SAP Appropriation Request(Workflow)

[former_member308318]

Hi Experts,

Can you anyone advise what happens when the Worlfow is routed for Aproval?

-Does it send an Hyper link to Outlook? If so Can the options be Approve,Reject & Postpone?

-When the User click on the Link,it takes to SAP AR screen so can user be able to Open any Attachments before he/she makes a decission?

-What are the benefits of using a COMMNET BOX in the Workflow? If so,does comments given by previous approver also pass to next APPROVER as well or next level?

Please advise.

-

[Paulo_Vitoriano]

Hi Ashely,

You will need to integrate SAP Inbox with Outlook to get it on Outlook, by default it is just SAP Inbox, but you can see in the Workflow forum how they can be integrated.

System will open a new session with AR master data, so the user can browse to attchments and open them to see before taking a choice.

You can enhance a workflow to pass on comments, the standard predelivered workflow does not do it, so you will need to create a custom workflow.

Regards,

Paulo

[former_member308318]

Hi Paulo,

Thanks for the response.You always been a geat help in Forums.

It's a development so we are taking ABAPER help sicne we have four Approval Levels.

-Do we still need SAP Inboc integration with Outlook in development?

-How would the APPROVER makes a decision (APR,REJ and PSTP) when an Email is routed to Outlook? Will He/She makes a decission in AR master data when they click on the Link in their Email? or would there be any seprate link to make a decission?Please advsie the best practice.

-Have you ever come across using a COMMENT BOX ? What is the necissityother than providing commnets by Approvers?

Thanks,

Ashely.

[Paulo_Vitoriano]

Hi Ashely,

SAP standard pre-delivered workflow supports at least from 2 to 7 levels (if not more), so I am not sure 4 levels is a good justification not to take a standard workflow as a basis.

It is very easy to integrate Outlook with SAP Inbox or just setup a mail forward, so I see no issue to do it for test purpose in the test environment for selected users.

The choice (there are 4 standard) is to be executed in SAP and not in the Outlook, it is just a notification that you receive, but I am not sure that you can have a choices in the email.  So, eventually have to execute the workflow step from SAP.

Comments box is a common requirement, specially for Rejection, since it has to be justified.  For approval normally there are no comments.

Regards,

Paulo

[former_member308318]

SAP standard pre-delivered workflow supports at least from 2 to 7 levels (if not more), so I am not sure 4 levels is a good justification not to take a standard workflow as a basis.

Ashley:Really.Thats's really helpful Input.But we have around 60 Aprovers based on SCALE in AR and specific APPROVALS are required for every Plant.So we thought of Creating a custom table to feed Plant,Scale and Approvers and maintain PArtner Functions so that System will match and populate the APPROVERS.(PLease advise if this can be achievd by Standard Workflow)

It is very easy to integrate Outlook with SAP Inbox or just setup a mail forward, so I see no issue to do it for test purpose in the test environment for selected users.

Ashley:Thansk for the input.We will test it and you suggestion would make my workflow less complicated.

The choice (there are 4 standard) is to be executed in SAP and not in the Outlook, it is just a notification that you receive, but I am not sure that you can have a choices in the email.  So, eventually have to execute the workflow step from SAP.

Ashley:Got it Thanks.

Comments box is a common requirement, specially for Rejection, since it has to be justified.  For approval normally there are no comments.

Ashely:Got it.Thanks.

[Paulo_Vitoriano]

Hi Ashley,

As far as I understood you have a complex logic of selecting the right set of approvers, therefore you go for a Z-table to map those user ids based on a certain criteria.  That is a fair comment, because you want to avoid a person creating AR to select "wrong" approvers.

So, you ABAP enhancement will work when AR master data is saved and will populate a list of Approvers.

But that does not mean you need a non-standard workflow.  Approvers are just the entry parameters for a workflow.  Your workflow consultant only needs to introduce a comments box, that is forwarded to the next level.

Regards,

Paulo

[former_member308318]

Thanks Paulo.

Let me test the entire scenario in Test Environment also try to populate the Approvers Automtaically and see how it works and get back to you later again

As I said you always been a great help.Thanks!

[former_member308318]

HI Paula,

As we disucussed,User will receive a notification to Outlook Inbox and eventaully Workflow will be executed from SAP inbox.

My concern is when we execute in SAP Inbox does it take them to SAP AR Transcation(IMA11) to ARRPOVE/REJECT or Will there be any workitem to make a decission in SAP INBOX.If so,how can we open an Attatchment? Does user has to execute IMA11 to open an attached  document.

To make it simple,can we able to open the AR screen to make a decission and open an attachment or do we have to execute the IMA11 to open an Attachment?

Please advise.

[Paulo_Vitoriano]

When user executes a standard workflow for AR approval, the system opens additional session with AR master data view.  From that session approver can browse into attachments quite easy.