Set up approval flows
- 9 min.
So far, you've learned how to control document approval workflows by configuring the approval user setup on the Continia User Setup page. However, there's an alternative way to configure approvals: By creating an approval flow that has a selection method, a fixed number of users, and alternative approval limits per user. This way of setting up the approval process should be seen as a complementary method that's used when you need to bypass the regular approval hierarchy – for example, if you want an invoice to be approved by certain approvers that aren't connected in the regular approval hierarchy, or if you want a document to go straight to a qualified approver instead of flowing through the hierarchy and demanding multiple approvers.
To set up approval flows, follow these steps:
Choose the search icon, enter Approval Flows, and then choose the related link.
In the action bar, select New.
Fill in Code, Description, and Selection Method.
Selection Method defines how Document Capture selects the approvers that are part of the relevant approval flow. For more details on the various selection methods, see the following list:
| Selection method | Description |
|---|---|
| All | With this option, an approval entry is created for each approver in the flow. All approvers must approve the document. |
| First qualified | If you select this option, Document Capture will select the first individual approver with an amount limit value that equals or exceeds the total value of the purchase document submitted for approval. |
| All to first qualified | This option will select all approvers in the flow, starting with the approver with the lowest amount limit value and ending with the first qualified approver (for a definition of this, see "First qualified" above). |
| Initial and first qualified | With this option, Document Capture will select the approver with the lowest amount limit value as well as the first qualified approver (for a definition of this, see "First qualified" above). |
Next, you must add approval users to the approval flow. To do this, select the approval flow, and then select Approvers.
Here you can add the different approvers that are part of this approval flow. The list will automatically sort itself by Approval Amount Limit, putting the approver with the lowest amount at the top and the highest amount at the bottom.
Note
You can't define an Approval Amount Limit if the Selection Method is set to All, as this method requires that all approvers must approve documents regardless of any document amounts.
Once you've set up the approval flow, the next step is to add a template field to the template for which you want to use this approval flow. To do this, follow these steps:
Navigate to the document journal.
Select the document line that uses the template you want to add the field to, and then select Template > Add Template Field.
Select Approval Flow, and then select OK.
A new field is now added to the template in the list of header fields, allowing you to make a lookup and select an approval flow for the document. If the Approval Flow field is left blank, the default approval hierarchy will be applied. For more information on this, see Set up approval users.
For the rest of this module, we'll go through the user side of the solution.