R12 AP Invoice Approval Workflow Process - Line Level Approval

ABSTRACT

This document explains the new feature line level invoice approval introduced in R12. This document assumes that audience has exposure to invoice approval work flow and AME setup required for invoice approval work flow in Release 11i.

In earlier releases we have Header level invoice approval. After introduction of invoice lines in R12, Invoice approval work flow has been enhanced to introduce invoice line level approval. This document explains the features of new invoice approval work flow, the tables and packages involved.

In R12, invoice approval work flow mainly involves the following concurrent programs, work flow and tables.

AP_WORKFLOW_PKG - aphanwfs.pls, aphanwfb.pls

apfhanwf.wft - APINVAPR (AP Invoice Approval)

AP_INV_APRVL_HIST_ALL, AP_APINV_APPROVERS

R12 INVOICE APPROVAL WORKFLOW PROCESS - LINE LEVEL APPROVAL

With introduction of Invoice Lines in R12, Invoice approval work flow has been enhanced to include Invoice lines approval also.

Based on rules setup for Payables Invoice Approval Transaction Type in AME, the work flow determines if the invoice Header (Invoice document) needs approval or invoice lines need approval or both.

Invoice document and all lines requiring approval should be approved before the invoice can be paid. If both invoice lines and document need to be approved, all the lines of the invoice requiring approval must be approved before the invoice document can be approved.

Invoice approval status is derived from approval status maintained at invoice header level and  approval status maintained at invoice line level.

The item class provided in defining rule in AME would determine whether this rule effects the invoice document approval or invoice line approval. If item class is given as Header, this rule would govern the invoice document approval and if given as Line Item, would govern the invoice line approval.

Rest all setups in AME are same as the setups in R11i.

Invoice approval work flow can be submitted through actions window in Invoice work bench or through standard request Invoice Approval Work flow Program.

Once the invoice approval work flow is initiated, invoice document approval history can be viewed through View Invoice approval history tab under reports and invoice line approval history through View Line approval history tab under reports in invoice workbench. This window shows all the approvers, future approvers as per rules setup in AME, approved amount, notification response etc.

View Invoice approval history is enabled only when we navigate to Headers region of invoice workbench. Data shown in this form is based on data from table AP_INV_APRVL_HIST_ALL. The approval context shows whether this particular line is derived from Document approval rule or line level approval rule setup in AME. Approval context of Invoice approval stand for approval line derived from Document approval rule and approval context of Invoice Line Approval stand for approval line derived from line level approval rule.

View Line approval history is enabled only when we navigate to lines region of invoice workbench. This form shows the line level approval context of respective lines.Data shown in this form is based on data from table AP_APINV_APPROVERS.

So, unlike to R11i, we have 2 history tables for invoice approval in R12. AP_APINV_APPROVERS which stores the line level approval history and AP_INV_APRVL_HIST_ALL which stores both Header and line level history.

And apart from above, the work flow item key has been changed from APINV to APINVAPR (AP Invoice approval released thru apfhanwf.wft) in R12.

Following are the main nodes and activities defined in APINVAPR workflow.

1) Header level requirements are checked.

2) Line level requirements are checked.

3) Get line level approvers based on rules setup in AME for line level approver.

4) Launch approval notifications for all line level approvers. This process should be continued till we reach the end of line level approvers determined by AME. As soon as notifications are responded, corresponding history tables are updated.

5) Once all the invoice lines are approved, get header level approver based on rules setup in AME for invoice header.

6) Launch approval notifications for all header level approvers. This process should be continued till we reach the end of line level approvers determined by AME. As soon as notifications are responded, corresponding history tables are updated.

7)  Once all lines and Header is approved, invoice status gets changed to WFAPPROVED.

All the activities handled by various nodes of APINVAPR work flow is being controlled by AP_WORKFLOW_PKG. AP_WORKFLOW_PKG in turn calls the AME packages to identify the approvers.

Note: Line-level approval is available for  invoices that are matched to a purchase order.  The line level approval work-flow is designed to work for PO matched lines only.