Create a Workflow from Template

All approval workflows are created from the base templates in COSMO Regulatory Affairs. Each workflow contains different approval steps but are all created from templates and managed the same way, except for the Post Item Journal Batch Approval Workflow which has some additional setup. This is addressed in Post Inventory and Manufacturing Journals.

Create a workflow from a template

  1. Choose the Lightbulb that opens the Tell Me feature icon, enter Workflows, and then choose the related link.
  2. Choose the New Workflow from Template action.
  3. In the Workflow Templates page, select the workflow from the Administration group and then choose the OK button.

The new workflow opens; this is a standard Business Central page with some additional settings used with COSMO Regulatory Affairs.

Assign approvers to workflow

After creating the workflow, assign the approver(s) to the approval line. This can be a specific user, a workflow group, or chain of users.

Assign Approvers on Workflow

Assign specific user

  1. In the Workflow Steps FastTab, select the first entry in the Then Response field.
    The Workflow Responses request page opens.
  2. Select the line starting with "Create an approval request for the record..." in the Response field.
  3. In the Options for the Selected Response FastTab, select Approver in the Approver Type field.
  4. In the Approver Limit Type field, select Specific Approver.
  5. In the Approver ID field, enter the user's ID.
  6. Choose the OK button.

Assign a workflow group

Multiple users within a defined group can be assigned to approve a workflow. These users must already be set up in the Approval User Setup page before creating the workflow group.

First, define the users in the Workflow User Group page.

  1. Choose the Lightbulb that opens the Tell Me feature icon, enter Workflow User Group, and then choose the related link.
  2. Choose the New action.
  3. Enter a name and description for the group.
  4. In the Workflow User Group Members FastTab, enter each user that is part of the approval group.
  5. Ensure that the Sequence No. field set to 1 for every user.

Next, set the workflow user group on the workflow.

  1. In the Workflow Steps FastTab, select the first entry in the Then Response field.
    The Workflow Responses request page opens.
  2. Select the line starting with "Create an approval request for the record..." in the Response field.
  3. In the Options for the Selected Response FastTab, select Workflow User Group in the Approver Type field.
  4. In the Workflow User Group Code field, select the responsible group.
  5. Choose the OK button.

Assign a chain of users

If multiple users need to approve a workflow in a particular order, you can set the specified users and the hierarchy in the workflow group. These users must already be set up in the Approval User Setup page.

First, define the hierarchy in the Workflow User Group page.

  1. Choose the Lightbulb that opens the Tell Me feature icon, enter Workflow User Group, and then choose the related link.
  2. Choose the New action.
  3. Enter a name and description for the group.
  4. In the Workflow User Group Members FastTab, enter each user that is part of the approval group.
  5. In the Sequence No. field, set the hierarchy numerically. For example, User1 must approve first so they get Sequence No. = 1, User5 is next so they get Sequence No. = 2, User10 is next so they get Sequence No. = 3, and so on.

Next, set the workflow user group on the workflow.

  1. In the Workflow Steps FastTab, select the first entry in the Then Response field.
    The Workflow Responses request page opens.
  2. Select the line starting with "Create an approval request for the record..." in the Response field.
  3. In the Options for the Selected Response FastTab, select Workflow User Group in the Approver Type field.
  4. In the Workflow User Group Code field, select the responsible group.

Set up approval conditions

Approval conditions determine how many users must approve a request and the setup differs depending on if the approver is a specific user, workflow group, or chain of users. The conditions are set in the second and third lines of the Workflow Steps FastTab. In the On Condition field, choose the Number of Approved Requests value to open the Event Conditions request page for each line.

Approval Conditions on Workflow

Specific approver

When a specific approver is assigned to a workflow, then the Number of Approved Requests field must be set to 1 on the second line. Any other setting will result in no approvals because it is not possible to have more or less than one user.

Workflow group

When a workflow group is assigned to a workflow, then the Number of Approved Requests field on the second line will define how many users in the group must approve the request.

Example

The Number of Approved Requests is set to 3 and there are ten users in the group:

  • Any three users in the group need to approve the request.
  • Once three users approve the request, the requested changes are made, and all other approval requests will be cancelled.

Chain of users

When a chain of users is assigned to a workflow, then the Number of Approved Requests field on the second and third lines must be set to the same value because the conditions are considering how many users are needed to approve the request.

We recommend that you set the Number of Approved Requests to the same number of users in the group, otherwise only certain users can approve the requests.

Below are examples of using different settings and the results of each.

Example – Same number of users as in group

This is the recommended set up when a chain of users need to approve a request.

There are five users in the workflow group. The Number of Approved Requests is set to 5 on the first condition line and <5 on the second condition line:

  • All five users in the group must approve the request in the designated order.
  • Once all users in the sequence approve the request, the requested changes are made.

Example – Different number of users as in group

There are five users in the workflow group. The Number of Approved Requests is set to 3 on the first condition line and <3 on the second condition line:

  • The first three users in the group must approve the request.
  • The fourth and fifth users are not considered in the approval process.
  • Once the first three users in the sequence approve the request, the requested changes are made.

Example – Different settings in condition lines

There are five users in the workflow group. The Number of Approved Requests is set to 3 on the first condition line and <2 on the second condition line:

  • The first condition line is stating how many approvals are needed to complete the request, which means the first three users in the sequence must approve the request.
  • The second condition line determines how many users in the chain will be considered in the approval process, which means the first two users in the sequence are considered.
  • The approval process cannot be completed because only two users were considered but three approvals are needed.

Set up Single-Factor Authentication

Applying an additional Single-Factor Authentication (SFA) means that the approver must have a special password in order to approve a workflow. To enable this, turn on the Require Authentication Process toggle.

During the approval process, a separate window will open with the user name and a password field. If the user has not yet set up a password or the password has expired, another window will open for the password creation and then the approval process can continue. If the password expired, the user will need to enter their old password and then a new password.

The password must meet the criteria specified in Regulatory Affairs Setup.

Set Authentication and Enable Workflow

Enable workflow

Turn on the Enabled toggle to immediately activate the approval process requirement from now until the toggle is turned off.

Feedback

Submit feedback for this page .