Understanding Header- and Line-Level Approvals

Many PeopleSoft transactions have a top-level record (known as a header) with keys that uniquely identify a single transaction in an application. In addition to the header record, a transaction may also contain a more detailed line level record (known as line-level).

The Approval Framework process uses an application’s header keys to correlate approval processes and application transactions. For example, when you open an application transaction, the Approval Framework enables you to submit the request for approval only if you haven’t already submitted it. This check is possible because the system correlates the application header keys with the approval process instance keys.

If a particular transaction supports line level processing, an analyst can configure the approval process so that different line-items in the same request follow different routes.

You can deny some lines of the request and approve others, making line-level approvals independent for each line. For example, a request can contain multiple lines, and you might want to use special approvers for certain lines based on their area of expertise.

An Approval Framework process might have mixed header and line-level approval routings. For example, department managers might exercise budgetary control over the request as a whole, while commodity approvers still examine only those line-items which fall within their expertise. Final approval requires both types of approvers to sign off on the request.

When a request is approved, the Approval Framework notifies the application, which then takes source end actions:

• End actions.

  An approval of one transaction often leads to the creation of another transaction, or triggers another business process. The Approval Framework supports this trigger by providing a call-back mechanism for event notification. For example, when a requisition is approved, it can be sourced—an action follows final approval, which is the end action.

• Line-level versus header-level end actions.

  Use line-level approvals to make it possible for an action to be taken on different line items upon their approval, without waiting for the approval of other line items in the requisition. You can source line items as soon as they are approved.

  This action is possible only if line-level approval routings are at the end of the process and require no further review. In this case, the application can act on the individual lines as they get approved. The Approval Framework notifies the application of significant approval-related events.

  Header actions allow the transaction lines to be grouped together and processed as one unit.