Approvals or checklists systematically check that certain fields and information are correctly completed on a transaction before it advances to the next step.
Approval checklists can be created for each of these transaction types:
Main Menu > Setup > Settings & Defaults > Status (tab)
If a Transaction Type must be approved, the following defaults must be selected in the Approvals column for each applicable status:
Status
Description
Approval
The Status that starts the approval process (e.g. Pending with Editing unchecked).
Approved
The transaction is changed to this Status (e.g. Active or Complete) once the checklist is Approved.
Declined
The transaction is changed to this Status (e.g. Pending) if one or more checklist items are Declined.
Each transaction type has its own statuses, so each type can use different approval statuses.
Within one type, only one status can be the Approval status, one the Approved status and one the Declined status.
When you select one of these defaults for a status, it is cleared from the other status that had it.
The same statuses apply whoever approves the transaction.
For example:
Quotation statuses: Pending, Approval, Approved, Sent, Accepted, Template and several Lost statuses. The Quotation uses its own Approval and Approved statuses, and Pending as the Declined status, so a declined Quotation goes back to Pending.
Purchase Order statuses: Pending, Approved, On Order, Received, Invoiced and Cancelled. There is no separate approval status, so Pending is the Approval status and Approved follows it.
A transaction can need several approvals, one after the other or by amount:
Dependencies: a Manual or Limit item waits (red) until the items it depends on are approved. Use Set Dependencies to set the order, for example, the manager first and then the director.
Limits: add several Limit items, each with its own Limit from, Limit to and users. When the transaction is saved, each Limit item with a range that includes the transaction's VAT exclusive total is added, and the ones that no longer apply are removed. For example, a manager approves Purchase Orders up to 50,000, and a director approves those above it.
Users: use Set Users to choose who may approve each item.
Ensures you select a Contact on the Purchase Order.
Auto - Due Date is blank
Ensures you enter a Due Date on the Purchase Order.
Auto - Supplier is blank
Ensures you select a supplier on the Purchase Order.
Auto - Branch is blank
Ensures you select a branch on the Purchase Order.
Auto - Account is blank
Ensures you select an Account on the Purchase Order.
Auto - SQL
Custom checklist created with SQL.
Auto - SQL (Override)
Custom checklist created with SQL including an Override for specified users.
Limit
Add Limits for values (e.g. Supervisor approval is required for Purchase Orders with a value between R0–R10,000, and management approval is required for Purchase Orders with a value above R10 000).
