1. New Approval Flow
1.1 Basic Settings
- Setting Entry: Management Background - Process Management - Approval Process Management - New
- Approval Flow Name: used for subsequent calls
- API Name: It is the unique identifier of the process in the code scenario and is used for subsequent calls. It cannot be modified after being created.
- Approval Flow Description: describe the purpose or meaning of the process, etc., with a maximum of 500 Chinese characters.
- In what capacity initiates the process: data submitter, data owner.
1.2 Advanced Settings
- Send the approval result to the initiator during the approval process: After each approver operates in the process (agree, reject the previous node), the approval result is sent to the initiator.
- Send the approval result to the initiator after the approval is completed: After the approval is finally passed or rejected, the approval result will be sent to the initiator.
- Allow data owners and process initiators to withdraw approval.
- Allow data submitter to withdraw approval: This can be selected when the data submitter and the data owner are not the same person.
- The difference between the data submitter and the data owner: For example, assistant A helps sales B create a business opportunity, and the person in charge of the business opportunity chooses B, then the data creator (submitter) is A, and the person in charge is B
- Consecutive nodes are the same approver, combined processing: single/multi-person approval and countersignature approval can be realized, but nodes configured with approval content are not allowed to pass automatically.
- Allow approvers to take back for reconsideration:
- Only when the next approval node has not been approved, the process initiator can retrieve the re-examination
- The processed node is a countersigned node or a level-by-level approval node, which does not support retrieval and re-examination
- Process deadline setting: the duration is a positive integer, supporting minutes, hours, and days.
- Enable Internet Approval: When selecting approvers, you can choose external roles, including external managers and external leaders. The Internet application currently supports ordering, work order, agency, equipment assets, service - personal, ordering mall, equipment query, service, equipment query, and ordering mall.
1.3 Triggers
- Description: Set the approval for an object, which object triggers it.
- Supported Objects: accounts, contacts, opportunities, sales orders, return orders, payment, refund, invoice applications, contracts, marketing campaigns, pre-deposits, rebate income, price lists, payment plans, quotations, promotions, distribution Invoice, storage order, warehouse, custom object, credit, rebate usage rules, advertisement, equipment inspection, statement, inventory list, business opportunity 2.0, business opportunity details, and business opportunity contacts. (including preset objects and custom objects)
- Trigger Operations: create, edit, invalidate, replace the person in charge, change the stage, change the partner, receive, return, invalidate, apply for extension, conversion, etc. (custom buttons are supported).
- Main-sub object support: When the approval flow is triggered, all slave data under this data will be locked at the same time.
- Trigger Type: always trigger, trigger when condition is met
- Trigger by Conditions: the approval flow will be triggered only after a field under the selected object meets the custom condition
Notes:
- Objects that support stage pushers: support stage changes to trigger approval flows.
- Accounts: Support receiving, returning, and applying for extension to trigger the approval process.
- Leads: support receipt, return, invalidation, application extension, conversion trigger approval flow.
- The settings for the object cannot be modified later, because the filter settings and post-action settings depend on the object.
- Actions can be multiple selected.
1.4 Filters
- Description: For the triggered approval process, you can filter according to the fields, and only the data that meets the filtering conditions will execute the approval process and post-action.
- Filter condition support: this object field, Lookup object field, the main department of the person in charge, personnel/personnel attributes, and process-related variables.
Notes:
- Time type and numeric type support variable filtering. The variable is the field of the same type under the object in the trigger, and the field under the object associated with the lookup field under the object.
- For example, the object in the trigger is a sales order, and there is a field under the order as customer, then the variable scope is the same type of field under the sales order and customer.
- Approval flow filter conditions support before change, after change, and when change.
| before change | Approval is triggered when the field before the change is equal to a specific field value. For example, when the customer level is equal to an important customer before the change, the person in charge needs to directly report to the superior for approval. |
| When changing | Approval is triggered when a specific field is changed under certain conditions. For example, when the customer level is changed, the person in charge must directly report to the superior for approval. |
| After the change | Approval is triggered when the changed field is equal to a specific field value. For example, when the customer level is changed to an important customer, the person in charge needs to report directly to the superior for approval. |
1.5 Full Process Function Configuration
- In the approval flow, you can skip empty approval nodes by configuring the whole process function.
- "Execute APL code" can be added to support the calling and running of each node in the current process.
- Full process function When the function is running, the "empty node" handler will be changed to the "system" identity and automatically skipped, and marked as "auto skip" in the approval comments.
- After the process node is automatically skipped, the post-action and pre-condition of the current node configuration are automatically ignored, and after the process definition is modified, the historical data will not be executed.
(The front-end page display effect after the node is automatically skipped)
2. Process Settings
2.1 Approval Node
2.1.1 Approval Types
| Type | Meaning |
| General Approval | In the general approval node, the range that can be selected includes colleagues, departments, department heads, user groups, roles, process-related variables, data-related variables, and personnel object variables |
| Multi-person Approval | If more than one approver is selected in general approval, multiple approval and countersignature approval must be selected. The multi-person approval rule is that if one person passes, it is passed; if one person rejects, it is rejected. |
| Signature Approval | The countersignature approval rule is that if everyone passes it, it is passed; if one person rejects it, it is rejected. |
| Relative Level Approval | Select the department responsible person's approval relative to the level of this department. When the sponsor's department level is equal to or exceeds the selected level, there are three options: process exception, designated approver, and automatic pass. |
| Absolute Level Approval | Directly follow the level set by the company. When the department level of the initiator is equal to or exceeds the selected level, three options can be selected: process exception, designated approver and automatic pass |
| Fixed Level Approval | Approval to a fixed level. The same person can be configured as the same person for successive levels of approvers, and only needs to be approved once. When the submitter exceeds or is equal to the fixed level, you can choose to be approved by the person in charge of the upper level department, abnormal process, specify an approver, and automatically pass four options |
| Fixed Levels Approval | Approval several levels up. (Before approval, you need to confirm what the approval process is and which type of approval should be used) |
2.1.1 Node Processing
| Name | Operational Meaning |
| Node Handler | The processor of a specific node can be designated through the personnel selection box or APL code |
| The approver of the current node and the initiator of the process are the same person, and the process is automatically passed | If the two are the same person, the node will pass automatically without processing |
| After rejection, submit again and return to this node | After the process is rejected, submitting it again can directly return to the rejected node without further approval level by level. After the process is rejected, the process supports re-initiation |
| Allow the current node approver to manipulate data | When the data is locked, the current approver can still operate the data |
| If the history node is the same person, it will pass automatically | After being rejected for approval and resubmitted, the processed node will no longer be counted as "the same person as the historical node" |
| Configure Approval Content | When the approval flow trigger type is New and Edit, the approval content can be configured. The approval content supports selecting the field of this object and determining whether the field is required or read-only |
| Configure Process Layout | Can copy from existing layout or directly create a new process layout (based on object details page layout), only for process nodes |
| Approved Content Allowed to Edit | If unchecked, the approver can only view the configured approval content; if checked, the approver can view and edit the configured approval content |
| Node Stay Time | In order to improve the process processing efficiency, the timeout period can be set, and if it is overtime, the customer can be notified through the "CRM Reminder". Support minutes, hours, days |
| Timeout | Functions can be used to perform custom actions after timeout |
| Set More Reminders | CRM reminders and email reminders can be set, including before timeout, after timeout, and to-do reminders, so as to prompt task handlers to handle tasks in a timely manner. You can also add to-do reminders and CC reminders, and choose to specify reminders. |
| Actions after the node is passed/rejected | Supports CRM reminders, field changes, email notifications, external notifications, and execution of custom functions. |
| Pre-condition | Set the conditions that need to be met to perform the "agree" action. Support this object field, Lookup object field, the main department to which the person in charge belongs, personnel, and personnel attributes. |
2.2 Approval Types
2.2.1 Approval Node Type
| Node Type | Meaning |
| Common Node | Common Approval Node |
| Multi-branch Node | There are at least two nodes, and the node can only be entered if the branch conditions before the node are met |
| Task Collaboration Node | After the corresponding task is completed, the flow can be transferred to the next node |
| Waiting Node | You can set the corresponding waiting time, and you can pass through this node after the waiting time |
| Operation Node | The front-end approval buttons can be set, and the buttons can be sorted by dragging and dropping. The first 3 buttons are exposed in the displayed buttons, and the rest buttons will be collected in "More" |
2.3 Branch Conditions
- Condition Details: Branch conditions only support this object field.
- Manage Condition Priority: Drag the condition name to adjust the priority of the condition.
Notes:
- Up to 10 branch conditions are supported.
- Multiple branch conditions are met, and enter the high-priority branch according to the priority setting.
- Support setting the default branch: if all branches are not satisfied, enter the default branch.
2.4 Process After-action
- After-action: The post-action of the process passed/rejected/withdrawn.
- The current range of actions includes CRM reminders, field changes, email notifications, external notifications, and execution of custom functions.
- CRM Reminder: After approval, rejection or withdrawal, a message will be automatically sent to the approval submitter.
- When sending a CRM reminder, you need to select the person to remind, the title and text of the reminder.
- Field Change: Set a field to be changed automatically after the process is passed.
- The types of update fields supported include selection type fields (Boolean, single choice, multiple choice), numerical type fields (integer, decimal, amount), time type, and personnel field.
- Support for updating field ranges including custom fields and some predefined fields.
- When the changed value of the field does not conform to the rules or an exception occurs, the field will not be changed.
- For example, after the reimbursement is approved, the reimbursement status field is automatically changed to "Reimbursed"
- Email Notification: The process can send emails to designated personnel, and you can choose an email template.
- External Notification: You can choose to notify and remind corresponding interconnected applications and reminding personnel (including creators and external responsible persons)
- The reminder content supports object fields, process-related variables, node approval opinions, and selects the corresponding jump chain.
- Can send CRM notifications to downstream agents.
- The reminder content supports object fields, process-related variables, node approval opinions, and selects the corresponding jump chain.
- Can send CRM notifications to downstream agents.
3. Release & Management of Approval Flow
3.1 Release of Approval Flow
- Saved successfully, you can choose to activate immediately or not to activate temporarily, and the process will take effect after activation.
3.2 Approval Flow Management
- Edit: Re-edit the approval flow.
- Enable: Only enabled processes can initiate an approval process.
- Disable: A deactivated process cannot initiate an approval flow.
- Reuse & New: Copy all configurations of this process and create a new approval process.
- Delete: The deactivated approval process can be deleted. After the process is deleted, the original approval process instance still supports query and view details.
3.3 Advanced Settings of Approval Process
- Approval Flow Priority: Drag an approval flow to change its position to adjust the priority of the approval flow. After saving, the approval flow will be displayed according to the arranged position.
- When automatically triggered, the topmost process is triggered first
- Terminal To-do Default Entry Page Settings: The default is the terminal to-do entry approval feed details page. When the default entry to the data details page is checked, it will enter when there is data viewing permission.
- Web To-do Processing Settings: The default is [after processing, close the current details page]. When an approval is passed/rejected, you can set the details page to automatically close or stay here.
- Approval Comment Configuration: Here you can set whether the approval opinion is mandatory, and whether to fill in the words [Agree, Disagree] by default when processing the approval manually
- Approval Rejection Configuration: It is used when the [After rejection, submit again and directly return to this node] option is checked.
- When the approval is rejected, there will be a prompt "After rejection, submit again and return to this node directly", this advanced setting is applicable to the default tick option of this option
- When reviewing and rejecting, the rejection methods are divided into [Reject and end] and [Reject to node]. This advanced setting is applicable to the default tick option of this option
The page is displayed when the previous paragraph is rejected