This article is part of Workflows training. Click here for more information on Workflows.



AP Invoices and Journal Entries that meet certain criteria must be Approved in an Approval Hierarchy when Workflows have been enabled.  This article will explain how to recognize when a transaction falls within the requirements of a Workflow, and how to Approve (or Deny) an approval request.


This article review the following topics:


Example Workflow Rule-Set



This article will walk through various scenarios that pertain to the following Workflow Rule-set.


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Recognizing Transactions that are Subject to a Workflow


Workflows are highly customizable and as such may differ from organization to organization. Workflows can be setup for AP Invoices and Journal Entries, with specific Workflow Rules pertaining to the following record groupings:



Workflows Will Supersede Existing Approval Security Privileges


If  Users have the 'Approve AP Invoice' or 'Approve Journal Entries' Permissions, they will not be able to approve a transaction that is subject to a Workflow rule.


When Workflows have been enabled, the 'Approve' Menu will disappear on a blank AP Invoice / Journal Entry. Only after the transaction has been saved, the 'Approve' Menu will appear (if it should). Below displays the top ribbon of an AP Invoice given its setup:

  • Unsaved - No 'Approve' Menu present


  • Saved with No Applicable Workflow (Dollar value is less than lowest Workflow threshold) - 'Approve' menu present for User with Approve privileges


  • Saved with an Applicable Workflow - 'Approve' menu will only be present for authorized Approver (Thomas O'Malley)



Workflows Assigned to Workflow Groups


If a Workflow Group is assigned to a Workflow level, any User within that group will have the ability to approve/deny the transaction. Click here to learn more about Workflow Groups.


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Imported Transactions and Workflows


Through various methods, AP Invoices and Journal Entries can be imported into R365.  In instances where the Transaction is imported 'As Approved', but is subject to a Workflow, the Approval Status will be set to Unapproved and the appropriate Workflow rules will be followed.


Transactions imported as Unapproved will likewise follow any established Workflows as expected.


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Workflow Transaction Approval Methods


There are two places a Workflow can be Approved:

  1. On the 'My Workflows' page
  2. On the Transaction record itself (AP Invoice or Journal Entry)



My Workflows


The My Workflows Page contains all current, and future, Approvals in your Workflows.  This page is described in detail in the My Workflows article.  This section will briefly describe how you can Approve, or Deny, transactions using My Workflows


To open My Workflows, hover over your Username and select 'My Workflows', as shown below:



The 'My List' tab will load where you will be able to view all of your current Workflows.  Conversely, the 'Upcoming' tab will contain all of the Workflows that are awaiting Approval before they arrive in 'My List' for your approval.  


  • Approve Options
    • Transactions can be Approved one by one by:
      • Hovering over the green checkbox (a tooltip showing 'Approve' will appear) in the Workflow Queue and clicking the check mark



      • Clicking 'Approve' above the Document Previewer

         
    • You can also Approve several transactions at once by using the multi-select checkboxes and then clicking the Green 'Approve' button:


    • AP Invoices assigned to the User can be Approved / Unapproved via the R365 Mobile App


  • Deny Options
    • Transactions can be denied by:
      • Clicking the gray 'X' button in the Workflow Queue



      • Clicking 'Deny' in the Document Previewer

         
    • Note: The 'Deny Invoice' prompt will load where it is required to enter a reason for the denial:





Transaction Record


Approving Workflow Subjected Transactions is performed exactly the same way a Non-Workflow Transaction is Approved.  The Pending Approval User opens the Transaction and hovers over the 'Approve' Menu and selects an approve option.


  • Approve Options- Approve the Transaction
    • Note: If there are subsequent Approvers in the Workflow, that transaction will become locked to edits and remain 'Unapproved - Pending Approval' until the final Approval is secured. If an edit needs to be made, then the transaction must be denied and the edits performed prior to starting the new Approval Workflow

  • Deny - Stop the Approval chain, provide a Denial Reason, and return the Approval to the initial Approver / transaction creator. Denying an Approval will also change the Workflow status on the transaction to 'Work Needed'.


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Approval Alerts on Transactions




Transactions that are subject to a Workflow rule will allow all Users (not just Approvers) to use the 'Alert Me' action to receive an email when the Transaction has received it final Approval.  If the Transaction has multiple levels of Approvals in a Workflow, you will only receive the email alert when the final approval has been secured.


To enable Email Alerts, simply hover over the 'Action' menu on the Transaction and select 'Alert Me When Approved'


A success message will appear to confirm you will receive Final Approval Alerts



If you wish to disable email alerts, simply perform the inverse and select 'Don't Alert Me When Approved'


Again, a success message will appear to confirm your selection



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View Current Approvers



Keep better tabs on Users who are next in line to approve AP Transactions by adding the 'Current Approver' column to the AP Transactions grid. This will list either individual approvers or the name of the Workflow Group, if assigned.


When a transaction is approved, however, the 'Approved By' column will display the name of the User who approved the transaction, regardless of whether they were a part of a Workflow Group.


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Workflows Audit Tab


Each Transaction that is subject to a Workflow will have a 'Workflow Audit' tab added to the transaction record. This tab is labeled 'Workflow' and appears after the 'Distribution' tab on the record. Each relevant event in the life of the workflow will be logged on this tab.  



In addition to the Audit Log, a Workflow Status is listed, as well as Log Entry options.  The Status will be set automatically as the transaction is approved or denies, but can be set manually by the current Pending Approval User. 



For additional follow-up, Users can add Tasks, Notes and send Email/Text Alerts from this tab using the Log Buttons.  Each Log Entry that is created will be listed based on the Entry Date and will also be visible in the Manager Log Module.



Workflow Tab View



Manager Log View



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