the Invoice release is the approval of an incoming invoice by one or more authorized persons before the invoice is further processed. It serves procurement control, which also includes the accuracy of the incoming invoice.
Functionality
A licensing process determines when a document needs approval, for example at a certain amount. Authorized users, usually supervisors, approve the document or reject it. Without approval, the process does not continue.
In SAP Business One
For approval, SAP Business One uses the approval process (Administration • Approval process). Documents that do not meet the specified criteria are approved by one or more users before being added.
Approval levels determine who decides. Each level has a name, a description, the number of required approvals and denials, the approvers, and the department. A level can be used in multiple templates. Multiple levels run in succession: First, the first level is approved, then the second. If a preliminary step fails, the subsequent step does not start.
The approval template combines these components. It has the tabs Create, Proofs, Steps, and Conditions. Under Proofs, the user marks all the proof levels that the approval process is intended to apply to. For example, a condition is a percentage discount with the ratio „greater than or equal to“. Only one of several conditions must be true. Additionally, a SQL query is possible that must return True. A checkbox controls whether the procedure also applies when updating proofs that were not created through the approval process.
In the workflow, the creator enters a note. The document is not yet added to the record; it is parked instead. The approver receives a message in the „Overview of messages/alerts“ section. His decision is initially set to „Pending.“ After that, he changes it to „Approved“ or „Rejected,“ with a note. The creator then receives a message. He revises the document or adds it permanently. The parked document remains with the „Closed“ status. Therefore, it is worth checking the list of parked documents from time to time. The status is shown in the approval status report and the approval report.
There are two guidelines for compliance. First, all users with write access must be the triggers for the process. Otherwise, the compliance rules can be circumvented. Therefore, new users must also be included in the process. Second, approvers must not be able to approve their own transactions. One way to achieve this is to require a higher number of necessary approvals.
Regardless of the approval process, an initial payment can be blocked for payment. The „Payment Block“ checkbox is located on the Accounting tab of the initial invoice. Alternatively, the block applies to all business partners (Business Partner Master Data • Payment System).
The document management cks.DMS has two separate processes. The first is the SAP approval process. The second is a small, dedicated DMS approval process for companies that do not use the SAP process. The DMS status is None, Pending, Approved, or Rejected. The initiator or a superuser can reset the status. In cks.WEB, approvers edit the „release documents“: they comment on, approve, or reject them. For this, the approval level additionally requires the user „CKS.DMS Server“.
Demarcation
The invoice approval is a decision by humans to approve an invoice. The 3-way matching compares the order, goods receipt and invoice in terms of content. The payment lock is a unique feature of the incoming invoice: it locks the invoice for payment. Related entries: Authorization process (SAP B1), authorization process (SAP Business One), authorization template (SAP Business One), invoice audit, 3-way matching, human-in-the-loop (AI).
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