Data Integration

Features

In Travel Manager the data entered is passed from one object to another, so that you do not have to keep reentering it. This data integration only occurs in one direction, that is from the T ravel Request to the Travel Plan and from Travel Plan to the T ravel Expense Report . If there is no T ravel Plan for a Travel Request , the information is passed directly from the Travel Request to the Travel Expense Report .

Once the data has been transferred from one object to another, you can change the data in this subsequent object. Your changes are not, however, reflected in the previous object.

Caution Caution

If you enter a location in the travel request that has not been registered by the IATA with an IATA code, then the system can not check the availability of travel services in the travel plan or carry out online bookings.

You should therefore check the locations transferred from the Travel Request when you create a new Travel Plan .

End of the caution.

Special Features for Basic Data, Advance and Cost Assignment

Travel Request

When you use the Travel Manager (TRIP) to create a new travel request, the system also creates a travel request in the Travel Expense Manager (PR05) for the travel request of the Travel Manager. The basic data , advance and the cost assignment are, therefore, transferred to the travel request of the Travel Expense Manager (PR05). This is required to enable the payment and settlement of any advances using the Travel Expense Manager.

It has been ensured that the status of the travel request in the travel manager (TRIP) and the status of the travel request in the travel expense manager (PR05) each have the same values. This means that if you approve the travel request of the travel manager, then the travel request in the travel expense manager is also approved. This also applies the other way around. This applies until a trip gets the status Trip Completed or Trip Approved from the travel request in the travel expense manager.

Note Note

Each time the status is changed in the travel request, the corresponding event is triggered in the SAP Business Workflow for the travel request/travel expense report.

End of the note.

Travel plan

To book the required travel item (flight, hotel, rental car, train) for the travel request (TRIP), you create a travel plan. This type of travel plan can be open, approved or rejected. These statuses do not normally affect the status of the trip. This means that the status of a travel plan is independent of that of the travel request. This can be seen in the SAP Business Workflow also.

Note Note

Each status change in the travel plan triggers the corresponding event in the SAP Business Workflow for the travel plan.

End of the note.

Now that the travel plan is the leading object in the travel manager, changed basic data, changes in the itinerary and in the travel comments are not transferred back to the travel request.

Caution Caution

If the advance or the cost assignment in the travel plan is changed, the travel request must be approved again since this affects costs. In this type of situation, there are, therefore, two approval processes: Approval of the travel plan and

2. Approval of the travel request.

This also means that two events in the SAP Business Workflow are triggered.

1. Event in the SAP Business Workflow for the travel plan, and

2. Event in the SAP Business Workflow for the travel plan/travel expense report.

End of the caution.

To simplify the approval method for changed advances or cost assignments, you can approve a travel request when you approve the travel plan in the travel manager.

Travel Expenses

Once the trip has taken place, data is added to the travel request for the trip in the travel expense manager (with status Trip Completed or Trip Approved ). The itinerary data, trip comments and the ticket or booking data from the travel plan is added to the existing trip data. If there is no travel plan, the data (such as itinerary and trip comments) are transferred from any existing travel request.

Note Note

Each status change in the travel expenses triggers the corresponding event in the SAP Business Workflow for the travel plan/travel expense report.

End of the note.