmaintainservicesBCExtendedApplicationsFunctionLibrarySAP
Library
SAPNotes#504875and#678501
FAQ:
Q:WethinkofusingadedicatednumberrangeforeachPersonnelArea,isthatagoodapproach?
A:No.Useonenumberrangeforallpersonnelareasstatically.Thereasonsforthisarepostedabove.
Q:Butifweonlyhaveonenumberrangewecannotreportondifferentpersonnelareas!
A:Yesyoucan,byusingothermeansofcustomizing.Forexampleyoucanuseoneofthefreely
maintainableindicatorfields,forexampleKZREA
BEREIorKZTKTorevenderivethepersonnelareadirectlyfromthePERNR.Thelastthingyouwanttodois
misconfigurethebasisoftheFITVapplicationformerereporting.
Q:Thereare"gaps"inthenumberrangeinourdata.Forexampleonetriphasthenumber400assignedandthenext
onehasthenumber405.Whathappenedtotheother4numbers?
A:Instandard,thebufferingfornumberintervalsisactivatedtoallowforlessdatabaseaccesses.Normallythereare
around10numbersinthebufferandsometimessomeofthemaredoppedsoyougetthese"gaps".Thisisgoodto
knowespeciallywhentheauditdepartmentisvisiting .Itispossibletodeactivatethebufferingbutinmyopinion
youshouldneverdothat,becauseit'samodificationwithoutanytechnicalorfunctionalbenefitandtheloadonthe
databasewillincrease,i.etheperformancewillsuffer.
Q:Thenumbersinoneofmyrangesareusedup,whatshouldIdo?
A:ReconfiguretheInterval,i.e.useanintervalattheendoftherangeofallintervalsandreassignthePersonnelArea
toitsoyouhavea"fresh"intervalforit.Ofcoursethisonlyworksoutifyouhaven'tinitiallytakeneverysinglenumber
that'savailableintoaccount.Ifyouhave,andtherearenonumbers"left"torevertto,youshouldhavereadthisblog
earlier .Careful:Dependantonyourinfrastructure,itmightbecleanertoactuallyopentheproductionsystemand
configurethismanuallinsteadoftransportingthenewnumberrangesandtheircounterstransportingnumber
intervalsaftergoliveisNEVERagoodidea.
Q:Ihavecreatedseveralnumberrangesforseveralpersonnelareas.Nowalotofemployeeshaveswitched
personnelareasandthedatabaseentriesareinconsistent,whatshouldIdo?
A:FortunatelythePCL1TEKeystillalwaysisthePERNRandtheoverallkeyforthemoduleisacombinationof
PERNRandREINRsothereisnoactualinconsistency.Theproblemcanonlybesustainablyavoidedifyouuseone
numberrangeforallpersonnelareas.
That'sit,folks.Feelfreetopromotecontentthatshouldbeincludedinthisblogviathecomments.
8/23
1/28/2015
Cheers,Lukas
P.S.CheckoutmyotherFITVcontent:
RevertingtheprocessofAssigningPOWLTravelAssistants
AddingfieldsinTravelWDAApplications
386Views
6Comments
Tags:travel_management,trip,fitv
SAPAcquiringConcurTravelandExpense:Early
ThoughtsandaSAPConsultant'sConcurJourney
PostedbySvenRinglingSep23,2014
WhenIheardabouttheSAP'sacquisitionofConcurTechnologies,itwaslikeanoldacquaintancecrossingmypath
againaftersometimeandIwaspositivelysurprised.IknewConcurfromaprojectafewyearsbackanditwasclear
thatthisacquisitioncouldhavehugeimpactonallSAPcustomersusingTravel&ExpenseorConcur.Butlet'sstartat
thebeginning...
Whathappened?
SAPandConcurannouncedthatSAPwillacquireConcurTechnologiesforanamountofca.USD7.4billion.Concur
istheleaderofsoftwarefortravelandexpensemanagementbyahugemargin.SAPCEOBillMcDermontputitthis
way:"ThereisnoNo.2toConcurtheyessentiallyownthismarket.(TheWashingtonPost,19thSept.2014).It is
certainlyaverygoodadditiontorecentacquisitionsAribaandSuccessFactorsaswellasFieldglass.Itisstillearly
days and I'm sure we'll hear announcements about integration strategy with SAP's onpremise package as well as
existingcloudservicesinthenottoodistantfuture.Customerswillalsowanttoknowabouttheplansforthecurrent
SAPtravelondemandproduct.Bymygutfeeling,Iwouldn'tbetonalonglifeforthisstillveryyoungproduct.Givenit's
moderate success so far and the fact that SAP just splashed their largest ever acquisition budget on a mature
replacement, it would only make sense for SAP to phase the existing travel on demand product out asap. But of
course,atthisstage,theseareallassumptionsandSAPmaywellhavesomesurprisesuptheirsleeves.
WhatdoesthismeanforSAPTravel&Expenseusers?
The situation is a little bit different for onpremise Travel&Expense. It's quite a mature product, well integrated with
other elements of the business suite like Financials, Payroll, HR or CATS. Many customers also have invested in
bespokedevelopmentandforsometheideatohavethisdatainthecloudisstillanabsolutenogo.SAPknowsthat,
sotheywillprovidesupportforaconsiderableperiodoftime.Howmuchinnovationwearestillgoingtoseeinon
premiseT&Eiseverybody'sguess.Butgiventhefactthattheywillhavetodedicatealotofresourcestobuildfirstclass
integration features between Concur, other cloud products and their onpremise system, it's a legitimate guess to
expectdevelopmentinonpremT&Efeaturestosuffer.So,customerscurrentlyusingorimplementingonpremiseT&E
willhavetomakeaconsciousdecisionabouttheirfutureroadmap.Thatdoesn'tmeanonpremiseTravelMansgement
rolloutshavetobestoppedoranyfurtherdevelopmentforlivesystemsshouldbefrozen.Don'tforgettheacquisition
hasn'tevenhappenedyet.AndiftheSuccessFactoracquisitionisanythingtogoby,thefulldevelopmentofintegration
featuresmaytakeafewyearsandmanyorganisationswillhavesoundreasonstopreferanonpremisesolutionsfor
quiteafewyearsmore.Yet,therewillbeotherSAPusers,who'llfindConcuralreadyagreatsolutiontostartwith,as
it'smeetingmostoftheirrequirements,andtheprospectoffurtherintegrationinthefutureisenoughforthemtotipthe
balanceevennow.Atthispoint,weareverymuchlefttospeculationuntilsuchtimeasSAPannouncetheirlicencing
strategy, product roadmaps for onpremise T&E as well as Concur and a reliable development schedule for
integration.So,watchthisspace.
MyownConcurjourney
SomeofyoumaynowbeaskingwhyI'mreferringtoConcurasan"oldacquaintance".Well,thatgoesbackmorethan
3years,whencloudwasstillameredreamornightmareforSAP.IhappenedtoleadaglobalT&Eprojectwiththe
deploymentofConcurexpensesmanagementandtheirtravelbookingmodule,calledcliqbookatthetime,beingthe
backboneofthewholeendeavour.Rollingoutanend2endT&Eprocessacross9countriesin11weekswouldhave
beenquiteafeatwiththeSAPonpremisesolution,butimpossiblewithinthecontextoftheproject,whichinvolvedthe
selectionandintegrationofaglobaltravelagencyandrolloutofcompanycreditcardsamongstotherthingsandwas
sandwichedinbetweenongoingimplementationsoftheWorkdayHCMsystemandSAPFI/COmodules.Igotintothis
projectwithabout10SAPT&Eprojectsundermybelt,butIhadtoaknowledgeIcouldn'thavetakenonthistask,if
SAPratherthanConcurhadbeenthesystemofchoice.
Theprocesstobeimplementedwasnotthatunusual:
Employeesdefinedtheirtrips,pickedappropriatetransportonlineandsubmitteditforaquotefromtheagency.
Oncethatcameinitwassenttolinemanagerstoapprovalandthenbooked.
Afterthetripreceiptswherescannedandoriginalssenttoahandlingagent,whoalsosubmittedthemtoaVAT
reclaim service to recover a percentage of international VAT, expense reports were captured by employees
onlinewithcreditcarddataaddedthroughaninterfaceandthensubmittedforapprovalagain.
Asyoucanimagine,therewerequiteafewsmallpeculiaritiestocoveralongtheway,butConcurcopedquite
well. The biggest challenge was the trip approval: as the customer decided to require approval for the exact
amount, approvals needed to happen, while the ticket price (most trips involved air travel) was held by the
agency.So,wehadbetween24and48hours.Thatwasonlyfeasiblewithanagilesubstitutionruleinplaceand
mobileapproval(atthetimedonethroughareplyemailonBlackberry).
Ilikedthatprojectverymuch.Itwasstateofthearttechnologyanditinvolvedaconsiderablechangemanagement
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effort:userscamefromanSAPcontext,sotherewasalwaystheassumptionthatyoucanchangeanything,ifyouonly
wantitbadlyenoughandhavemoneytospend.ThephilosophyofaSaaSprojectwasdifficulttodigestforsomeof
them.Italsodidn'thelpthatthetravelpolicywasstillbeingreviewedduringtheproject,sogoalpostskeptmoving.This
oftenaffectedpartsoftheconfigthatneededtobedonebythevendorteamandthereforedependedonperiodsof
time agreed upon at the start of the project. These config elements could not always be quickly changed by the
customerteam,whenevertheywanted.However,theConcurteamwasveryhelpfulandflexibleenoughtocope.
So,finishingwithsomethoughtsaboutthesoftwareandtheproject.Pleasenotethattheseareobservationsfromone
particularprojectmorethan3yearsagoandonlyreflectmypersonalexperience.
WhatdidIlikeaboutConcurinparticular?
1)It'saslickproduct,providinganexcellentuserinterfaceandexcellentreliability.Itjustdoesthejob.
2)Itprovidesenoughflexibilityformostsensiblerequirementswithouttemptingthecustomerintoovercustomisation
ashappenssoofteninSAPonpremise.
3) Mobile approval works out of the box (the workflow does need some setting up and has its constraints, but is a
thousandmilesaheadofSAPworkflowforeaseofsetupandmaintenance.)
4)Themobileappforexpenseswasembarrassinglyeasytodeploy,butmoreofthatlater.
5)Concur,evenatthattime,justunderstoodtheServiceelementofSaaSextremelywell.Theyofferedfurtherservices
thatcamenaturallywiththepackage.Thisincludedareceipthandlingandauditingserviceaswellasauserhotline.
Thefirst"S"inSaaScouldthereforehavebeen"Solution"asmuchas"Software".
Whatwaschallenging?
1)IalreadymentionedthechangechallengesfacedwithusersaswellasITstaff,whostillstruggledwiththeSaaS
concept.
2)WhathadalmostblownthedeadlinewasthedifficultytheProcrementandLegalteamsofthecustomerhadwiththe
SaaScontract.Ifyourorganisationdoesn'thavealotofSaaSexperienceyet,Ican'temphasiseenoughhowimportant
itistostartcontractworkearlyandget3rdpartyexpertstohelp.
3) As you would imagine, interfaces where a major challenge. The integration between the travel booking and
expenseelementsofConcurworkedperfectlywell,buttheinterfacewithWorkdayHCMandSAPFI/COrequiredmore
effortthanexpected.WecouldalsohavedonewithsomemorehelpfromConcur'sside(aswellasWorkday's)atthat
point. However, the worst part were the interfaces with the credit card company, who's technical experts were not
helpfulatalltodescribeitpolitely.Documentationoftheirinterfaceformatsleftloadsofroomforinterpretationatbest
andwerecompletelyoutdatedatworst.Thatdidn'tcomeasasurprise,astheyprovedasincompetentearlierinthe
project,whentheydefineddataandsignaturesrequiredoncreditcardrequestformsineachcountry.
4)WecouldhavedonewithsomemoredocumentationoftheConcursoftwareassuch,mostnotablyitsconfiguration.
Iunderstandthispointhasimprovedconsiderablybynow.
Howdidwekeepthetightdeadline?
1)Wehadalargegroupofacceptancetesters(4%ofthetotalworkforce)inkeypositions.Eventhoughnotallofthem
wereasengagedaswe'dhavelikedthemtobe,theywereextremelyhelpfulingettingeverybodyonboard.
2)Adedicatedemployeeengagementmanager,whodidroadshowsandtraining,butwasflexibleenoughtoplaywith
thetoolandtakeonfeedbackfromthetestergroup.
3)Postponingthelegacydataanalysisandrenegotiationprocessofferedbythetravelagencyuntilaftergolive.
4)Staginginterfaceimplementationinlinewithfirstrunofeachinterfaceuntiluptoonemonthaftergoliveandrun
someinterfacessemimanuallyinphase1.
5)Keepthefirstscopeleanandimplementspecialprocesses,mostnotablycandidatetravel,expatfamilymoves,and
grouptravelinphase2only.
6) We also planned to postpone the integration of the Concur mobile app for capturing expenses and scanning
receiptstophase2.Alas,itturnedoutithadn'tbeenswitchedoffbyConcurandwhenemployeesfoundthemobile
app in the Apple appstore, it worked perfectly well without extra configuration or training. It was, I must admit, an
accidentalgoliveinperfectshape.GiventhehoopsSAPusershadtojumpthroughatthattimeinordertousemobile
apps,thiswasanabsolutestunnerforme.
Inourproject,wedidn'tusethelatestConcurservces:
ConcurInvoice:anautomationtoolforsupplierinvliceprocessing
ConcurInsight:acomprehensiveanalyticstoolforexpensesandinvoices(atthe,weimplementedsometravel
andexpensereporting,butthiscomprehensivetoolwasn'tavailableyet)
ConcurMessaging:communicationwithtravellingemployeesandtravelriskmanagement
So,inanutshell:
ConcurisagreatproductforTravelbookingaswellasexpensemanagement.Itcomeswiththeusualbenefits
andconstraintsofSaaSbutthereisareason,whyit'stheuncontestedmarketleader.
WhenIworkedwithConcurveryclosely3yearsago,interfacestoSAPaswellasothercloudproductswherea
hugechallenge.ThisiswheretheacquisitionbySAPwillmostlikelyaddalotofvalue,butit'lltakesometime.
IntegrationwillnotonlyberequiredforonpremiseFI/CA,HRandPayroll,butSuccessFactors,Fieldglassaswell
asAribawouldbenefitformcloseintegration.
BackthenConcuralsohadaverygoodchoiceofextraservicesbeyondjustprovidingaccesstothesoftware.
Theyweretakingsoftwareasaservicetothesecondlevel,whenSAPwasstillstrugglingwithlevel1.
It's definitely a valid alternative for SAP onpremise Travel&Expense, but customers should consider SAP's
roadmapsoncepublishedandthendecidewhetherandwhentoswitchintheirowntime.AsintransactionalHR
there will probably be many customers,who still feel served best by a well customized onpreimse system for
someyearstocome.
It'smostlikelygoingtobedifferentforTravelonDemandcustomers.It'sprobablyagoodideatocheckwithyour
SAPkeyaccountmanagerasapbeforeinvestinganymoreintothisproduct.
Andfinally,onepointwemissedsofar:
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1/28/2015
Ihaven'ttalkedaboutthetripityet.Tripitisasocialmediastypeonlinetravelorganisertohelpyoukeeptrackofyour
itineraries.IthasbeenacquiredbyConcurin2011andI'msuresomeinnovatorsatSAPalreadythinkabouthowit
canworkwithSAPJam.
1699Views
9Comments
Tags:cloud,saas,acquisition,sap_cloud_for_travel,t&e,concur,tripit,cliqbook,sap_concur_interface
costassignmentpercentagetobedisplayonlyalways.
PostedbyBaleeqAhmedMohammedApr17,2014
1.iwanttomakethecostassignmentpercentage100%field(undercostassignmentbutton)asdisplayonly.theuser
shouldnotbeabletochangethepercentageotherthansystemdefaultedpercentage100%
Kindlyletmeknow.yourhelpwillbevaluable.
99Views
0Comments
RevertingtheprocessofAssigningPOWLTravel
Assistants
PostedbyLukasWeigeltJul12,2013
Thisblogshowsacompactcustomapproachofrevertingtheprocessoftheassignmentbetweenatraveleranda
travelassistantviaPOWLPersonalization.WhatfollowshasbeendoneonasystemonNW7.03(731)ECC6.06.
SinceIgotanoverallgoodfeedbackonmylatest(andfirst
)documentoverhere
AddingfieldsinTravelWDA
Applications,Idecidedtostashawaysomemoreknowledgeontheforums ,soherewego.
Youdon'treallyneedanyindepthtechnicalknowledgetounderstandthefollowing,thoughbasicunderstandingof
howPOWLworkswon'thurt.
1.WhatSAPprovides
ThebasicideaofPOWLisprettymuch"PersonAassignsanamountofpeopletohimselfoncertainconditionsfor
particularbusinessprocesses".POWLexpertsmightwanttoburnmealivenowforsummingitupsogenericallyin
onesentence,butthat'sjusthowitisinmyopinion.IncaseofFITV,forexample,wehavetheroleofaTravel
AssistantwhocanassignanamountofTravelerstohimselftoallowforthecreationofTravelRequests/Plansand
ExpenseClaimsonbehalfofthoseTravelers.Alternativelytothiswayofassignment,itcanbedonecentrallyinthe
backendusingthetransactionsFPB_MAINTAIN_PERS_SandFPB_MAINTAIN_PERS_M(referto
Redmond'sKBA#1622954).
Sally
2.Whatsomepeople(Imyselfamongstthem)expected
InsteadoftheTravelAssistantdecidinghimselfwhoheisanassistantfor,inmycompanytherewastherequirement
forthetravelersbeingabletofreelydecidewho'dbesupposedtobeatravelassistantforthem(centralmaintenance
wasnooptionduetoTCO).TheideaofSAP'sdesignedassignmentprocessinevitablyresultedinthefearthe
assistantwouldbegiventoomuchpowerandmightabuseit(giventhefactthatstructuralauthorizationisnot
supportedinFITVevenifitwas,itwouldstillcrippletheflexibilityfromadifferentpointofviewwheresomerelations
mightstretchacrosstheregulationsofstructuralauthorization).
Bottomlineourbusinessprocesswasturnedupsidedown.
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1/28/2015
3.HowtorebuildwhatSAPprovidesintowhatweneeded
Basically,therearethreesourcesinthesystemthatarerelevantforthisapproach,thesearetheFunctionModules
FPB_PERS_READ_FOR_DIALOG,FPB_PERS_POST_FOR_DIALOGandthetransparenttableFPB_PERSPARM
(whichholdstheverypersonalizationdata).WhatIdid,wascreateacustomWebDynprowhichprovidesthefollowing
logic/processsteps:
WhentheApplicationisstarted,FPB_PERSPARMisreadwithameredatabaseselectforLOW=thePERNRof
theUserthatisloggedonfortheTravelApprovalDialogue(usedforboth,ApproversandAssistantsinFITV).
Thisselectionitselfalreadyiskindof'backwards'concerningtheactualSAPprocess.Theoutputispresentedin
atable(recordsetsforthesingleAssistants).
Theuserisgiventhepossibilitytodeletearecordsetofthispresentedtable,afterwhichaharddeletestatement
onFPB_PERSPARMisissued.Iconciouslydon'tuseFPB_PERS_POST_FOR_DIALOGhere,sinceittendsto
bugoutifthere'sonlyoneassistantleftandyoutrytodeleteit.Afterthedeletionisdone,Irunasubmitof
POWL_WLOADfortheTravelAssistantwhoseassignmenthasbeendeletedfor,elsetheoldqueryisstillinthe
POWLCache.
Theenduserisalsogiventhepossibilitytodoasearchforemployeesinthesystemwhoareauthorizedtobea
TravelAssistant(indicatorisaparticularR/3Role)andthenassigntheselectedpersontobeoneself'sTravel
Assistant.This'assignment'isthendoneviaFMFPB_PERS_POST_FOR_DIALOG.Justlikewithinthedeletion
process,POWL_WLOADissubmittedforthechosenAssistanttorefreshthePOWLqueries.
OfcourseIalsocodedalotofplausibilitychecksaswellascertaingimmicks,authchecksetc.etc.Butthestripped
downprocessisreallysimpleasyoucansee.Thewholethingonlytookmeafewdaysofwork.Thesimplicityofthis
particulardevelopment,though,alsobringssomeinflexibilitiestheprocessonlyworksaslongasthepersonalization
setsaremaintainedwithsingleLOWValues(atleastthewayIcodedit,ofcourseyoucouldmakeitmorecomplex
andflexible),i.e.nointervallsetc,butit'ssufficientthatwayforus.Herearesomescreenshotsofhowitlookslike:
12/23
1/28/2015
Linkswithstuffaroundthetopicsinvolvedintheblog:
SAPCommunityNetworkWikiWebDynproABAPPOWL
DemystifyingPOWLandFeederClassinTravelManagement
PersonalizationofEmployeeListsESSandMobileUseinTravelManagementSAPLibrary
TravelAssistantFinancialAccounting(FI)SAPLibrary
That'sallfolks.Ihopeit'sinterestingforyouoratleastamusingincaseyouthinkthisentirefabriciscompletely
ridiculous
Cheers,Lukas
P.S.Iamawareofmyhorriblespellinginthepictures,butI'mtoolazytoreplacethem
837Views
0Comments
Tags:employee_self_service,powl,travel_management,enterprise_resource_planning,travel_and_expense_management,
travel_assistant
DemystifyingPOWLandFeederClassinTravel
Management
PostedbySundeepSethiJul1,2013
BeforeIbeginthisblogIwanttothankSDNforallthenewlooksandfeatures,whichhasinspiredfolkslikemeto
contributemoreonthecommunity.GreatjobbytheSCNteam.BeingaSAPPortalexpertitamazesanddelightsme
howSAPhasusedtheSAPNetweaverPortalandbuiltthisworldclassCommunitySite.(Hopemyknowledgethat
SCNrunsonSAPPortaliscorrect).
Thisisthethirdofthe"Demystify..."seriesblogIamwriting.Theothertwoare DemystifyFPMforT&Eand
DemystifyUWL.
Nowcomingbacktothemainbusiness.InthisblogIwouldwriteaboutsomefrequentlyusedoperationswhen
workingwithPOWL,andalsotalkaboutFeederClassandhowwecanenhancethemtoachievemorecomplex
customrequirements.
PersonalObjectWorklistorPOWLisusedinTravelManagementTravelerWorkCenter.TheTravelerWorkCenter
hasfivetabsbydefaultasshowninthescreenshot.
WedidsomecustomchangesinthePOWLtoadaptittoourrequirement.Iwillenlistthelearning'sIgotwhileworking
withPOWLinTravelManagement.
1)WheredoIfindPOWLrelatedobjectsforTravelManagement?
AllthePOWLobjectsforTravelManagementcanbefoundinthepackage"PTRM_WEB_POWL".TheTravelerWork
CenterisbasedonthecomponentFITV_POWL_TRIPS.
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1/28/2015
2)WhatisaFeederClassandhowisitrelatedtoPOWL?
DefinitionofFeederClassasperSAPDocumentation:
"AllpropertiesofaPOWERListcanbespecifiedviaonecentral,standardizedclasscalledFeederClass.
Thefeederclasscommunicateswiththedatabaseselectingspecificdata,forwardsthedatatoaPOWERList'sinternal
cacheandrefreshesthePOWERListontheuser'sclientondemand.Moreoverthefeederclassincludesthehandling
ofactionsinitiatedbytheuserwhilepressingabutton."
InsimplewordsforeachStandardPOWLTypeaFeederClassneedstobeassignedwhichwilltakecareofrendering
thePOWLanddeterminesthecontentofthepersonalworklist.
3)HowdoIknowtheFeederClassofaPOWL?
ForeachstandardPOWLitscorrespondingFeederclasscanbefoundusingtransactionPOWL_TYPE.
e.g.ForTravelerWorkCenterPOWL"FITV_POWL_TRIPS"theFeederClassis"CL_FITV_POWL_FEEDER_TRIPS"
asshowninthescreenshotofthetransaction.
4)TellmemoreaboutFeederClass?
FeederClassforastandardPOWLhastoimplementtheinterface"IF_POWL_FEEDER".Theinterfacecontains
methodswhichshouldbeimplementedbytheFeederClasstodefinethefieldcatalogtobedisplayedinthePOWL,
anddeterminedataforthedisplayedobjecttype.
DetailsofthemethodsintheinterfacecanbefoundintransactionSE24.InthecaseofTravelerWorkCenterthese
methodsareimplementedbytheFeederClass"CL_FITV_POWL_FEEDER_TRIPS".
5)HowcanIhidetabsinTravelerWorkCenter?
Thisisaverycommonrequirement.ThiscanbeachievedbyfollowingSAPNote1124779ESSEHPDeactivate
unusedPOWLqueriesinTravelManagement.
ThisNoteprovidesasolutiontocontrolthevisibilityoftabsthroughAuthorizationbycreatingcustomroles.
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1/28/2015
6)CanIhidethelinks"Filter"and"Settings"whichappearonthetoprightcornerwithinthetabs?
InordertohidetheselinkslaunchtheApplicationConfiguration"FITV_POWL_TRIPS"andgototheComponent
Configuration"FITV_POWL_TRAVELLER".Select"confData"andscrolldowntotheattribute"hideSettingsLink".
Checkthetickboxnexttothisproperty.Thiswillhidethelinksfromyourtravelerworkcenter.Oneshouldmakethese
changesinacopyoftheApplicationandComponentConfiguration'stoavoidchangingthestandardconfigurations.
7)ArethereanyotherusefultransactionsrelatedtoPOWLIshouldbeawareof?
OtherusefultransactionstobeawareofwhenworkingandcustomizingPOWLare"
POWL_COCKPIT:ThisisthePOWLAdministratorCockpit.ItcanbeusedtoconfigureparametersforStandardPOWL,
ReportingPOWLandEasyPOWL
POWL_TYPER:ThistransactionisusefulforroleassignmentofPOWL.Thisisusefulwhentryingtohidetabs.
CoveredinSAPNote1124779.
POWL_TYPEU:DefineVisibilityofWorklistType(ortabs)atUserLevel
POWL_CAT:AssignQueriestoCategories.Queriesthatareassignedtoacategoryappeartogetherinthesameblock
inportal.
POWL_QUERY:UsedtomaintainPOWLqueriesanddefinePOWLtypesandtheirdescription.
POWL_QUERYR:DefineQueryVisibilityatRoleLevel.
POWL_QUERYU:DefineQueryVisibilityatUserLevel
8)Thisisallstandard,whataboutthecustomdevelopmentIwaspromisedatthestartoftheblog?
Scenario:
Myrequirementwastochangethetextofthelinksthatappearin"RecommendedActions"columnofthe"AllMyTrip"s
tabintheTravelerWorkCenter.
Solution:
InordertoimplementthisweneedtodoanEnhancementtotheFeederClass.Followingarethesteps:
IdentifytheFeederClasswhichispopulatingdatainthePOWL.HereweknowtheFeederClassis
"CL_FITV_POWL_FEEDER_TRIPS".
Themethod"IF_POWL_FEEDER~GET_OBJECTS"intheclassfetchesthedataandpopulatesitintheALVtables
withinthetabs.
CreateanEnhancementtothisClassandcreateaPostExittotheGET_OBJECTSmethod.
OneveryimportanttipisthatallthedatashownintheTravelerWorkCenterisfetchedbytheFunctionModule
"PTRM_WEB_TRIPS_GET_LIST".ThisFMcontainsoutputtable"ET_TRIPS"whichholdsthedata.
Thelinkvalueiscontainedinthefield"SUPPOSABLY_STATUS_NAME"ofthestructure"PTRV_WEB_TRIPS_EXT"
whichisintheoutputofthisFM.
InthePostExitMethodbasedonyourconditionyoucanchangethelinktextordisablethelink.ForDisablingthelink
setthefield"SUPPOSABLY_STATUS_ENABLE".
CodeinthePOSTEXITofGET_OBJECTSmethod.
01. DATAlt_objectTYPEPTRM_POWL_WEB_TRIPS_EXT_T.
02. DATAls_ref_objectTYPEREFTOPTRM_POWL_WEB_TRIPS_EXT.
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1/28/2015
03.
04.
05.
06.
07.
08.
09.
10.
11.
DATAls_trip_dataTYPEPTRM_POWL_WEB_TRIPS_EXT.
loopate_resultsREFERENCEINTOls_ref_object.
CLEARls_trip_data.
MOVECORRESPONDINGls_ref_object>*TOls_trip_data.
**PutyourIFblockheretocheckconditionandsetthelinktext(SUPPOSABLY_STATUS_NAME)ordisablelink(SUPPOSABLY_STATUS_ENABLE)etc.
appendls_trip_datatolt_object.
ENDLOOP.
CLEARE_RESULTS.
E_RESULTS=lt_object.
InasimilarwaywecanachievealotofcustomrequirementsbyenhancingthemethodsoftheFeederClass.
HopethisbloghelpsmanyworkingonTravelerWorkCenterinTravelManagement.
2516Views
7Comments
Tags:ess,employee_self_service,powl,travel_management,enterprise_resource_planning,travel_and_expense_management
Gradual/CountrySpecificRolloutofTravelExpense
Management(TEM)
PostedbyJanThomasNygaardMar1,2013
Hi,
Thisishowwedidoursetuptodoagradualrolloutoftravelapplications.WewereonEHP4+SAPPortal7.0andare
nowonEHP5+SAPPortal7.3andthissetupstillworks.
Weusethecountryspecificservicesinhomepageframeworktomakesureonlysomeusersseethelinkstoourtravel
applicationsinareaoverviewpagesinportal.Anexampleisshownbelownotethatwehavecopiedstandard
servicesintoownnamespaceinthiscase.
Thenwecreated2portalrolesasshownbelow.One(ESS)thateveryportaluserhasandone(ESSTEM)fortravel
usersonly.Asaresultitonlycontainsthetravelworksetandiviews:
Wemergedthe2ESSroles(youmighthavetoreadupaboutrolemergingbutitisprettysimple.Justgiveboth
roles/worksetssamemergeIDsetc.)andifassignedthis"addon"roleyougetanextratabinportalasshownbelow:
TheoneproblemwehadwiththeabovesetupwastohidethehomepageframeworkareaservicelinktoTraveland
ExpensesintheESSoverviewpagefornontravelusers.Thisisthelink:
ForthatwehadtocreateanenhancementtofunctionmoduleHRXSS_SER_GETMENUDATAtodynamicallyhidethis
partofoverviewpagebasedonassignedbackendrole(theTEMmergeroleasdescribedatthetopislinkedtothis
backendrole).Thiscanbedonebycreatinganenhancementlikethisatthebottomofthisfunctionmodule:
16/23
1/28/2015
Thisprovidesuswithaniceandflexiblesetupforgradualrolloutofthetravelandexpenseapplication.Ifanyonehas
suggestionsofhowtoavoidtheenhancementabovepleaseletmeknow
Ihopethiswillhelpsomeone.
BrJan
656Views
8Comments
Tags:enterprise_portal_(ep),portal,sap_portal,ess,employee_self_service,netweaver_portal,portal_development,tem,
travel_management,enterprise_resource_planning,travel_and_expense_management,homepage_framework,role_merging,
sap_erp_human_capital_management
HCMTravelManagementRestrictingTravel
Expenses
PostedbyMihirNagarFeb25,2013
Objective
ThisdocumentisintendedtoSAPHCMTravelManagementconsultantstohelpthem
duringtheconfigurationoftravelmanagement.Withthehelpofthisdocument,
restrictionoftravelexpensefordifferenttravelschema,statutorytriptype,enterprise
specifictriptypecanbemademoredynamicandflexible.
AvailableTravelExpenseTypes
Travelmanagementmoduleprovidesprovisiontocreatedifferenttravelexpensetypesaspertheclient'sbusiness
needs.Commonlyusedtravelexpensescanbeairfare,foodbill,localconveyance,laundryexpense,parking
expenseetc.
DifferentexpensetypescanbemaintainedinviewV_T706B1againstTripProvisionVariant.
BelowisthepathforconfigurationinIMG:
FinancialAccounting>TravelManagement>TravelExpenses>TravelExpenseTypes>CreateTravelExpenseTypes
forIndividualReceipts
RestrictingExpensetypesatEmployeelevel
AvailabilityofExpensescanberestrictedatemployeelevelsviauseofTravelprivilegeinfotype0017.
ExpTy.PermissibilityfieldinviewV_T706B1,onecancontroltheavailabletravelexpensefordifferentgradesof
employee.
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1/28/2015
EmployeegroupcanbemaintainedinTravelPrivilegeinfotype0017againstEEGrpExpenseTypefield.
SAP'sLimitationofRestrictingExpenseTypes
SAPstandardprovidesIMGconfigurationforrestrictingtheexpensetypesattripschemalevel.
However,thereisnoprovisionwhereonecanmaintaintheexpensetypeattriptypelevels.
SAPprovidestwotypesoftriptypes:
1.Statutorytriptype
2.Enterprisespecifictriptype
SAPprovidesviewV_T706S_RECEIPTforrestrictingtheexpensetypeatschemalevel,thisviewcanbecalledfrom
belowIMGNode:
ThisIMGnodedoesnotprovideprovisiontomaintaintheexpensetypesattraveltriptypelevel.
RestrictingExpensesforDifferentTripTypes
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1/28/2015
Restrictionofexpensetypeattriptypelevelispossibleviaenhancement.
MethodCHANGE_DROP_DOWN_LISTofBAdiTRIP_RECEIPT_WIZARDcanbeusedtocaterthisrequirement.Also
methodSUPPLY_EXPENSE_TYPESofcomponentcontrollerRECEIPTSofwebdynproFITE_VC_RECEIPTScanbe
enhanced.
SolutionofaboverequirementwillrequirehelpofSAPABAPtechnicalconsultantinordertodoenhancementand
coding.
SolutionSteps
1.GotoSE11tocreaterequireddomains.
2.CreatedatabasetableZHR_EXPENSE_LISTasperbelowstructure.
3.GotoUtilities(M)>TableMaintenanceGeneratorandgeneratethemaintenancescreenwithsinglescreen.
Activatethetable.
4.ViaSM31/SM30transaction,TravelexpensecanbemaintainedagainsttheTripprovisionvariant,schema
andtraveltriptypes:
5.MethodCHANGE_DROP_DOWN_LISTofBAdiTRIP_RECEIPT_WIZARDcanbeusedtocaterthis
requirement.AlsomethodSUPPLY_EXPENSE_TYPESofcomponentcontrollerRECEIPTSofwebdynpro
FITE_VC_RECEIPTScanbeenhanced.Donecessaryprogrammingcodeinthismethodstofiltertheexpense
typesasperthetriptypesmaintainedintableZHR_EXPENSE_LIST.
4458Views
1Comments
Tags:sap,management,type,travel,types,expense,restrict,enterprise_resource_planning,grp,change_drop_down_list,
trip_receipt_wizard,permisibility,ee
RefreshFunctionalityinthePOWLQuerystarting
releaseEnhancementPackage5
PostedbyRaynardCoscolluelaJan31,2013
StartingReleaseEnhancementPackage5itisnowpossibletomaintaintherefreshoptioninthetransaction
19/23
1/28/2015
POWL_QUERY.
ThePersonalObjectWorklist(POWL)providesthefollowingqueryrefreshoptions:
OnFirstPageVisit:ThequeryrefreshesonlywhenthePOWLisinitiallyloaded.
OnEveryPageVisit:ThequeryrefresheseachtimethePOWLisloaded.
OnFirstQueryRun:Thequeryonlyrefresheswhenthequeryisinitiallyswitchedon.
OnEveryQueryRun:Thequeryrefresheseachtimethequeryisswitchedon.
Ifnorefreshtypeisset,thenthequeryisrefreshedaccordingtothedefaultbehavior.
Note:Manualrefreshingworksinallcases.ThesettingneedstobemaintainseperatelyforeachQueryID.
MoreinformationcanbefoundtheKBAArticle1806905.
1123Views
1Comments
Tags:refresh,travel,powl,enterprise_resource_planning
DisplayTripnumberinthePOWLqueriesofTravel
management
PostedbyRajkumarShanmuganathanAug29,2012
IntheearlierversionsofTravelmanagement,beforetheexistenceofEmployeeSelfService(ESS),tripnumberis
displayedforanyTravelRequest/Expensecreatedinthesystem.
YoucanchecktheTripcolumninthePR05orTRIPtransaction.
InPR05transaction,
IntheESStravelmanagementsolution,travelrelatedPOWLqueriesaredisplayedasshown.IhadremovedTravel
PlanningrelatedtabsfromthePOWLqueries.
Inthenewversionoftravelmanagement(ESS),triprelatedinformationsaredisplayedtotheuserusingthePOWL
queriesbutthetripnumberisnotavailable/displayed.BelowstepswillhelpinmakethetripnumbervisibleinESS
travelmanagementaswell.
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1/28/2015
POWLqueryusesthefeederclasstodisplaytheinformation.
YoucanfindthefeederclassandqueryrelatedinformationinthetransactionPOWL_TYPE.
Foreachtypetherewillbeafeederclassassigned.Forexample,forMytrips,bystandardtheavailablefeederclassis
CL_FITV_POWL_FEEDER_TRIPS.
InordertodisplaytheTripnumberinthePOWLquery,havecopiedthefeederclassfrom
CL_FITV_POWL_FEEDER_TRIPStoZCL_FITV_POWL_FEEDER_TRIPS.
InthefeederclassCL_FITV_POWL_FEEDER_TRIPS,inmethodGET_FIELD_CATALOGyouhavethehiddencolumn
nameTripnumberasbelow,
InthemodifiedclassZCL_FITV_POWL_FEEDER_TRIPS,Ihavemodifiedthecodeasbelow.
Therewillbesyntaxerrorinthecustomizedclass,youneedtochangetheclassnameinthebelowmethodaswell.
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1/28/2015
Asaresultofalltheabovechanges,youcanseethetripnumbersintheESSPOWLqueriesaswell.
Thanks,
S.Rajkumar.
1415Views
2Comments
Tags:travel_management,enterprise_resource_planning
Recipeforcuttingtravelcosts
PostedbyTamasSzirtesMar19,2010
SAPTravelManagement(TM)isaverypowerfulsolutiontomanagethetravelprocessandeventuallyreducethe
travelrelatedexpenses.ButwhatisTM?Travelmanagementorcorporatetravelmanagement(CTM)isthefunctionof
managingacompanysstrategicapproachtotravel(travelpolicy),thenegotiationswithallvendors,daytoday
operationofthecorporatetravelprogram,travelersafety&security,creditcardmanagementandT&Edata
management(wikipedia)
TherearemanyreasonswhyTMisimportant:
AccordingtoJPMorganTravelandEntertainment(T&E)isthesecondlargestbusinessexpenseinmost
organizations.
Travelcostsarerisingandstillthereismoreandmoretravellinginthecorporateworld.
Sustainabilityandriskmanagementarehighontheexecutivesagendaandtravellinghasahugeimpacton
them.
Theexpectationsofthetravelersaregrowing,eticketing,selfservicebooking,mobileaccesstoinformation
havebecomethenorm.
SAPTMofferssomecrucialbenefits:
Costreduction.Bothdirectcost(negotiationpowerwithpreferredtravelsuppliers)andindirectcost(shorter
processingtimesandadministrativesavings.
Enforcementoftravelpolicies
IntegrationwithSAPERP
Reliablebookings(synchronizationwith3rdpartybookingsystems,insightandanalysisoftravelinformation)
Userfriendlysoftware
Selfserviceavailable24x7
Genericsolutionwithcountryspecificversions
Legalcomplianceandsupportofthelocallanguagein30differentcountries
SAPTMsupportsthetravelprocessendtoend:thecorporatetravelpolicycanbemaintainedinthebackend,the
travelerscanmaintaintheirownpreferences,maketravelplans(flight,rental,hotel,etc.),themanagerscanapprove
them,thetravelercansubmitexpensereports,whichagaincanbeapproved,creditcarddatacanbeprocessed,etc.
ReportscanbecreatedinECCandBW,butthenicestisofcourseinBusinessObjects.
22/23
1/28/2015
328Views
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Tags:enterprise_resource_planning
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1/28/2015

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