Oracle Internet Expenses

This chapter covers the following topics:

Overview

Some features that were not included in 11.5.10 CU2, were released in OIE.K. For users upgrading to Release 12 from OIE.K and above, the upgrade functionality includes integration with Oracle Payments, expense report creation (invoice creation) and integration with Oracle E-Business Tax.

Itemization

In Release 12, a data model change supports creation of a parent line when itemizing an expense line. After the upgrade to Release 12, the expenses entry and audit management business process flows are impacted.

After the upgrade to Release 12, end users will access itemization from the Credit Card and Cash and Other Details pages as opposed to an Itemization button on the Credit Card and Cash and Other multi-row pages. The Details page now automatically launches itemization when itemization is required for expenses. For expenses that do not require itemization, this page lets users itemize expense lines using the Itemize button. Receipt required is enforced at the parent level. The Credit Card and Cash and Other multi-row pages no longer display the itemized personal expenses table. Itemized personal lines are viewable in the Details page. A summary total is viewable on the Review and Confirmation pages. When itemization exists, this page displays only a read-only parent expense line for itemized expenses. Parent lines are created using the first itemized child line as a model.

There is also impact on the audit expense report flow after the upgrade to Release 12. Payables personnel are presented with a new visual representation of receipts and corresponding itemizations for better clarity. A Details button allows drill-down to the Details page, and further itemization if required. Payables personnel can now itemize expenses or modify itemizations through this Details page, which is enabled using function security.

Integration with Oracle Payments

In Release 12, Oracle Internet Expenses integrates with the centralized, credit-card, data model provided by Oracle Payments. Please refer to the Oracle Payments chapter of this document for details.

Global Per Diem and Mileage

In Release 12 the global Per Diem and Mileage feature is updated to provide additional support for complex per diem and mileage calculations and to provide adequate support for statutory regulations, especially in the Nordic countries. The user interface is updated to capture information that accurately generates reimbursement values based on business rules.

For end users, the impact of upgrading to Release 12 is in the expenses entry Details page. This page is modified with new columns to capture information regarding the new rules. Specifically:

When viewing the per diem details for a completed expense report, the Details page will display in the pre-Release 12 format.

When viewing the per diem details for a saved expense report, the user will be asked to regenerate the per diems for each of the expense report's lines so that the per diem data can be re-created with the proper amount of detail.

For system administrators, the impact of upgrading to Release 12 is in the schedules setup. The schedule type for all existing schedules has been set to Per Diem. The per diem type for all existing schedules are derived as follows:

When meals deductions and accommodations deductions exist, then the per diem type should be Meals and Accommodations.

When meals deductions and accommodations additions exist, then the per diem type should be Meals.

When only meals deductions exist, then the per diem type should be Meals.

When only accommodations deductions exist, then the per diem type should be Accommodations.

When only accommodations additions exist, then the per diem type should be Others.

For all other schedules, the per diem type should be Others.

When a meals policy schedule had an accommodation/additions rule before the upgrade, then the schedule should now include a night rate allowance.

Expense Allocations

In Release 12, the Expense Allocations feature is upgraded to accommodate the ability for users to split expenses across multiple accounting segment values, such as across multiple cost centers. Similarly, Oracle Projects users can split expenses across multiple projects or tasks. To support this feature, the data model stores expense lines at the distribution level.

Given this functionality, several business process flows are impacted. Prior to Release 12, end users entered project allocation information on the credit card and cash and other multi-row and details pages. In Release 12, they will enter this information in the Expense Allocations step. This step has been redesigned to allow end users to enter accounting allocations directly to the individual expense lines. In addition, this page supports splitting expense lines based on different allocation methods and allocation utilities. The way in which managers and payables personnel approve expense reports is also impacted. Managers can view the expense line distributions. Payables can view all distributions and update account distributions.

Expense Report Export (Invoice Creation)

Oracle Payables Release 12 Invoices Lines project, introduced into their Invoice data model the concept of an Invoice Lines table. The major impact in Oracle Internet Expenses is the Expense Report Import program.

The Payables Open Interface Import APIs are used to indirectly import the Expense Report transactions from the Open Interface tables into the Payables Invoice tables. The existing Expense Report header and lines table will be treated as a transaction table as opposed to an interface table. Only expense reports created using Internet Expenses and Payables Expense Entry forms will be stored in the Expense Report transaction table.

In Release 12, Oracle Internet Expenses leverages this new functionality. After upgrade to Release 12, there is impact to Payables personnel’s responsibilities. Payables personnel are introduced to an additional self-service flow (OA Framework page) which allows them run the Expense Report Export concurrent program from the Internet Expenses Auditor and the Internet Expenses Audit Manager responsibilities. A new user interface allows them to review the export results online and analyze them quickly. Four categories of results list the expense reports for which invoices were created, the expense reports that had prepayments applied, the expense reports placed on hold, and the expense reports that were rejected. They are not required to run the concurrent program through the Oracle Payables Concurrent Request form.

Integration with Oracle E-Business Tax

Prior to Release 12, Oracle Internet Expenses leveraged Oracle Payables’ tax solution. With the upgrade to Release 12, Oracle Internet Expenses along with Oracle Payables integrates with Oracle E-Business Tax. As a result, all Oracle Internet Expenses code and screens where tax code is referenced are changed to tax classification. The user interface impact in Release 12 is that all OIE code and screens where tax code is referenced are changed to tax classification. All tax code pop lists are converted to a tax classification LOV and the Amount Includes Tax is removed from Entry, Audit and Setup screens.

Refer to the Oracle Payables chapter for detailed analysis on impact.

Obsolete Functionality

The following functionality is obsolete in Release 12:

Audit Form

Oracle will no longer support the Oracle Payables Expense Reports form for audit activities. Oracle, however, will continue to support the Expense Report Form for expense entry activities for the features available as of 11i.OIE.J. No further feature enhancements will be made to the Expense Report Form in Payables.

Customers are required to use the HTML-based audit management module, currently available in Oracle Internet Expenses.

Itemization page

The Itemization page in the Expenses Entry flow is obsolete. Itemization for expenses can now be done in the corresponding Details pages.