Adding an Approval Tree

From the Accounts Payable screen, select the Requisitions menu and then Requisition Options.

Note: Only supervisors have access to the Requisition Options option.

Click the Approval Tree tab.
Click the New Record button.
Enter a unique ID for the approval tree in the Approval Tree ID field. The ID can be alphanumeric and up to 10 characters long (no spaces).

Note: To have the system automatically assign the ID using the first 10 characters (letters and numbers only) of the description, leave the ID field blank; once the record is saved, the ID will be assigned.

Select the Active field to stipulate the approval tree is currently used by the district. A checkmark will appear in the box if the field is selected. When adding a new approval tree, the Active field is selected by default.

Enter a description for the approval tree in the Approval Tree Description field. The description can be up to 40 characters long.
Enter the ID of the user who manages all the requisitions for the approval tree in the Approval Tree Owner ID field. If the ID is not known, click the down-arrow button to select the correct one, or press the Ctrl+F keys to access the search feature.

Note: The user who is defined as the owner for the approval tree is able to approve all requisitions assigned to the approval tree in place of the designated users in the approval process, if needed. Also, if a requisition does not match any of the sequences (rules) on an approval tree and so is not assigned to a particular user for approval, the owner is able to approve the requisition as needed.

Tip: If the user entered in this field is not currently set up in the User Security option with rights to approve requisitions in Accounts Payable or Web Link (if applicable), a message will appear after advancing from the field asking to add the rights at this time; click Yes to edit the rights for the user now, or click No to wait and edit the rights for the user later.

If desired, enter the ID of the user to receive an email notification upon final approval of each requisition tied to the approval tree in the User ID for Fully Approved Email Notification field. If the ID is not known, click the down-arrow button to select the correct one.

Note: In order to send notification emails to the user in this field, complete the following: 1) complete the General Options tab in the Email Manager option (if not already completed) by selecting the Enable Email Manager field and completing the remaining fields; 2) if needed, on the Email Addresses tab in the Email Manager option, add an email address to use when emailing requisition notifications; 3) complete the Requisition Options section on the Accounts Payable tab in the Email Manager option; and 4) verify the employee tied to the user specified in this field has an email address entered in the Employee File with the Other Communication field selected. The notification emails use the verbiage as entered in the Fully Approved Message field on the Accounts Payable screen (tab) in the Email Manager option.

If desired, enter the ID of the user to receive emailed copies of the purchase orders created (converted) from the approved requisitions tied to this approval tree in the User ID for Email Purchase Order field. If the ID is not known, click the down-arrow button to select the correct one.

Note: The emailed copies of the purchase orders are sent to the user in this field if stipulated when completing the Email Purchase Orders option. Verify the employee tied to the user specified in this field has an email address entered in the Employee File with the Other Communication field selected.

If desired, enter the ID of the vendor to use as the default if a vendor is not entered on a requisition tied to this approval tree in the Default Requisition Vendor ID field. If the ID is not known, click the down-arrow button to select the correct one, or press the Ctrl+F keys to access the search feature. Leave this field blank to require a specific vendor ID to be entered for each requisition tied to this approval tree.

Tip: If needed, a generic vendor can be created (for example, with an ID of REQVENDOR called Unknown Vendor for Requisitions Only) and the ID entered in this field; then if a user enters a requisition and the exact vendor is unknown at that time, the generic vendor ID will be assigned to the requisition and can be changed to the correct vendor by the Business Office at a later time (for example, when the requisition is selected to be converted to a purchase order or when the order is actually placed).

In the Default Requisition Form Report field, enter the name of the report to print when clicking the To Screen & Save button from within the Requisition Entry option in Accounts Payable (or the Print Requisition button from within the Requisition Entry option in Web Link) for requisitions tied to this approval tree, or click the down-arrow button to select the correct one.

Note: Only the reports that have a report parameter (and parameter type) for Requisition Number are able to be entered into this field.

Enter the dollar amount to use as the basis for when bids are to be entered for a detail line item on a requisition tied to this approval tree in the Minimum Bid Amount field, if desired. The amount can be up to 14 digits long (including the decimal point and comma(s) if applicable) and will typically be rounded to 2 decimal places by the system if capable. By completing the Minimum Bid Amount field, the system will automatically display an additional screen on which to enter the bid information when entering a requisition in Accounts Payable (or display a message in Web Link, if applicable) if a detail line item was entered with an amount equal to or greater than the specified amount. Leave this field blank if bids are not used or not always needed for items over a certain dollar amount.

Tip: If desired, users will still be able to enter the bid information on requisitions even if this field is not completed, or if the detail line item is less than the amount entered in this field.

Note: The Minimum Bid Amount field is disabled if the Hide field (column) is selected for the Number of Bids field in the Requisition Entry/Approval Defaults List on the General screen, or in the Requisition Entry/Approval Overrides List for this approval tree.

To change the data entry preferences and approver changes for this approval tree to be different from the defaults set in the Requisition Entry/Approval Defaults List on the General screen, select the Override Requisition Entry/Approval Defaults field. A checkmark will appear in the box if the field is selected.
If the Override Requisition Entry/Approval Defaults field is selected, complete the Requisition Entry/Approval Overrides List to set the desired data entry preferences and approver changes when entering and approving requisitions for this approval tree in Accounts Payable or Web Link (if applicable).

Note: Initially, the default data entry preferences and approver changes (from the Requisition Entry/Approval Defaults List on the General screen) will appear but can be changed. The settings for the Data Entry Preferences fields are only applicable when entering requisitions (using the Requisition Entry option); the settings for the Approver Changes fields are applicable when approving requisitions (using the Requisition Approvals option).

Data Entry Preferences:

To define a field so it will automatically repeat the information from the previous entry without requiring an additional keystroke by the user, select the Repeat field (column) for the desired field, if applicable. A checkmark will appear in the box if the option is selected.
To define a field so it will not display on the entry screen, select the Hide field (column) for the desired field, if applicable. A checkmark will appear in the box if the option is selected.

Note: If a field is marked as Required by the system (the Required field is selected and disabled (gray)), the Hide field cannot be selected as the field must appear on the screen. Also, if applicable, only the Repeat field or the Hide field can be selected by the user for a particular field; both options cannot be selected for the same field.

To define a field as one a user entering a requisition must complete, select the Required field (column) for the desired field, if applicable. A checkmark will appear in the box if the field is selected.

Note: If applicable, only the Hide field or the Required field can be selected by the user for a particular field; both options cannot be selected for the same field.

Approver Changes:

To define a field so it can be changed within the Requisition Approvals option, select the Allow Approver Edits field (column) for the desired field, if applicable. A checkmark will appear in the box if the option is selected.

Note: If the Allow Approver Edits field is selected for either the Requisition Detail Quantity field or the Unit Price field, the Allow Approver Edits field will automatically be selected for the Requisition Detail Amount field and cannot be changed.

Tip: The option for Approvers Add New Detail Lines is listed with the fields available on the screen when entering requisitions, and if the Allow Approver Edits field is selected for Approvers Add New Detail Lines, the approvers will be able to add new detail lines while approving requisitions (and also edit any fields on the detail lines they added or delete the detail lines they added).

If the Allow Approver Edits field is selected for a field, the Requires Restart of Approval field (column) is enabled. If applicable, to define a field so that it sends a requisition back through the entire approval process if the particular field is changed (within the Requisition Approvals option), select the Requires Restart of Approval field (column) for the desired field. A checkmark will appear in the box if the option is selected.

Tip: If the Requires Restart of Approval field is selected for Approvers Add New Detail Lines, a requisition will be sent back through the entire approval process if an approver adds a new detail line (or deletes a detail line the approver had previously added).

In the Approvers List, define the sequences (rules) for the approval tree. To add a sequence (rule) to the approval tree, complete the following:
In the blank line (indicated with an asterisk) at the bottom of the Approvers List, enter the sequence number for what order to obtain the approval (the order the sequence is processed) in the Approval Sequence field. The sequence number can be up to 2 digits long (1-99). For example, enter 1 as the sequence number for the first approval needed, and 2 for the second, etc. Multiple approvals (sequences) can have the same sequence number if the approvals can be completed at the same time (notification emails would be sent at the same time as well, if applicable).
Enter the ID of the user to approve the requisitions for the particular sequence on the approval tree in the User ID field. If the ID is not known, click the down-arrow button to select the correct one, or press the Ctrl+F keys to access the search feature.

If desired, to allow a different user to approve requisitions if the user shown in the User ID field for the sequence is absent, enter the ID of the other user in the Alternate User ID field. If the ID is not known, click the down-arrow button to select the correct one, or press the Ctrl+F keys to access the search feature.

Note: If a user is entered in the Alternate User ID field, the user will not receive notification emails (if applicable) or on-screen alerts.

If applicable, in the Approval Minimum Amount field, enter the dollar amount to use as the minimum for when to include the particular user (sequence) in the approval process for the requisitions for this approval tree. The amount can be up to 14 digits long (including the decimal point) and will be rounded to 2 decimal places by the system. By completing this field, the user (sequence) will only be included in the approval process if the total amount of the requisition (as entered in the total Requisition Amount field) is equal to or greater than the amount entered in this field. Leave this field blank if there is not a minimum amount needed in order to include the user (sequence) in the approval process.
If applicable, in the Approval Maximum Amount field, enter the dollar amount to use as the maximum for when to include the particular user (sequence) in the approval process for the requisitions for this approval tree. The amount can be up to 14 digits long (including the decimal point) and will be rounded to 2 decimal places by the system. By completing this field, the user (sequence) will only be included in the approval process if the total amount of the requisition (as entered in the total Requisition Amount field) is less than or equal to the amount entered in this field. Leave this field blank if there is not a maximum amount needed in order to include the user (sequence) in the approval process.
If applicable, to only include the particular user (sequence) in the approval process if the requisition includes a detail line item with a specific account number or a certain piece of an account number, such as a particular function code or object code, click the plus sign (+) in the box to the left of the Approval Sequence to expand the record; then in the blank line (indicated with an asterisk), enter the desired account number and/or mask in the Chart of Account Mask field. If applicable, enter as many account numbers and/or masks as needed. When entering the account number or mask, be sure to follow the expenditure account structure defined for your organization, key spaces between the account dimensions, and use Xs as placeholders.
If applicable, repeat these steps until all the sequences have been added for the specified approval tree.

Note: To remove a sequence, click the Delete button located to the left of the desired record; when prompted to delete the line, click Yes.

Click the Save button.