EEX 9.2: Issues With Description, Merchant, and Non-Preferred Merchant Fields at Fluid Travel Authorization Lines When Copying From Existing Transaction (Doc ID 2877864.1)

Last updated on DECEMBER 01, 2023

Applies to:

Symptoms

When a new Travel Authorization is created in Fluid User Interface, and the system default line from the mapping configuration has an Expense Type requiring Description field to be filled in, it makes all subsequent Transaction Lines to display the Description Field as well, even for those Entry Types where such Field is not required.

Additionally, if new Transaction Lines are created by using the 'Populate From Travel Authorization' feature, the Fields of Merchant and Non-Preferred Merchant do not get displayed online, even if the Expense Type requires them, or if the original Travel Authorization Lines being copied have both Fields populated. As such, upon submitting the Travel Authorization, the system flags such Lines in error due to missing Merchant information.

REPLICATION STEPS:

    1.- Configure a couple of Expense Types as Hotel and Airfare, with Description field not selected, and Merchant field as required, but leaving blank any potential list of pre-defined Preferred Merchant values
    2.- At the Fluid Travel Authorization mapping of Expense Types, define an Expense Type that requires Description field
    3.- Create a new Fluid Travel Authorization, and confirm that the Line generated automatically gets defaulted the Expense Type from the mapping, displaying the Description field
    4.- Fill in all the Travel Authorization Header fields as per needed
    5.- Proceed to add several lines to the Travel Authorization, using the Expense Types Hotel and Airfare, only to confirm that the Description field is being displayed on all the lines, while it should not
    6.- For the Hotel and Airfare Transaction Lines, in the Merchant drop-down list, select the value of 'Non-Preferred Merchant', and in the newly displayed Non-Preferred Merchant field, enter a value
    7.- Save the Travel Authorization at this point
    8.- Note that at this stage, the Travel Authorization Lines whose Expense Type does not require Description field, get that field hidden, confusing the User, as a value may have been entered at this stage, which is no longer accessible
    9.- Create a second new Travel Authorization, and fill in all the Header details
    10.- Then, click on the 'Populate From Travel Authorization' button
    11.- In the Search pop-up view, select the previously created Travel Authorization
    12.- Once all Travel Authorization Lines have been defaulted, confirm the below unexpected behavior:
           a.- The Description field is displaying for Lines whose Expense Type is not having it as required, further confusing Users
           b.- The Merchant column, which is required for Expense Types Hotel and Airfare, is NOT being displayed, and neither is the Non-Preferred Merchant field (because the Merchant field has selected the option of 'Non-Preferred Merchant')
    13.- Click on the SUBMIT button
    14.- The system flags the Hotel and Airfare Travel Authorization Lines in Error due to missing Merchant information
    15.- Going at the Details level for that Line, neither the Merchant nor the Non-Preferred Merchant fields are being displayed for potential correction

To gather more information concerning this scenario and its related problem, refer to the available Replication Steps PDF Document here linked containing the complete configuration and the replication steps necessary to reproduce the issue.

ERROR MESSAGE:

    " Please enter or update the following information:
      Missing Merchant. "

Users are not able to directly submit for approval the newly created Travel Authorization, and the flagging Error Message does still not provide the necessary fields, (Merchant, and Non-Preferred Merchant), for display and further update. Only when clicking on Save button do all errors get corrected, which is not logical from the User's point of view.

Upon creating a Travel Authorization using Fluid User Interface, the system should determine for which Lines the Fields of Description, Merchant, and Non-Preferred Merchant need to be displayed, and when not, to avoid User confusion, and not delay data entry tasks.

Changes

Cause

My Oracle Support provides customers with access to over a million knowledge articles and a vibrant support community of peers and Oracle experts.