Document authorization using ION Workflow

For several business objects in LN, document authorization approval logic is available using ION Workflow. ION based workflows cater for a monitored approval, data validation, and financial control process in which multiple persons can be involved.

With document authorization workflow approval:

• You can specify which actions and amounts are auto-approved and which actions, amounts, and discounts require management approval based on business rules. A management hierarchy can have parallel approval levels, or single approval by level.
• Approvers are alerted for approval and notified if they did not act in time to an approval request. Unanswered requests can be forwarded or escalated to other approvers or managers.
• The approval's initiator can expedite the approval in cases such as critical shortages, critical project requirement changes, and best price retrieval.

If workflow approval logic applies to a business object, which you can specify by object type in the Object Types (overview) (ttocm0502m000) session, a Workflow Status field is displayed in the relevant session. This Workflow Status field is displayed alongside any existing status field. It does not replace, but it complements the usual approval, activation, or validation logic.

When you perform a change that requires authorization, a checked-out version is automatically created for the business object in the Checked-out Objects (ttocm9599m000) session. The object changes take effect in LN and the approval becomes final after you submit the changes and the changes are approved in ION Workflow by all relevant persons. You can also undo your changes, or recall your submitted changes.

If the changes you submitted are rejected in ION Workflow, the Workflow Status is set to Rejected and the object cannot be approved in LN. Rejected changes can be updated and resubmitted for approval, or can be deleted.