Approval workflows allow organizations to establish posting restrictions and require review steps before documents, journal entries, or transactions can be posted. Rather than relying solely on posting permissions, approval workflows ensure that all designated records are reviewed and approved according to company policy. Approval workflows can be used across several areas of Business Central, including:

• Purchase invoices
• General journal batches
• Other posting-related transactions

When workflows are enabled, every user, including administrators and super users, must follow the approval process before posting.

Setting up approval users

All users participating in approval workflows must be configured in the Approval User Setup page. Important fields include:

• User ID
• Approver ID
• Purchase, sales, or request approval limits
• Unlimited approval permissions
• Substitute approver
• Email address

When configuring approvals:

1. Set up the highest-level approvers first.
2. Configure approvers lower in the approval hierarchy.
3. Add users who will only submit requests last.

Every approval structure should include at least one approver with unlimited approval authority to prevent records from becoming stuck when approval limits are exceeded. Organizations should also assign substitute approvers to prevent delays when primary approvers are unavailable.

Assigning an approval administrator

One user should be designated as the approval administrator. The approval administrator can:

• Monitor pending approvals
• Manage workflow activity
• Ensure requests continue moving through the approval process
• Help resolve workflow issues

Only one user can hold this role at a time.

Configuring approval email notifications

Approval notifications are sent through a shared email account. A dedicated account should be configured for workflow communications, and all approval users must have appropriate Send As permissions assigned through Microsoft Exchange. This shared mailbox sends:

• Approval requests
• Approval notifications
• Delegation notifications
• Workflow status updates

Understanding approval workflow types

Business Central supports four approval workflow methods.

Direct approver

This is one of the most common workflow types. With direct approver:

• Requests are sent to a predefined approver.
• The approver reviews the request.
• The approver approves or rejects the record.
• Approved documents are released for posting.

This approach is commonly used for general journal batch approvals.

Approval chain

Approval chain is commonly used for purchase invoice approvals. In this workflow:

• Each approver can approve up to a defined limit.
• Requests move up the approval hierarchy as needed.
• Higher-value transactions require approval from users with greater approval authority.

This creates a tiered approval structure based on transaction amounts.

First qualified approver

This workflow skips intermediate approvers and sends requests directly to the first person with sufficient approval authority. For example:

• A request exceeds an initial approver's limit.
• The system routes it directly to an approver who can authorize the amount.

Specific approver

This workflow routes all requests to a designated individual regardless of the amount or approval hierarchy. This option is less commonly used because it does not align with many standard business approval practices.

Maintaining workflow automation with job queues

Approval notifications rely on job queue entries. Job queues perform automated actions in the background, including sending workflow-related notifications. Two key job queue entries support approval workflows:

• Notification Entry Dispatcher
• Delegate Approval Requests

Job queue entries should remain in a Ready status with a future Earliest Start Date/Time. If errors occur, administrators can review the associated error messages and resolve any issues.

Purchase invoice approval example

The session demonstrates a purchase invoice approval process using approval limits. When a user creates a purchase invoice and attempts to post it before approval:

• Business Central blocks the posting.
• The user must submit the invoice for approval.
• The workflow determines whether additional approvals are required.

Invoices within approval limits

If the invoice amount falls within the user's approval authority:

1. The user submits the approval request.
2. The workflow automatically completes the approval.
3. The document status changes to Released.
4. The invoice can be posted.

This allows lower-value transactions to be processed efficiently while still following the approval workflow.

Invoices exceeding approval limits

When an invoice exceeds the user's approval limit:

1. The user submits an approval request.
2. The document status changes to Pending Approval.
3. An approval notification is sent to the designated approver.
4. The approver reviews the request.

Pending approvals can be monitored through:

• The Purchase Invoices list
• Approval Request Entries

These pages provide visibility into the status of submitted requests.

Reviewing approval requests

Approvers can access pending requests through the Requests to Approve page. Available actions include:

• Open Record
• Approve
• Reject
• Delegate
• Add Comments

Approvers can review transaction details before making a decision.

Approving a document

When an approver selects Approve:

• The request moves to the next approver if additional approvals are required.
• If no further approvals are needed, the document status changes to Released.
• The document becomes available for posting.

Rejecting a document

If an approver rejects a request:

• The document returns to an Open status.
• The requester must make corrections or recreate the document.
• The approval process must begin again.

Delegating a request

Approvers can also delegate requests to a substitute approver. Delegation helps prevent workflow delays when:

• Approvers are unavailable
• Approvers are on vacation
• Additional review is desired

Key takeaways

• Approval workflows provide additional control over posting activities.
• Approval limits allow organizations to establish structured review processes.
• Email notifications keep approvers informed of pending requests.
• Job queue entries automate workflow communications.
• Purchase invoices can be automatically approved when they fall within established limits.
• Higher-value transactions can be routed through approval chains for additional oversight.
• Approval workflows help reduce errors and ensure transactions receive proper review before posting.