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Dynamics NAV/ BC

Workflows

Dynamics NAV / BC allows you to set up and use workflows that connect business-process tasks performed by different users. System tasks, such as automatic posting, can be included as steps in workflows, preceded or followed by user tasks. Requesting and granting approval to create new records are typical workflow steps.

In the Workflow window, you create a workflow by listing the involved steps on the lines. Each step consists of a workflow event, moderated by event conditions, and a workflow response, moderated by response options. You define workflow steps by filling fields on workflow lines from fixed lists of event and response values representing scenarios that are supported by the application code.

The generic version of Dynamics NAV / BC includes a number of preconfigured workflows represented by workflow templates that you can copy to create workflows. The code for workflow templates that are added by Microsoft are prefixed with “MS-“. For more information, see the list of workflow templates in the Workflow Templates window.

If a business scenario requires a workflow event or response that is not supported, a Microsoft partner must implement them by customizing the application code.

Set up workflow users, specify how users get notified, and create new workflows. For new workflows for unsupported scenarios, implement the required workflow elements by customizing the application code.

  •   Set up workflow users and user groups.
  •   Set up workflow users who take part in approval workflows.
  •   Specify how workflow users are notified of workflow steps, including approval requests.
  •   Specify when users receive notifications and whether to aggregate notifications in a period to minimize the number of notifications.
  •   Set up the layout and general content of new workflow notifications emails, or export, modify, and reimport existing templates.
  •   Set up an SMTP server to enable email communication in and out of Dynamics NAV.
  •   Specify the different steps of a workflow by connection workflow events with workflow responses.
  •   Use workflow templates to create new workflows.
  •   Share workflows with other Dynamics NAV databases.
  •   Learn how to set up a workflow for approving sales documents by following an end-to-end procedure.
  •   Add support for a business scenario that requires new workflow events or responses by customizing the application code.

Enable workflows, act on workflow notifications, including request approvals and approve requests to perform a workflow step. Archive and delete workflows.

  •   Set a workflow to start when the first entry-point event occurs.
  •   Request approval of a task, as an approver, accept, decline, or delegate approvals, and send or view approval notifications.
  •   Create workflow steps that restrict a certain record type from being used before a certain event occurs, for example that the record is approved.
  •   View workflow step instances of status Completed.
  •   Delete a workflow that you are sure will no longer be used.

1. How to: Use Approval Workflows

When a record, such as a purchase document or a customer card, needs to be approved by someone in your organization, you send an approval request as part of a workflow. Based on how the workflow is set up, the appropriate approver is then notified that the record requires their approval.

You set up approval workflows in the Workflow window. In addition to approval workflows described in this topic, you can perform various other workflow tasks.

Core approval workflows for purchases documents, sales documents, payment journals, customer cards, and item cards are ready to start as assisted setup. To request approval of a record.

The following task is performed by an approval user.

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  1. In the window that presents the record, choose the Send Approval Request
  2. To see all your approval requests, choose the 💡📝 icon, enter Approval Request Entries, and then choose the related link.

The status of the approval entry is updated from Created to Open . The status of the record, for example a purchase invoice, is updated from Open to Pending Approval and remains locked for processing until all approvers have approved the record.

When the approver has approved the record, the status changes to Released. You can then continue your tasks with the record.

a)   To cancel requests for approval

The following task is performed by an approval user with approver rights.

A customer may want to change an order after it has been submitted for approval. In this case, you can cancel the approval process and make the necessary changes to the order before you request approval again.

  • In the window that displays the record, choose the Cancel Approval Request

When the approval request has been cancelled, the status of the related approval entry is changed to Cancelled. The status of the record is updated from Pending Approval to Open. The approval process can then start again.

b)   To approve or reject requests for approval

The following task is performed by an approval user with approver rights.

You can process approval requests in the Requests to Approve window, for example to approve multiple requests at a time. Alternatively, you can process each request on the related record, such as the Purchase Invoice window, by choosing the link in the notification that you receive.

  1. Choose the 💡📝 icon, enter Requests to Approve, and then choose the related link.
  2. Select one or more lines for the record or records that you want to approve or reject.
  3. Choose the Approve, Reject, or Delegate.

 When a record has been approved or rejected, the approval status in the Status field changes to Approved or Rejected.

If an approver hierarchy is set up, the record status will be Pending Approval until all approvers have approved the record. Then the record status will change to Released.

At the same time, the approval status changes from Created to Open as soon as an approval request for the record is created. If the request is rejected, the approval status changes to Rejected. The status remains Open or Rejected until all approvers have approved the request.

c)   To delegate requests for approval

The following task is performed by an approval user with approver rights.

To prevent documents from piling up or otherwise block the workflow, the approver and the approval administrator can delegate an approval request to a substitute approver. The substitute can either be a designated substitute, the direct approver, or the approval administrator, in that order of priority. You typically use this feature if an approver is out of office and is unable to approve requests before the due date.

  1. Choose the 💡📝 icon, enter Requests to Approve, and then choose the related link.
  2. Select one or more lines for the approval requests that you want to delegate to a substitute approver, and then choose the Delegate.

A notification to approve the request is sent to the substitute approver.

d)   To manage overdue approval requests

The following task is performed by an approval user with approver rights.

At regular intervals, you must remind approval workflow users of overdue approval requests that they must react on. You use the Send Overdue Approval Notifications function for this.

The Send Overdue Approval Notifications function checks for all open approval requests that are currently overdue. Each approver that has at least one overdue approval entry receives a notification with the list of all their overdue approval requests. The notification is also sent to their approver and all the requesters of the overdue approvals. This helps if the overdue approval entry must be delegated to a substitute.

  1. Choose the 💡📝 icon, enter Overdue Approval Requests, and then choose the related link.
  2. In the Overdue Approval Requestswindow, choose the Send Overdue Approval Notifications

2.   How to: Restrict and Allow Usage of a Record

If you want to restrict a record from being used in certain activities, for example, until the record has been approved, you can incorporate two workflow responses in a workflow that controls the usage of the record. One workflow response will restrict usage of the record as defined by the workflow event and conditions. Another workflow response will allow usage of the record as defined by the workflow event and conditions. Two responses exist in the generic version of Dynamics NAV for this purpose: Restrict usage of a record and Allow usage of a record.

  • Create a workflow step that restricts posting of unapproved purchase orders.

3.   How to: View Archived Workflow Step Instances

All completed workflow step instances are saved in the Archived Workflow Step Instances window.

In the Workflow window, you create a workflow by listing the involved steps on the lines. Each step consists of a workflow event, moderated by event conditions, and a workflow response, moderated by response options. You define workflow steps by filling fields on workflow lines from fixed lists of event and response values representing scenarios that are supported by the application code.

The Archived Workflow Step Instances window opens showing all archived workflow step instances. In the Workflow Code field, you can see which workflow the archived workflow step instance belonged to.

4.   How to: Delete Workflows

If you are certain that a workflow is no longer being used, you can delete it. All workflow step instances that are defined in the workflow must have status Completed.