1. September 12, 2011
Ariba Knowledge Nuggets
eProcurement — Configuring Approval Rules
Configurable approval rules are available in the following Ariba procurement and
invoicing solutions:
• The Ariba Procure-to-Pay™ solution package (Ariba Procure-to-Pay)
• The Ariba Invoice Professional™ solution package (Ariba Invoice Professional)
• The Ariba Procure-to-Order™ solution package (Ariba Procure-to-Order)
• The Ariba Services Procurement™ solution package (Ariba Services Procurement)
• The Ariba Travel and Expense™ solution package (Ariba Travel and Expense)
• The Ariba Procurement Content™ solution package (Ariba Procurement Content)
Configurable approval rules provide browser-based management of all aspects of
approval process creation and deployment. For each type of approvable document
(also referred to as an approvable), you can build a flow diagram of approval rules,
defining the conditions and actions for each rule. You can then test the approval
process by previewing approval flows generated for selected test approvables.
Configurable approval rules provide the following capabilities:
• Graphical representation of approval processes allows you to clearly see and
manipulate the behavior of approval rules.
• You can manage approval processes from one location in the user interface.
• Approval process management includes versioning and audit-tracking of successive
changes.
• A default set of predefined approval processes is available for you to use, copy, and
customize. You can also create new approval processes with simple or complex
behaviors.
• You can create approval processes for eForms.
• When defining each approval rule in an approval process, you can use predefined
conditions or build your own. You can base conditions on out-of-the-box fields, flex
fields, and flex master data associated with the approvable. (Flex master data is a
flexible data structure d signed specifically for your site.)
• You can configure approval rules to generate approval requests based on data in
an approver lookup table (formerly called CSV helper files or supporting files).
• You can filter generated approval requests using predefined filter rules such as
Remove Duplicates.
• Approvable edit rules let you configure the policy for editing approvables that have
already entered the approval process.
• You can configure the approval processes for collaborative requisitions (Ariba
Procure-to-Pay, Ariba Procure-to-Order) and shopping cart approval processes
(Ariba Procurement Content) to require that purchasing agents collaborate with a
minimum number of suppliers and receive their bids before completing the
purchasing process.

2. Every approval rule is
one of the
following types:
• Base Approval Rule
• Chain Rule
• Filter Rule
The general sequence of steps in the approval process is as follows:
1. When an approvable document is created, the Ariba system evaluates it against the approval rules for
that type of approvable.
2. The Ariba system generates an approval flow consisting of approval requests that specify who must
approve the document. If no approvals are required, the document is fully approved.
3. If approvals are required, the Ariba system sends email notifications to the first approvers, asking the
approvers to take action. The approvable document also appears in the approvers’ To Do content item on
the dashboard.
4. The first approvers approve or deny the approvable. The approvable cycles through these steps of the
approval process until all required approvers have acted.
In the standard approval flow, the Ariba system evaluates the approval rules only once, when the approvable
document is submitted. However, the standard approval flow can change in several ways:
• Users can modify the approval flow by adding or removing approvers. (For more information, see
the Ariba Procurement Getting Started User Guide.)
• Users can edit the approvable document. If a user changes an approvable document after
submission, the Ariba system uses edit rules (a type of approval rule) to determine if the changes
require reapprovals.
• If a user resubmits an approvable document, the Ariba system runs the approval rules again.
When an approval process is marked as active, it means that the Ariba system is currently using that
approval process for all approvables of that type. There can be multiple approval processes for any type of
approvable, but only one of the processes can be active at a time.

3. Types of Approvers
An approver is someone who must take action on an approvable document. When you create an approval
rule, you can specify any of the following as an approver.
Approver Description
User The simplest approver is a single user.
Group If the approver is a group, any person who is in that group can act as the approver.
Approver list An approver list is a collection of users and groups. The users and groups are combined
into a single approver, and any one of the users or group members can act as the
approver. Approver field path You can add an approver specified by a field in the
approvable or in an object specified in a column of a CSV file.
Note: Ariba strongly recommends that you do not use individual user names in approval rules. If you include the names
of specific users in your rules, your rules must change whenever your users change.
Approval Flows
Approval flows are generated whenever an approvable document is created. The approvable goes through the approval
process, and the Ariba system uses the approval process to generate an approval flow. The approval flow consists of
approval requests that specify who must approve the document.
Serial and Parallel Approvers
When there are multiple approvers, those approvers can be ordered in either of two ways:
Serial: Approver nodes for serial approvers are ordered from left to right in the approval flow. Each serial ap-
prover is notified only after the approvers to the left have approved the document.
Parallel: Approver nodes for parallel approvers are placed in parallel with each other vertically in the approval
flow. All approvers in parallel are simultaneously notified about the approvable document needing approval.