If you use approval workflows in your organization, there’s a new Specific Approver workflow in Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2017 you’re going to love! Read on for a step-by-step walkthrough on how to use this helpful new feature for more flexibility with your approval processes.

What is a Specific Approver?

Approval workflows in previous versions of Dynamics NAV are solely role-based, meaning they rely on an “approval chain” hierarchy to execute. That works for most approval processes, but what if you have a situation where approvals need to be sent directly to an individual not in a traditional approval chain?  

The Specific Approver approach does not rely on the approval chain at all; it simply directs approvals to one specific user.

For example, all Sales Invoices are usually sent to the Inside Sales team for approval, but since the company is being restructured, they want every single Sales Invoice to be sent directly to the Sales Manager for approval.

This is possible (and quite easy to setup) in Dynamics NAV 2017. The following example teaches you how to set up a Specific Approver workflow for a Sales Invoice.

Step 1:

Left click on Departments in your main Microsoft Dynamics NAV navigation pane.

Step 2:

Left click on Application Setup, under Administration from your Departments screen.

Step 3:

Left click on Workflow from your Application Setup screen.

Step 4:

Left click on Workflow Templates from your Workflow screen.

Step 5:

Left click the arrow sign to the left of Sales Documents in your Workflow Templates list to expand it and then left click Sales Invoice Approval Workflow to select it.

Step 6:

From the Home Ribbon at the top, left click on the New Workflow from Template button.

Step 7:

On the first line, click on the Ellipsis button to the right of column “Then Response”, where it reads “(+) Add record restriction.

Step 8:

Left click Create an approval request for the record using approver type Salesperson/Purchaser and approver limit type Direct Approver, and the box Options for the Selected Response will show up.

Step 9:

Under Options, click on Approver Type and select Approver.  

Step 10:

Under Options, click on Approver Limit Type and select Specific Approver.

Step 11:

Click the down arrow next to the Approver ID field to bring up a list to select the approver.

Step 12:

Select the user that should get the specific approval request, and left click OK in the Approval User Setup window to save your changes and close window.

Step 13:

This will take you back to your approval request setup with the Specific Approver’s User ID inserted. Click OK to save your new workflow and close the window.

That’s it! The example walked you through setting up a new workflow for a sales invoice, but you can also edit existing workflows or create temporary workflows during restructuring or special circumstances. The most important tip is to be sure and test them to ensure they are executing your desired behavior.

The experts at Western Computer enjoy sharing tips and guidance to help you work faster and easier. Let us know if you have any questions or need assistance with your Dynamics solutions.

About the Author

Marcelo Borges has been very enthusiastic about ERP systems since the time he first experienced Microsoft Dynamics, back in 2005. He joined Western Computer in 2017 as a consultant focusing on Microsoft Dynamics solutions for customers in the finance, trading, warehousing, and distribution sectors. When advising on technology and designing solutions, Marcelo calls upon his experience of having worked on both sides of the table: as a consultant for known Microsoft Partners, and as an end-user in multiple industries.

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