Working with Approvals

This chapter discusses how to define the approval process.

Defining the Approval Process

To define the approval process, use the Approval Process (SAC_AW_PRCS) and the Approval Transaction Registry (SAC_AW_TXN) components.

This section provides an overview of the approval process design and discusses how to:

Define approval stages.
Set up approval paths.
Define approval steps.
Define approval criteria.
Register approval transactions.
Define approval notifications.
Process escalations and timeouts.

Understanding the Approval Process Design

Talent Acquisition Manager delivers two approval processes:

JobOpening for creating job openings.

See Understanding Job Opening Approvals.
JobOffer for creating job offers.

See Understanding Job Offer Approvals.

The approval processes consist of stages, paths, steps, user lists, and criteria.

Stages.

Stages are the high level actions that the approval process performs in a specific order. Stages are made up of one or more paths. JobOpening and JobOffer use one stage.
Paths.

A path is a sequence of steps. JobOpening and JobOffer use one path.
Steps.

A step represents one or more persons who are assigned to approve or review the transaction. Steps within a path are performed in sequence with separate criteria for each step that determines whether that step is performed. JobOpening uses two steps and JobOffer uses three steps.
User Lists.

User lists identify the people who are to act on a request. User lists can be roles, SQL definitions, queries, or application classes.

JobOpening uses the following user lists: Hiring Manager Posn Supervisor and RecruiterGroup.

JobOffer uses the following user lists: Hiring Manager Posn Supervisor, OfferRecruiterGroup, and RecruiterOnOffer.
Criteria

Criteria defines the rules that are used by the approval process to determine whether a stage or step is performed.

Pages Used to Modify the Approval Process

Page Name	Object Name	Navigation	Usage
Approval Process Definition	SAC_AW_PRCS_MAIN	Set Up HRMS, Common Definitions, Approvals, Approval Process, Approval Process Definition	Define approval stages.
Approval Path Definition - Path	SAC_AW_PATH	Click the Path link on the Approval Process Definition page.	Set up approval paths.
Approval Step Definition - Step	SAC_AW_STEP	Click the Step Details link on the Approval Process Definition page.	Define approval steps.
Criteria Definition	SAC_CRITERIA	Click the Alert Criteria link on the Approval Process Definition page.	Define approval criteria.
Approval Transaction Registry	SAC_AW_TXN	Set Up HRMS, Common Definitions, Approvals, Approval Transaction Registry, Approval Transaction Registry	Register approval transactions.
Approval Transaction Registry - Notification	SAC_AW_TXN_NOTIFY	Set Up HRMS, Common Definitions, Approvals, Approval Transaction Registry, Notification	Define approval notifications.
Escalations and Timeouts	HRS_ESCL_RUN_INDEX	Set Up HRMS, Common Definitions, Approvals, Escalations and Timeouts, Escalations and Timeouts	Process escalations and timeouts.

Defining Approval Stages

Access the Approval Process Definition page.

Admin Role (administrator role)

Select the user list role that the approval process uses to route the transaction to all users filling that role. This is usually based on job function, not individual users. User lists are defined on the User List page.

Alert Criteria

Click to access the Criteria Definition page, where you can define user and field criteria along with monetary and application class criteria for this stage.

Take Action on Line Completion

Line level approvals are not used in Peoplesoft Enterprise Human Capital Management (PeopleSoft Enterprise HCM). This check box should be left cleared.

User Auto Approval

Select to enable the system to remember an approver’s action for this process. The next time this approval process is presented to the approver, the system automatically applies the approver's selections. The automatic application of steps in the process is left unchanged until you clear the User Auto Approval check box.

Stages

Stage Number

Enter the sequence in which you want this stage of the approval acted upon. You can also enter a description for the stage in the Description field.

Paths

Approval Path	Enter a value that identifies this path. A path is a sequence of steps. An example would be a department path where a requisition requires approval up a department hierarchy. Within a stage, paths are followed in parallel, with each path inheriting its level from the stage to which it belongs. Path-entry criteria determines whether a path is followed for a transaction thread. When a stage becomes active, approvers in the stage get pending work; all its contained paths become active simultaneously. All the paths of a stage queue work to approvers in parallel. The stage is complete only when all paths in it are complete. Each path has entry criteria associated with it. The purpose of this criteria is to determine whether that path should be triggered for a particular transaction. If the system determines the criteria that you enter for a path to be false for a transaction, then it bypasses the path for that transaction.
Step Source	Select the method by which steps are instantiated during the approval process. Values are: Static: Select to indicate that you want the system to use the individual user-defined steps when it processes an approval. Dynamic: Select to indicate that you want the system to use either a query or an application class when it processes an approval.
Path Details	Click to access the Path page, where you can define path criteria and escalation parameters, such as whether to notify the requester's supervisor.
Criteria	Click to access the Criteria Definition page, where you can define user and field criteria along with monetary and application class criteria for this stage.

Steps

Step	Enter the sequence in which you want this step performed during the approval process.
Approver User List	Select the type of approver that you want to use for this step. A user list is an entity which groups users in the system. Roles, queries, and application classes are examples of user lists. The system uses the list and its users to run automated business processes. The list defines the user sources who can be used in approval steps.
Step Details	Click to access the Step page, where you can define approver requirements, self approval details, and reviewers.
Criteria	Click to access the Criteria Definition page, where you can define user and field criteria along with monetary and application class criteria for this stage.

Setting Up Approval Paths

Access the Approval Path Definition - Path page.

Approval Path

Displays the path name that you are creating or updating.

Criteria

Click to access the Criteria Definition page, where you can define user and field criteria, along with monetary and application class criteria for this stage.

Step Source

Select the method by which steps are instantiated during the approval process. Values are:

Static: Select to indicate that you want the system to use the individual user-defined steps when it processes an approval.

Dynamic: Select to indicate that you want the system to use either a query or an application class when it processes an approval. When you initialize the process, you select the query or class on which to base the approval. The system performs an iterative call to the query or class until the call does not return an approver. When using the Dynamic source, the system doesn't consider criteria and user roles that are associated with an approval process. Instead, it uses the user list that is created by an application developer on which to initialize the process.

Skip Prior Steps for Requester

Select to indicate that all approval steps in this path prior to the requester’s step are bypassed.

Escalation Options

Use this group box to define time elements for when an approver takes too long to approve or deny a pending request.

Options	Select the action to be taken when an approver takes too long to approve or deny a pending request. Values are: Advance: Select to send the request on to the next approver after the days and hours for this approval step have ended. Notify: Select to notify the approver after the days and hours for this approval step have ended. Reassign: Select to reassign the request on to the next approver after the days and hours for this approval step have ended.
Hours	Enter the number of hours a transaction can remain at one workflow step before being escalated. This field is combined with the Days After Beg (day after beginning) field to determine the total time an approver has to take action on an approval request.
Days After Beg (day after beginning)	Enter the number of days a transaction can remain at one workflow step before being escalated. This field is combined with the Hours field to determine the total time an approver has to take action on an approval request.
Advance	Select to advance the request to the next approver in the approval chain.
Reassign To	If you selected Reassign in the Options field, select the person to who you want to reassign the request.
User List	If you select Notify in the Options field, select the user list that defines which user will receive a notification.

Defining Approval Steps

Access the Approval Step Definition - Step page.

Step Number

Enter the number for this step. It's the sequence in which an approval is routed. Each step typically represents a routing to an approver. However, you can route to multiple approvers or reviewers in a step as well.

Criteria

Click to access the Criteria Definition page, where you can define user and field criteria along with monetary and application class criteria for this stage.

Approvers

Approver User List	Select the type of approver you want to use for this step. You use a user list to map users to certain functional roles. The system then uses the list and its users to run automated business processes. The list defines the user sources who can be used in approval steps.
Approver Role Name	Select a role that specifies the authority that a user has. The approval workflow engine filters approvers who are returned by the user list for this role. It also enforces the role at the time the approver acts. If the role assignment changes, such as the approver is no longer in the role, the approver is blocked from acting on the requisition.

Approver Requirements

All Approvers Required	Select to indicate that all approvers at this step are required to approve the requisition at this step. You can select to have all approvers or some approvers approve the requisition at this step.
Some Approvers Required	Select to indicate that all approvers are not required to sign off on a requisition. If you select this option, you can define the number of approvers that are required in the Number of Approvers Needed field.
Number of Approvers Needed	Enter the minimum number of approvers that you want to sign off for a requisition at this step. When an approval process is defined and this number is not met, the system notifies the system administrator.

Approver Requirements

This feature is reserved for a future release.

Reviewers

Reviewer User List

Select the type of reviewer that you want to use for this step. You use a user list to map users to certain functional roles. The system then uses the list and its users to run automated business processes. The list defines the user sources who can be used in approval and review steps.

Defining Approval Criteria

Access the Criteria Definition page.

All Criteria Needed to Satisfy

Select if you want all the criteria that you set up to be true before the system considers the rules to have been met.

User Entered Criteria

Description

Enter a description for this set of criteria.

Field Criteria

Record	Select a record that you want to use in defining approval criteria.
Field Name	Select a field that you want to use to define approval criteria. The values that you define in the remaining field criteria grid are those that are used in determining the approval criteria.
Criteria Operator	Determines the action that the system applies to the criteria that you enter in the Value fields. Values are: Between: Use only values that are between the two values that you enter as criteria. Equals: Use only values that are equal to the entered criteria Greater Than: Use values that are equal to or greater than the entered criteria. Is Blank Is Not Blank Less Than: Use any record value that is less than the value entered in the Criteria Operator field. Not Equal To: Use any value that is not equal to the two values that you enter as criteria.
Value	Used when you select the operator Not Equal To to define a range to which you want the operator to apply.
Value	Used when you select the operator Not Equal To to define a range to which you want the operator to apply.

Monetary Criteria

Use this section to establish approval criteria for requisition amounts.

Amount Record	Select the record name for the system to use when comparing the requisition to the minimum amount required to trigger the step.
Amount Field	Select the field within the amount record for the system to use when comparing the requisition to the minimum amount required to trigger the step. The system uses the value that you select to evaluate the Amount field.
Currency Field	Select the currency field that corresponds to the currency code that you select in the Currency Code field.
Operator	Select a value that determines how the system processes the values in the Amount fields. Values include Between, Greater Than, and Less Than.
Amount	Use this field to define an amount range for use with the Operator field. In the first field, enter the minimum amount that is required on the requisition to trigger the step. If no amount is specified, zero is considered the minimum.
Amount	Define an amount range for use with the Operator field.
Currency Code	Select the monetary unit that you want to use for the approval.
Rate Type	Select how the system arrives at the currency value, such as the current rate or a financial rate.

Application Class Criteria

Use this section to assign application packages as criteria for the approval process definition. When you define a class, the system uses it along with other criteria that you enter to process the approval.

Registering Approval Transactions

Access the Approval Transaction Registry page.

The approval transaction registry is the interface application that developers use to register an application with the approval workflow engine. Transactions are processes that PeopleTools perform for applications. Transactions that require approvals are candidates for being linked to the approval workflow engine. You use the Approval Transaction Registry page to link the components, event handler, records, and classes that you created to the approval process for an application transaction, such as a job opening or job offer. Application developers register the main records and components that make up the transaction.

Approval Process ID	Enter a name that the system uses to track this approval workflow process for a transaction. You can also enter a description for the approval process.
Object Owner ID	Select the PeopleSoft application to which this object belongs.
Cross Reference Table	Select the table that is used to manages application specific transaction records and associate them with the approval process runtime instances.
Approval User Info View (approval user information view)	Select the table from which you want to extract personal contact information for the approver. This is the information that appears when you use the approval status monitor to display personal information. These values are set up in the Application Designer.
Ad Hoc User List	Define a user list to be used for additional adhoc approvers that are manually added to the approval process
Enable Notifications	Select to have the Approval Engine send out email notifications.

Worklist Approval Component

Menu Name	Select the menu name that contains the component that you want the notification recipient to link to. This identifies where the person should go upon notification. If you do not enter values, the recipient is sent to the same menu and component that is defined for the worklist.
Approval Component	Select the component on which the approval is going to be based. You must also create a uniform resource locator (URL) to send to the job opening or job offer approval page for the job opening.

Approval Event Handler Class

Root Package ID	Select the parent application class through which events are exposed. This defines the action to take based on events.
Path	Select a path that uses a specific class within the root package.

AdHoc Approver Logic Class

Adhoc Package	Select the ad hoc application class package that you want to use for approvals for a particular purpose.
Thread Descr (thread description)	Select a thread description that will be used to identify the description that is used for the status monitor display.
Adhoc Class	Select the ad hoc application class path. This defines more specific classes for approvals for a particular purpose.
Class Path	Identify the class path for the thread description class.

Transaction Approval Levels

Use this group box to define whether the transaction is to be approved at the header or line level and what level the application supports. You define:

The levels that are enabled by the application for approvals.

The first row will always be the header level.
The database table that represents this transaction level.

Defining Approval Notifications

Access the Approval Transaction Registry - Notification page.

Events

Header or Line Level	Defines whether the notification event is at the header or line level. All events in HCM are at the header level.
Event	Select the event for which you want to send a notification. By default, the approver is always notified of an event, and when an error occurs the system notifies the requester and the system administrator. Event values are: Ad Hoc Del (ad hoc delete) Ad Hoc Ins (ad hoc insert) Approve Back Complete Error Escalate Launch OnApprove OnDeny Reactivate Reassign Review Terminate
Menu Name	Select the menu name that contains the component that you want to register for the Worklist. A menu is a collection of components that contain pages. The menu is the highest level in the hierarchy, and you use the menu to access pages.
Approval Component	Select the component on which the approval is going to be based. You must also create a URL to send to the requisition approval page for the requisition
SQL Object Identifier	Select the object identifier that you want to use to get content for the email.
Approval Participant	Identify the participant that receives the notification. Values are: Admin (administrator) Approvers Dynamic Requester Reviewers User List
Notification Channel	Identify the method of notification. Values are: Both Email None User Worklist
User List	If User List is selected in the Approval Participant field, this is the user list that is defined.
Template Name	Select the template that is used to send the email.

Processing Escalations and Timeouts

Access the Escalations and Timeouts page.

The HRS_ESCL Application Engine process processes all approvals that meet the criteria that you defined in the Escalation Options group box on the Approval Path Definition - Path page for a given approval process ID and setID combination.

Approval Process ID and SetID

Select an approval process ID or setID to run the process for a specific approval process ID and setID combination.

Click Run to run this request. PeopleSoft Process Scheduler runs the HRS_ESCL process at user-defined intervals.

Admin Role (administrator role)	Select the user list role that the approval process uses to route the transaction to all users filling that role. This is usually based on job function, not individual users. User lists are defined on the User List page.
Alert Criteria	Click to access the Criteria Definition page, where you can define user and field criteria along with monetary and application class criteria for this stage.
Take Action on Line Completion	Line level approvals are not used in Peoplesoft Enterprise Human Capital Management (PeopleSoft Enterprise HCM). This check box should be left cleared.
User Auto Approval	Select to enable the system to remember an approver’s action for this process. The next time this approval process is presented to the approver, the system automatically applies the approver's selections. The automatic application of steps in the process is left unchanged until you clear the User Auto Approval check box.

Approval Path	Displays the path name that you are creating or updating.
Criteria	Click to access the Criteria Definition page, where you can define user and field criteria, along with monetary and application class criteria for this stage.
Step Source	Select the method by which steps are instantiated during the approval process. Values are: Static: Select to indicate that you want the system to use the individual user-defined steps when it processes an approval. Dynamic: Select to indicate that you want the system to use either a query or an application class when it processes an approval. When you initialize the process, you select the query or class on which to base the approval. The system performs an iterative call to the query or class until the call does not return an approver. When using the Dynamic source, the system doesn't consider criteria and user roles that are associated with an approval process. Instead, it uses the user list that is created by an application developer on which to initialize the process.
Skip Prior Steps for Requester	Select to indicate that all approval steps in this path prior to the requester’s step are bypassed.

Step Number	Enter the number for this step. It's the sequence in which an approval is routed. Each step typically represents a routing to an approver. However, you can route to multiple approvers or reviewers in a step as well.
Criteria	Click to access the Criteria Definition page, where you can define user and field criteria along with monetary and application class criteria for this stage.