1. Applications Specialist/ Trainer
Approval Chains
Bryce Ellis
Applications Specialist/ Trainer

2. Approval Chains Use Approval Chains to Approve: Purchase Orders
Budget Requests/ Transfers
Payroll Salary Changes
Payments
Bids
Warehouse Orders
Advanced Purchases
P-Cards

3. Prerequisites for Approval Chains
Planning
Identify how you want your chain to function
3 ways to set up
Location
Account
User

4. Approval Chain by Location
Plan your approval chain
User defined codes, levels, and dollar minimums
Requisitioner
Fiscal Activities Clerk
Principal
Purchasing
Over $50,000?
-- Location name and Number is defined in the Location Master
Unique Name for the Approval chain that will be set up in the approval chain form
Approval level that will be set up in the approval chain form
Names, codes, and dollar minimums that will be set up in the approval code master form
YES
Superintendent NO
Approved PO

5. Create Approval Codes – FMAPP01A.FMX
Once chains are planned, key data into Alio
First step is to define approval codes & descriptions – are user defined
Include dollar amount minimum

6. Create User Approvers – FMAPP02A.FMX
Assign user approval codes to Alio users
Note: do not assign a User ID to Approval Code PO

7. Create Approval Chains
Approval Level indicates order in which transaction is approved
Leave room for detours
Final level MUST be Approval Code PO
PO Level indicates the transaction is fully approved and ready for edit

8. Copy Approval Chains – FMAPP03A.FMX
Select the approval chain you want to copy
Create a new name for the chain
Can create new or overwrite existing
Existing approval chain being overwritten – selected AUTO in the TO box

9. Copy Approval Chains – FMAPP03A.FMX
Create new approval chain
Allows new user defined approval chain name in “To” field
Created new here – this

10. Copy Approval Chains – FMAPP03A.FMX
After re-query, approval chain is copied with new name

11. Approval Chain by Location – Location Master FMLOC01A.FMX
Enter the approval chain in the Location Master
You can key different approval chains depending on the transaction type

12. Approval Chain by Location
When 8800 Location is used in the requisition, it will follow this approval chain

13. Approval Chain by Location
When the requisition is finished, the approval chain will show the status of the requisition in the approval process

14. Approval Chain by User Chain used for all transactions keyed by user
Overrides a location chain
Merges with an account chain
Torchy’s High School - TRCHYHS
Fiscal Activities Clerk
PURC 10
Torchy’s Principal
TRCP 20
Purchasing 2
PUR2 30
Superintendent
SUPT 40
$50,000
Ready for Print PO 99
Bryce Ellis
ELLISBRD
(Used in Example
on following slide)
Amy Neal
ANEAL
Cindy Zediker
CINDYZ
You can key different approval chains depending on the transaction type

15. Approval Chain by User User ELLISBRD enters requisition
Will follow TRCHYHS for all requisitions
You can key different approval chains depending on the transaction type

16. Approval Chain by Account
Account approval chain is typically a detour in the chain
Location or user chains are generated – this detours to a different department
Example: Technology is involved in the requisition process when technology-specific accounts are involved

17. Approval Chain by Account
Requisitioner
Fiscal Activities Clerk
YES
Technology
IT Director NO
Principal
Purchasing
Over $50,000?
YES
Example of how Approval chain would look with technology director involved in it
Superintendent NO
Approved PO

18. Approval Chain by Account
Technology detour needed for this account

19. Approval Chain by Account
Account number has Technology (TECH) for its approval chain – REQ keyed by user at 8800 location
Account in requisition

20. Approval Chain by Account
Technology is now involved in this approval chain for this requisition based on the location keyed for the requisition and the detour for this account approval chain
Technology was inserted into this process

21. Multiple Account Chains
Enter two approval chains in chart of accounts
Alio merges the two chains with the location chain (if location chain exists)
“TEXTBOOKS” is the account used here

22. Multiple Account Chains
Location without approval chain entered

23. Multiple Account Chains
Transaction is entered using “Textbook” Account

24. Multiple Account Chains
Approval chains have merged together based on their levels
20 & 30 Level
25 Level

25. Auto Approval Chain
Approval chain that automatically approves transactions – uses PO Approval Code
Will not auto approve if the transaction uses an account with a chain

26. Mass Load Approval Chains – FMACT13A.FMX
Mass load approval chains into accounts using account masks

27. Mass Approval – SSAPP01A.FMX
Mass Approval Screen to see all requisitions, budget transfers, etc.

28. Mass Approval – SSAPP01A.FMX
Clicking on “Details” brings up linked approval screen

29. Organization Master Settings
Approve Stipend Vendors
Typically vendor or vendor you intend to use once
Requires user to approve as stipend or approve as vendor before transaction begins approval process
Approve Each Level
Requires each approval code to approve transaction in sequential order
Cannot approve at a higher level to auto approve lower levels
Approve Each Level – Example: Finance enters requisition – it will then go back to secretary, principal (each level even though they’re behind in the chain) for approval

30. Approve Stipend Vendors
In the Users screen, check the box “Req. Stipend App.” to designate the Alio user as a Stipend Vendor approver

31. Stipend Vendor Approval
If a vendor is a stipend vendor, enter ST as the vendor category in the vendor master
This is drive by the Vendor Types – ST is listed as a stipend vendor

32. Stipend Vendor Approval
When entering a requisition, choose the stipend vendor from the Vendor Master

33. Stipend Vendor Approval
Requisition enterer will see the status as “Needs Approval by Stipend”

34. Stipend Vendor Approval
When submitted, the approver (Req. Stipend App.) will first have to approve this as a stipend vendor before it goes through the approval process

35. Stipend Vendor Approval
Be careful: If your stipend approver is not first in your approval chain or they are a higher approval level than some of the current links, AND “Approve Each Level” is not turned on in the organization master, some links will be skipped in the process

36. Notification s
Organization Master – Set up SMTP port for notifications
Select which items you want approvers to receive notifications for

37. Notification s
Employee No. in Users must be linked to employee number in the Employee Master – will send to address on file

38. Resources Resource ID 4566 in InfoLink
Guide to Requisitions and Purchasing (Chapter 2)