Error Messages for Approval Workflows
You can configure error messages to display under certain conditions during the approval process for Vision records.
An error message prevents the approval process from proceeding until certain information is added or modified for a record. This ensures that certain information is being entered for the approval record as it navigates through the approval process.
Configuring an Error Message for an Approval Workflow
In the Step Action grid on the Workflow tab in , you can specify an error message and the conditions under which it displays for an approval step of an approval workflow.
The following types of actions for approval steps allow you to set up error messages:
- Validate Error at Start — This action applies only for the first step of an approval workflow. A Validate Error at Start action displays an error message and prevents an approval workflow from starting unless certain conditions are met when a user enters a record and clicks Submit. For example, for AP invoice approvals, you might want to require that an invoice number be entered before an AP invoice can be submitted. For absence requests, you might want the approval process to begin only if less than 160 hours are entered for the absence request.
- Validate Error — This action applies for any step of an approval workflow. A Validate Error action displays an error message and prevents an approval process from progressing to the next step unless certain conditions are met before an approver clicks Approve for a record. For example, you can have an error display when an approver leaves the AP invoice number blank or the invoice amount is less than or equal to zero.
You enter the text for the error messages in the Description field in the Step Actions grid on the Workflow tab.
When You Receive a Validate Error Message during an Approval Process
When you submit or approve a record and you receive a validate error message, you must enter the required missing information or modify existing information to match the required conditions before the approval process can continue.
For the Validate Error action type, the record status must be In Review or In Progress before you can make the necessary changes.
If an Approval Administrator Edits an Approval Workflow while there are In-Progress Approval Records
When an approval administrator edits an approval workflow in (using the Edit Workflow button on the Workflow tab) and there are in-progress records that still must be approved: The approval process is restarted for the in-progress records. If the revised approval workflow has steps with Validate Error at Start or Validate Error actions, validation errors are possible when the approval workflow restarts. In this scenario, the approval administrator receives an Errors Encountered message when he or she saves the changes for the approval workflow. The Errors Encountered dialog box identifies the records that need to be reviewed and resubmitted. The approval administrator can click the Notify Submitter button on the Errors Encountered dialog box to send automated email messages to each employee who needs to review and resubmit records. The email message sent to each employee contains only the records that apply specifically to them, and the message has hyperlinks to open the records that must be reviewed and resubmitted.