Set up approval workflows based on templates

Path: Business functionality > Set up Business Central > Set up approval workflows based on templates · tier official · system purchasing · narrative reviewed (checked by Opus)

Overview

This section explains how to set up approval workflows that connect business-process tasks performed by different users. A workflow is made of steps with events, conditions, and responses. You can build one from scratch or start from a workflow template with pre-configured steps, then customize it or reset the template.

Supporting setup pages cover the people and messages involved. Workflow users are defined on the Workflow User Groups page with sequence numbers that set approval order. Approval users are defined on the Approval User Setup page with amount limits, substitute approvers, and an approval administrator. Notification pages describe approver and sender notifications, schedules, email customization, and delivery by email or internal notes.

Start with “Set up approval workflows” for the overall picture. Then read “How to create workflows from workflow templates” and the purchase approval walkthrough for a worked example. Use the export and import page to move workflows between databases.

Key points

• Workflow steps combine events, conditions, and responses, for example approval requests, notifications, and journal line creation.
• Workflow templates give pre-configured steps for common processes and can be customized or reset.
• Workflows can be exported to a file and imported into another Business Central database.
• Workflow User Groups use sequence numbers to set approval order; users at the same level can approve in parallel or in series depending on hierarchy.
• Approval User Setup defines amount approval limits, substitute approvers, an approval administrator, and email notifications.
• Notifications can go to approvers or senders, by email or internal notes, on recurring schedules, with customizable email content.
• A purchase order approval walkthrough shows setup of approvers, amount limits, and internal note notifications, then testing.

Learn pages

• Create approval workflows to connect tasks: Learn how to create workflows that connect tasks performed by different people in business processes.
• How to create workflows from workflow templates: Create new approval workflows quickly by using workflow templates as a starting point.
• How to export and import approval workflows: Export and import workflows to easily transfer them between Business Central databases and streamline the creation of new workflows.
• How to set up workflow users: Set up users who participate in workflows before creating workflow processes.
• Set up and use a purchase approval workflow: This walkthrough takes you through all the stages involved in setting up and using a purchase approval workflow in Business Central.
• Set up approval users: Set up users for approval workflows by assigning approvers, setting amount limits, and defining substitutes.
• Set up approval workflows: Set up workflows, workflow users, and approval users to connect business-process system tasks performed by these different users.
• Setting up approval workflow notifications: Learn how to set up workflow notifications to alert a user to an event that they must react to.
• Specify when and how to receive workflow notifications: Set up how and when approval users receive workflow notifications, including choosing email or note delivery and scheduling frequency.

Business Central pages and reports

The pages, reports and queries this hub’s Learn pages name (ms.search.form, API reference), joined to the code by exact object id (data/index/docs-objects.json); a page shows the table it runs on.

• Page 663 “Approval User Setup” · on Table 91 “User Setup”
• Page 1500 “Workflows” · on Table 1500 “Workflow Buffer”
• Page 1512 “Notification Setup” · captioned “Workflow Notification Setup” · on Table 1512 “Notification Setup”
• Page 1513 “Notification Schedule” · on Table 1513 “Notification Schedule”
• Page 1533 “Workflow User Groups” · on Table 1540 “Workflow User Group”

Source: Microsoft Learn (CC BY 4.0). Descriptions are Learn’s own.