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 Travel Request

Definition

A travel request is an information entity that contains all the data that a traveler wants to forward for approval/advance payment/booking, or that a manager needs to know before approving a trip. Travel requests are part of the travel manager entry scenario that accompanies the entire process of a business trip from the initial request, planning, and booking until settlement.

Use

Travel requests in SAP Travel Management support system-aided handling of the request and approval process of business trips. Paper forms are replaced by an electronic request that is sent from the SAP system to the manager for approval.

You can access a travel request at any time from the overview area of the Travel Manager . You can therefore always keep track of the approval status and the approved trip details and view them at a later date (for example, to compare the facts with the corresponding travel expense report).

Since you can enter the type and number of the required travel services in the travel request, the request can be used as a reference for booking the trip if the traveler does not have authorization for booking. The travel agency or area secretary with the necessary booking authorization can arrange the necessary travel services using Travel Planning in SAP Travel Management based on the travel request.

Structure

The travel request can include the following information as required:

  • Trip date and time

  • Trip destination and reason

  • Additional destinations during the trip (trip itinerary)

  • Required trip advances

  • If applicable, a cost center that differs from the master cost center to which the travel expenses are to be assigned

  • Notes or comments on the trip

  • The number of travel services required (flights, hotel room, car rental, rail trip)

  • Estimated total cost of trip

Integration

Since travel requests are integrated with travel expenses, the travel request data is forwarded directly to Travel Expenses. The corresponding object Travel Expenses then automatically contains, for example, the general data of the trip (such as date and reason), any stopovers or requested trip advances, and the assignment of the costs to a cost center other than the master cost center.

The use of travel requests is thus linked to the use of travel expenses. In addition to travel requests, you can also use Travel Planning to determine available flights, hotels, car rentals and trains and for the online booking of these services.

Integration with Funds Management

To integrate Travel Management with Funds Management, proceed as follows:

  • Activate integration with Funds Management (see Integration with Travel Management ).

  • In Customizing for Travel Management, under Start of the navigation path Travel Expenses Next navigation step Master Data Next navigation step Travel Expense Types Next navigation step Create Travel Expense Types for Individual Receipts, End of the navigation path create an expense type with the following properties:

    • Short name: for example, Estimated Costs

    • Travel Expense Category: Other

    • Amounts are: Estimated Costs, No Reimbursement to Employee

When users specify estimated costs that are greater than zero in travel requests, the system creates a receipt for the estimated costs, which is forwarded as a commitment document to Funds Management.

Caution Caution

After the trip takes place, the user needs to manually delete the automatically created receipt from the receipt buffer in the expense report.

End of the caution.

Implementation Considerations

You activate the travel request object in Customizing for SAP Travel Management under Start of the navigation path Integration of Travel Planning and Travel Expenses Next navigation step Activate Request/Plan/Expense Report in Travel Manager End of the navigation path .

See also:

Creating a Travel Request

Sending a Travel Request

Approving a Travel Request

Travel Management

Travel Planning

Travel Expenses