Approval / Rejection
Use this function to accept or reject approval requests you have received.
These requests can be sent to you (the signer) through a WORKFLOW message or directly through the list of approvals that remain to be processed.
When you receive the message you can either sign directly from your mailbox or go to the list of budgetary objects you have to approve. If the approval process has multiple signers, the next signatures are sent according to the same process as for the first signature.
The envelope, the budget or the budget line can only move to 'Approved' status after the last signature has been granted. If one signer rejects the envelope, the budget or the budget line, the status reverts to 'Entered'.
Signature circuits
Preliminary setup
The approval of envelopes, budgets and budget lines, and the approval of the budget reviews can be associated with a signing circuit that can be set up. The implementation of these signing circuits is linked to the setup of the following elements:
- BUOAPP data model for the group of tables linked to table BUDAPP (BOA) for budget approvals and BUOREV for the group of tables linked to table BUDREV (BRV) for the reviews.
- BUOAPP, BUOAAPPREF and BUOAAPPVAL workflow rules for the budget approvals and REVAPP, BUOREVREF, BUOREVVAL workflow rules for reviews.
- Allocation rules of the BUOAPP users for the budget approvals and BUOREV users for the reviews.
- User assignment. This function is used to enter formulas in the "user" fields when the "Formula/user" field is selected. This formula will be valued when executing the Workflow. If the value of the field is smaller than or equal to 5, the user code is considered to be entered and this field will not be valued.
Formulas used to search for signers
The search for signers can be performed by entering the signer code or using a formula that will enable the signer to be found via entities.
Each entity contains:
- A user code,
- The responsible entity,
- The approval entity,
- A linking entity.
The envelope, its related budgets and lines contain a responsible entity, an approval entity (EA1) and a linking entity (ER1). The approval entity EA1 contains itself an approval entity EA2, and so on and so forth down to the last entity in the pyramid. It is the same principle for the linking entity ER1 linked to ER2, itself linked to ER3, down to the last entity in the pyramid. Each entity contains a responsible code which can be searched using a formula replacing the user code entered in the setup (see grid below).
Approval pyramid | RES | Level | Linking pyramid | RES | Level |
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APP entity = 1 | MCL9 | EA3 | RAT entity = 1 | MCL9 | ER4 |
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APP entity = 10 | MCL2 | EA2 | RAT entity = 20 | MCL4 | ER2 |
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APP entity = 103 | MCL1 | EA1 | RAT entity = 203 | MCL3 | ER1 |
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Entity 20301 |
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| Entity 20301 |
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The "User assignment" can be set up as follows:
- Approval entity = 103
- Signer 1 = [F:ER1]USR (USR of entity 203, i.e. MCL3)
- Signer 2 = [F:EA1]USR (USR of entity 103, i.e. MCL1)
- Signer 3 = [F:EA2]USR (USR of entity 10, i.e. MCL2)
- Signer 4 = [F:ER2]USR (USR of entity 20, i.e. MCL4)
- Signer 5 = [F:EA3]USR (USR of entity 1, i.e. MCL9)
- Signer 6 = [F:ER3]USR (USR of entity 1, i.e. MCL9)
In the event of modification of the person responsible for an entity, the use of formulas makes it possible to maintain the signing circuits as they are implemented, without having to modify anything, since this modification is automatically taken into account when the entity is modified.
Screen management
This screen is comprised of two parts: the first part is used to enter the code of the company or site defining the approval requests, the second part is used to view a grid displaying all the objects containing an approval request.
The maximum number of lines authorized by selection is 500.
Each approval request can be initialized individually by carrying out a selection in the Processing column, or globally using the Approve all or Refuse all check boxes.
Entry screen
Presentation
The grid displays the requests to be approved by the signer.
For a 'multiple' approval request use the Action icon on each line to display the objects submitted for approval (envelopes, budgets and budget lines).
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Fields
The following fields are present on this tab :
Selection
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Approval signer code. |
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Site or Company code, to be entered or selected from the list. This code is used to select all envelopes, budgets and budget lines that have the status "Entered" in this company, so as to submit them for approval. If the information entered corresponds to a company, the selection displays all the objects defined for the company, including those defined for the sites of this company. If the information entered corresponds to a site, the selection only displays the budget objects defined for this site. |
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Title associated with the site or company code. |
Approval
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The button "Approve all" is used to select, in a single operation, all the budget objects originating from the selection for refusal. Using it replaces, in the column "Processing", the status "None" with the status "Approve". This action can be cancelled by using the same button that recovers the selection in status "None". |
Refusal
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The button "Refuse all" is used to select, in a single operation, all the budget objects originating from the selection for refusal. Using it replaces, in the column "Processing", the status "None" with the status "Refuse". This action can be cancelled by using the same button that recovers the selection in status "None". |
Grid Details
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This columns proposes three options: None (Default status of the selected budget objects, Approve and Refuse. Each budget request can be approved or refused by selecting the appropriate processing in an individual way. For a global processing of all the approval requests, use the button "Approve all" or "Refuse all". |
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This field contains the reason specified by the signer who denied the approval. |
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If the approval concerns objects of different levels, envelope, budget and/or line, the approval is of type "Multiple". In this case it is possible to inquire the approval detail:
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Code of the budget envelope submitted for approval. |
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Description associated with the budget envelope code. |
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Accounting fiscal year code associated with budgets by fiscal year. |
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Budget account, coming from the budget line, cannot be modified. |
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This code is used to identify the management currency for envelopes, budgets and budget lines. It is managed in the currency table. |
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Budgeted envelope amount, budget amount, budget line amount, expressed ex tax. |
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Approved budgeted envelope amount, budget amount and budget line amount, expressed ex tax. For an approval by object, this amount, loaded by default by the current budgeted amount, can be increased or decreased in the limit of the following implemented controls:
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Code of the project, of the envelope assignment taken automatically from the envelope when it is attached to a project. |
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Approval number is generated by the system according to this format: (APP-)(MONTH)(YEAR)(Order number). |
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Action icon
Envelope
This button makes it possible to access the envelope and its budgets in order to inquire or modify them.
Line
This button makes it possible to gain access to the budget line in order to inquire or modify it.
Detail
For a 'multiple' approval concerning objects of different levels (envelopes, budgets and budget lines), this button makes it possible to expand the approval in order to inquire into each object.
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Limitations
You can duplicate the workflow rules BUOAPP and BUOAPPVAL as YBUOAPP and YBUOAPPVAL respectively in order, for example, to add filters. You should, however, note the following:
- The first rule will send a workflow to the first signatory who will be able to sign the budgetary envelope using this function (Approval / Rejection (BUDAPP)).
- The second workflow will not be displayed in this function. The second signatory, therefore, cannot sign the budgetary envelope using this function.
This is a limitation of the system.
Error messages
In addition to the generic error messages, the following messages can appear during the entry :
You have not checked anything. Do you want to exit without performing any action?
After presentation of the objects coming from the selection, this message is displayed when clicking [OK] without having carried out an approval request. Answering 'Yes' to this message returns you to the menu; answering 'No' leaves you in the selection screen, allowing you to carry out an approval request.
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This message is displayed when you try to carry out an approval via your messaging service without being logged in with the signer code expected for the approval.
Only companies/sites with their main analytical ledger flagged 'Operating Budgets' are authorized
This message is displayed if you try to conduct an approval through your mailbox and the object has already been approved through the dedicated menu or through the approval table with the linked file received by mail.
The available amount of the envelope cannot be prior to the amount broken down among the budget(s)
This message is displayed, when approving an object, if the approved amount for an envelope is too low, so that the available amount of the envelope does not cover the total amount of its budgets.
The sum of the amounts of budgets by fiscal year must not exceed the available envelope amount.
This message is displayed, when approving an object, if the approved amount for a budget is too high, so that total amount of budgets is higher than the available balance of the envelope.
The available amount of the budget cannot be less than the amount broken down among the lines
This message is displayed, when approving an object, if the approved amount for a budget is too low, so that the total amount of the budget lines is higher than the available balance of the budget.
The sum of the amounts of the budget lines must not exceed the available amount of the fiscal year budget.
This message is displayed, when approving an object, if the approved amount for a budget line is too high, so that the total amount of the budget lines is higher than the available balance of the budget.
Mandatory field
This message is displayed, in multiple approval mode, if you reject the approval without entering a reason for the rejection.