Post Inventory and Manufacturing Journals
Workflows can be enabled to generate an approval requirement to post any of the following journals:
- Inventory (Item, Recurring Item, Revaluation, Physical Inventory, Item Reclassification)
- Manufacturing (Output, Consumption, Recurring Output, Recurring Consumption, Production)
The Post Item Journal Approval Workflow template is used for each journal, and the specific journal or template type is selected in the workflow. Therefore, the process for creating the workflows is slightly different than the other workflows because you need to assign different journals to each workflow in the Event Conditions page.
For example, you can create an approval workflow for only the Item Journal by entering ITEM as the Journal Template Name and then choosing the Item option as the Template Type. Or you can create an approval workflow for the Item Journal and Recurring Item Journal by leaving the Journal Template Name empty and entering the Item option as the Template Type.
The following table shows the standard journals in Business Central:
| Journal | Standard Journal Template Name | Template Type |
|---|---|---|
| Item Journal | ITEM | Item |
| Recurring Item Journal | RECURRING | Item |
| Revaluation Journal | REVAL | Revaluation |
| Physical Inventory Journal | PHYS.INV. | Phys. Inventory |
| Item Reclassification Journal | RECLASS | Transfer |
| Output Journal | OUTPUT | Output |
| Consumption Journal | CONSUMP | Consumption |
There are no standard journals in Business Central for the following journals. Each should be set up with the following template types:
| Journal | Template Type | Recurring |
|---|---|---|
| Recurring Output Journal | Output | Yes |
| Recurring Consumption Journal | Consumption | Yes |
| Production Journal | Prod. Order | No |
Create Item Journal Approval Workflows
The general process for creating an approval workflow for an item journal is:
- Create the Post Item Journal Batch Approval Workflow workflow from the template.
- In the Description field, change the journal name to match the type of journal posting approval.
For example, change Post Item Journal Batch Approval Workflow to Post Consumption Journal Batch Approval Workflow. - In the Workflow Steps FastTab, choose the (view filter details) value in the On Condition field on the first line.
- In the Event Conditions page, choose the Journal Template Name and related Template Type for a specific journal, or only the Template Type to create a workflow for a particular type of journal.
Use the tables above to choose the correct journal and/or template type for this workflow. - Choose the OK button.
- Assign the approval user or group of users.
- Set the additional authentication if required.
- Enable the workflow.
- Repeat steps 1-8 for the remaining journals that need approval workflows.
Post Journal Workflow Approvals
For journals with an approval workflow, you cannot use the Post action to post the journal. You must request approval and once the journal is approved, it is automatically posted.
The general process for posting a journal with an approval workflow is:
- Open the journal.
- Enter relevant lines manually or using any automatic line generation function.
- On the Request Approval menu, choose the Send Approval Request action.
Enter a comment if necessary and then a message opens stating that an approval request has been sent. - If notifications are set up, the approval user(s) receives notification of the approval request.
- The approval user opens the journal or the Requests to Approve page (using Tell Me) and approves the request, with or without password depending on authentication requirements.
- The journal is posted automatically upon approval.
Enter optional or mandatory comments
If Optional or Mandatory is entered in the Comments Requirement field in the Regulatory Affairs Setup page, then the Approval Entry Comment dialog box will open when requesting, cancelling, approving, rejecting, or delegating approval requests. Depending on the setting, a comment can or must be entered to complete the specific approval process.
Cancel approval requests
A user can cancel an approval request by choosing the Cancel Approval Request action on the Request Approval menu.
Note
Due to the temporary nature of Production Journals, corresponding approval requests are automatically canceled when the journal is closed if entries are not posted.
Manage approval requests
A designated user can approve, reject, or delegate an approval request by choosing the action from the Approve menu. They can also add any necessary comments for the response to the request.
Designated users can also choose the 
icon, enter Requests to Approve, and then choose the related link. In the Requests to Approve page, they will see their pending approval requests and can manage each request individually. They can choose Open Record > Edit Journal to view the journal requesting the change and could then complete the approval directly in the corresponding journal page.
Note
Due to the temporary nature of Production Journals, the corresponding Production Journal cannot be accessed from the Open Record action.
View approval entries
The Approval Entries FactBox shows the status of an approval request as well as the number of unfinished approvals, the date and time the approval request was sent, the details of the approval request, and comments added during the approval request process.
To see complete information about the approvals, choose the Approval Entries action on the Request Approval menu.
Example – Post an output journal with an approval workflow
In the following video, a workflow has been created from the Post Item Journal Batch Approval Workflow workflow template for an output journal. A group approval has been assigned but only one of the users in the group must approve the change. The workflow requires additional authentication.
An output journal with an exploded routing is opened and then the Send Approval Request action is selected. A message opens stating that the approval request has been sent.
The Approval Entries FactBox shows that an approval request is waiting. The approval user opens the Requests to Approve page, opens the output journal to review the request and then approves it by choosing the Approve action on the Home menu.
The journal is automatically posted and, thus, no entries remain.
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