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 

 

APP entity =   1

 MCL9

 EA3

 RAT  entity =   1

 MCL9

 ER4

 

APP entity =   10

 MCL2

 EA2

 RAT  entity =   20

 MCL4

 ER2

 

APP entity =   103

 MCL1

 EA1

 RAT  entity =   203

MCL3 

 ER1

 

 Entity 20301 

 

 

 Entity 20301 

 

 

 

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.

Prerequisites

SEEREFERTTO Refer to documentation Implementation

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

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).

Selection

User (field USR)

Approval signer code.
Company/Site (field CFY)

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.
Description (field INTCFY)

Title associated with the site or company code.

Approval

Approve all (field COCHAPP)

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".
Reject all (field COCHREF)

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".

Refusal

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.

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.

*

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 set to 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.

Tables used

SEEREFERTTO Refer to documentation Implementation