Viewing Approval Insights

PeopleSoft Approval Insights provides managers and administrators the ability to view and analyze approval data using PeopleSoft Insights visualizations.

Based on user privileges, a user can access the visualizations delivered on the following dashboards to monitor approval data:

(Managers) Approval Insights dashboard
(Administrators) Admin Approval Insights dashboard

Note:

The dashboards use the security defined on the Approval Insights Security Page display permitted data to the user.

The Approval Insights dashboards are built on the PeopleSoft Insights platform, which relies on an underlying analytics engine and search engine.

The Manager Approval Insights dashboard is built on approval data for a manager's direct and indirect reports and uses search index HCSC_APRV_INSIGHTS.
The Admin Approval Insights dashboard is built on approval data for the organization and uses search index HCSC_APR_ADM_INSIGHTS.

Prior to using the Approval Insights dashboards, you must first complete the setup configurations. For information on how to set up the Approval Insights tables, see Understanding How to Set Up the Approval Insights Dashboards

This topic lists common elements and controls and discusses the PeopleSoft Approval Insights dashboard.

Understanding PeopleSoft Insights

PeopleSoft Insights is an analytical engine that provides visual reports (visualizations) in the form of charts, tables, graphs and so on. The visualizations are based on queries that retrieve data from the PeopleSoft Search Framework.

These videos provide an overview of the PeopleSoft Insights feature:

Video: Insights with PeopleSoft

Video: PeopleSoft HCM Insights

Video: Image Highlights, PeopleSoft HCM Update Image 51; Approval Insights for Managers

For information on Insights dashboards, see:

Understanding PeopleSoft Insights Using PeopleSoft Search Framework
PeopleTools Search Technology: “Monitoring PeopleSoft Search Framework and OpenSearch” and “Working with Insights Dashboards for PeopleSoft Application Data” documentation.

Pages Used to View Approval Insights

Page Name	Definition Name	Usage
Approval Insights Tile (for Managers)	HC_APRV_INSIGHTS_FL (this is the cref for the tile)	As a manager, access and view analytics related to approval requests that fall under your hierarchy.
Approval Insights Dashboard (for Managers)	HC_APRV_INSIGHTS_FL	As a manager, review and analyze approval data that falls under your management using visualizations.
Admin Approval Insights Tile	HC_ADM_APPROVAL_INSIGHTS_LP_FL (this is the cref for the tile)	As an administrator, access and view analytics related to approval requests for the organization.
Admin Approval Insights Dashboard	HC_ADMIN_APRV_INSIGHTS_FL	As an administrator, review and analyze approval data for the organization using visualizations.

Common Elements and Controls

This section lists the common elements and controls that are used in Insights analytics.

When you select filters or chart items, or modify the date range, PeopleSoft Insights dynamically updates all visualizations using the source from the index.

Note:

For optimal performance, only the first 500 rows of data are displayed on the Insights dashboard. Use filters to refine the set of data you wish to visualize using the dashboard.

For more information on working with PeopleSoft Insights and filters, see PeopleTools: Search Technology, “Working with Insights Dashboards for PeopleSoft Application Data” documentation.

Search and Filter Options:

Note:

Filtering options apply to all visualizations, which allows users to drill down on all the charts at once.

Field of Control	Definition
Search field	Enter a query to filter data, if applicable.
(Change all filters) and + Add filter icon and link	Enter criteria to filter data on the visualizations. You can apply filters in a number of ways: Enter queries in the Search field. Use the + Add filter link to create filters using fields, operators and field values. Use delivered filter fields. Select a chart item from a visualization. Use the filter options in the within the grids to add or exclude items. Use the legend to add or exclude items. Added filters are displayed next to the + Add filter link for reference. For example, when you click a chart item, the filter is automatically added to your filters list. When you click a chart item, such as the bar item for requests by manager, the system will prompt you to add the supervisor's name and the approval status. since this item consists of more than one filter. Click this icon (Change all filters) for a list of actions that can be performed on all filters. For example, disable them temporarily, remove them permanently, or invert inclusion (show data that does not meet filter criteria). Select a filter item for a list of similar actions that can be performed on it individually.
(Calendar) or Show dates icon and link	Click to select a different time period for the analytics that falls within the look back period defined during setup. You can enter dates manually, or choose from commonly used date ranges provided the system as well as recently used selections. When a new period is selected, all visualizations are refreshed automatically to reflect that change. If you have selected a commonly used date range, for example, This week, or Last 30 days, click the Show dates link to view the approximate date period in relation to the current date. For example, the current date is November 1 and the selected date range is Year to date. Clicking the Show dates link displays ~ 10 months ago —> now, which indicates that the selected date range started from approximately 10 months ago and ends on the current date.

Field of Control

Definition

Search field

Enter a query to filter data, if applicable.

(Change all filters) and + Add filter icon and link

Enter criteria to filter data on the visualizations. You can apply filters in a number of ways:

Enter queries in the Search field.
Use the + Add filter link to create filters using fields, operators and field values.
Use delivered filter fields.
Select a chart item from a visualization.
Use the filter options in the within the grids to add or exclude items.
Use the legend to add or exclude items.

Added filters are displayed next to the + Add filter link for reference. For example, when you click a chart item, the filter is automatically added to your filters list. When you click a chart item, such as the bar item for requests by manager, the system will prompt you to add the supervisor's name and the approval status. since this item consists of more than one filter.

Click this icon (Change all filters) for a list of actions that can be performed on all filters. For example, disable them temporarily, remove them permanently, or invert inclusion (show data that does not meet filter criteria). Select a filter item for a list of similar actions that can be performed on it individually.

(Calendar) or Show dates icon and link

Click to select a different time period for the analytics that falls within the look back period defined during setup. You can enter dates manually, or choose from commonly used date ranges provided the system as well as recently used selections. When a new period is selected, all visualizations are refreshed automatically to reflect that change.

If you have selected a commonly used date range, for example, This week, or Last 30 days, click the Show dates link to view the approximate date period in relation to the current date. For example, the current date is November 1 and the selected date range is Year to date. Clicking the Show dates link displays ~ 10 months ago —> now, which indicates that the selected date range started from approximately 10 months ago and ends on the current date.

Visualization Options:

When you pause over a visualization, the Options and Legend icons (if applicable) are displayed on the top right and bottom left corners respectively. Use them to inspect the chart or table and view the details of that visualization and toggle the legend display.

Field or Control	Definition
(Options) icon	Click the Options icon to select one of these options: Inspect: Select this option to have a slide out page appear providing the details in a grid format. You can also download data from this page. Maximize panel or Minimize: Select Maximize panel to have the page display this visualization in full screen. Select Minimize to return to the dashboard and display all visualizations.
(Toggle legend) icon	Click this icon to hide or display the legend for the chart, if available. You can click an item in the legend to change its color, or add it as a filter (if applicable).
Chart item (bar, pie slice, and so forth)	Pause over a chart item, such as a bar item or pie slice, to view a summary of details for that item. Select a chart item to add a filter for it to apply to all visualizations.

Field or Control

Definition

(Options) icon

Click the Options icon to select one of these options:

Inspect: Select this option to have a slide out page appear providing the details in a grid format. You can also download data from this page.
Maximize panel or Minimize: Select Maximize panel to have the page display this visualization in full screen. Select Minimize to return to the dashboard and display all visualizations.

(Toggle legend) icon

Click this icon to hide or display the legend for the chart, if available.

You can click an item in the legend to change its color, or add it as a filter (if applicable).

Chart item (bar, pie slice, and so forth)

Pause over a chart item, such as a bar item or pie slice, to view a summary of details for that item.

Select a chart item to add a filter for it to apply to all visualizations.

Approval Insights Tile (for Managers)

Managers use the Approval Insights tile to access and view analytics related to approval requests that fall under their hierarchy.

Navigation:

The Approval Insights tile is located on the Manager Self Service Homepage.

This example illustrates the Approval Insights tile.

This tile displays the number of pending approval requests for all approvers under the logged in manager’s hierarchy.

Select this tile to access the Approval Insights Dashboard (for Managers) and analyze visualizations related to approval information.

Approval Insights Dashboard (for Managers)

Managers use the Approval Insights dashboard to review and analyze approval data that falls under your management using visualizations.

Navigation:

Manager Self Service homepage, and then Approval Insights tile
Select the Manager Approval Insights option from the Insights Catalog Navigation Collection.

Note:

You must be assigned the Manager role to view this dashboard.

This example illustrates the Approval Insights dashboard (1 of 3).

This example illustrates the Approval Insights dashboard (2 of 3).

This example illustrates the Approval Insights dashboard (3 of 3).

WARNING:

PeopleSoft Insights dashboards may not render properly if you access them using unsupported platforms.

Approval Insights - Filters

This section contains the following filters to sort data.

Field or Control	Description
Filters: Manager Functional Category Approval Transaction Approver Transaction Group	Filters are applied by the order of filter fields. For example, by manager, followed by functional category, then by approval transaction, then so on.

Field or Control

Description

Filters:

Manager
Functional Category
Approval Transaction
Approver
Transaction Group

Filters are applied by the order of filter fields. For example, by manager, followed by functional category, then by approval transaction, then so on.

For a list of common filter controls available for the Admin Approval Insights dashboard, see the Common Elements and Controls section in this documentation.

Approval Insights - Visualizations

The Approval Insights dashboard provides you with the following collection of interactive visualizations to view and analyze approval data based on permissions, the criteria specified and Approval Insights setup (see Setting Up Approval Insights Tables).

Visualization	Description
Metrics: Pending Requests Approved Requests Denied Requests Terminated Requests Cancelled Requests Pushed Back Requests	These panels display a count of the specified approval statuses that fall within in the specified filter criteria.
Rollup of Pending Approval Request by Manager horizontal bar chart	This visualization displays the count of pending requests with the approvers in the logged manager’s hierarchy.
Pending Approval Requests by Approver horizontal bar chart	This visualization displays the number of pending approval requests by approver. It shows the top five (5) approvers with the highest number of requests first. Select the Other Approvers bar to view the next set of five approvers. Selecting this will update the entire dashboard, excluding approvers that appear with the higher number count.
Filters Days Since Created Functional Category Approval Transaction Manager Approver Requestor	This panel displays filters similar to those at the top of the page. Select filters and select the Apply changes button to update the visuals. See also Common Elements and Controls.
Count of Open Approval Requests grid	This grid displays the number of requests for an approval transaction and an approver. Select the Notify Approver link to send the approver a reminder to review the request.
Open Approval Request Details grid	This grid displays details on open approval requests, including the transaction type, approver, requestor, date of submission, and the number of days that have passed since the request was made. You can review the approval chain for a request as well as notify the approver to review the individual request.
Approval Request by Functional Category horizontal bar chart	This visualization displays the number of pending cancelled, denied, and terminated approval requests by categories. The functional categories are defined on the Define Functional Category Page and Map Functional Category Page. It shows the top five (5) categories with the highest number of requests first. Select the Other Categories bar to view the next set of five categories. Selecting this will update the entire dashboard, excluding categories that appear with the higher number count.
Pending Approval Requests by Transaction horizontal bar chart	This visualization displays the number of pending cancelled, denied, and terminated approval requests by transaction. It shows the top five (5) transactions with the highest number of requests first. Select the Other Categories bar to view the next set of five categories. Selecting this will update the entire dashboard, excluding categories that appear with the higher number count.
Average Time to Complete horizontal bar chart	This visualization displays the average number of days it takes to approve requests, sorted by approval transaction type. The list shows the top ten highest durations.
Transaction Pending Approvals tag cloud	This tag cloud visualization displays the pending approval transactions. The bigger the font size, the larger the number of pending requests are associated with the transaction type. This tag cloud helps easily filter the entire dashboard by a specific pending approval type.
Approvals Requests Trend by Transaction graph	This visualization shows approval request trends by month and year (as of January 1), comparing how many approval requests have been submitted for a specific approval transaction. By default, the dashboard shows the last year of data.

Admin Approval Insights Tile

Administrators use the Admin Approval Insights tile to access and view analytics related to approval requests for the organization.

Navigation:

You can use personalizations to add the Admin Approval Insights tile to a homepage.

Note:

You must be assigned the HR Administrator role to access the tile.

This example illustrates the Admin Approval Insights tile.

This tile displays the number of pending approval requests for all approvers viewable to the logged in administrator.

Select this tile to access the Admin Approval Insights Dashboard.

Admin Approval Insights Dashboard

Administrators use the Admin Approval Insights dashboard to review and analyze approval data for the organization using visualizations.

Navigation

Select the Admin Approval Insights option from the Insights Catalog Navigation Collection.

Note:

You must be assigned the Ins Cat Admin Approval Insight role to access the dashboard through Insights Catalog.
Select the Admin Approval Insights tile from the homepage you have added the tile

Note:

You must be assigned the HR Administrator role to access the dashboard through the tile. Use personalizations to add the tile to a homepage.

This example illustrates the Admin Approval Insights dashboard (1 of 7).

This example illustrates the Admin Approval Insights dashboard (2 of 7).

This example illustrates the Admin Approval Insights dashboard (3 of 7).

This example illustrates the Admin Approval Insights dashboard (4 of 7).

This example illustrates the Admin Approval Insights dashboard (5 of 7).

This example illustrates the Admin Approval Insights dashboard (6 of 7).

This example illustrates the Admin Approval Insights dashboard (7 of 7).

WARNING:

PeopleSoft Insights dashboards may not render properly if you access them using unsupported platforms.

Admin Approval Insights - Filters

This section contains the following filters to sort data.

Field or Control	Description
Filters: Business Unit Department Location Functional Category Transaction Group Approval Process Requestor Request Status Approver Approver Status Manager of Approver Delegation Available?	Filters are applied by the order of filter fields. For example, by business unit, followed by department, then by location, then so on.

Field or Control

Description

Filters:

Business Unit
Department
Location
Functional Category
Transaction Group
Approval Process
Requestor
Request Status
Approver
Approver Status
Manager of Approver
Delegation Available?

Filters are applied by the order of filter fields. For example, by business unit, followed by department, then by location, then so on.

For a list of common filter controls available for the Admin Approval Insights dashboard, see the Common Elements and Controls section in this documentation.

Admin Approval Insights - Approval StatusMetrics

The metrics panel provides you with the following metric counts by approval statuses based on the filter criteria.

Visualization	Description
Approval Status Metric: Pending Requests Awaiting Further Approvals - Requests Complete - Requests Approved - Requests Cancelled - Requests Denied - Requests Terminated - Requests	This panel displays a count of the different approval statuses that fall within the specified filter criteria.

Visualization

Description

Approval Status Metric:

Pending Requests
Awaiting Further Approvals - Requests
Complete - Requests
Approved - Requests
Cancelled - Requests
Denied - Requests
Terminated - Requests

This panel displays a count of the different approval statuses that fall within the specified filter criteria.

Performance and Efficiency Visualizations

The Performance and Efficiency section provides you with the following collection of interactive visualizations to gauge the overall speed of the approval process, measuring how effectively requests are moving through the system.

Visualization	Description
Average Days to Complete (By Department) horizontal bar graph	This visualization displays how long, on average, each department takes to complete the approval process.
Average Days to Complete by Approver horizontal bar graph	This visualization displays how long, on average, each approver takes to complete the approval process.

Workload Management Visualizations

The Workload Management section provides you with the following collection of interactive visualizations to monitor current workload, understand where volume is concentrated, and detect potential workflow inefficiency and seasonal patterns n the approval process.

Visualization	Description
Pending Requests metric	Displays a count of all pending request.
Approval Status by Department horizontal bar graph	This visualization displays a count of approvals by status for each department. The list displays departments by the largest number of approvals to smallest. Select a bar from the Other Departments item to view more departments.
Monthly Approval Request Submission by Department (Rolling One Year Basis) chart	This visualization displays which department had the highest number of approvals submitted for the month over the last 12 months. The count boxes appear dark when more requests re submitted.
Top Approval Processes tag cloud	This tag cloud visualization displays the pending approval transactions. The bigger the font size, the larger the number of pending requests are associated with the transaction type. This tag cloud helps easily filter the entire dashboard by a specific pending approval type.
Approval Request Submission Over Time graph	This visualization shows approval request trends by month and year (as of January 1), comparing how many approval requests have been submitted for a specific approval transaction. By default, the dashboard shows the last 10 years of data.
Pending Approval Requests by Manager horizontal bar chart	This visualization displays the number of pending approval requests by manager. It shows the top five (5) managers with the highest number of requests first. Select the Other Managers bar to view the next set of five managers. Selecting this will update the entire dashboard, excluding managers that appear with the higher number count.
Denied Requests by Department horizontal bar chart	This visualization displays the number of denied approval requests by department to help identify which departments are rejecting requests most often. It shows the top departments with the highest number of denied requests first.
Filters	This panel displays filters similar to those at the top of the page. Select filters and select the Apply changes button to update the visuals.

Approval Data Grid

This section displays a detailed grid of employee's that meet the visualization specifications.

Field or Control	Description
(export) icon Raw Formatted	Select to export data from the grid into a .csv file format.
Sort column heading	Select a column heading to sort grid rows by the column value in ascending or descending order.
(Filter for value) and (Filter out value) icons	These filter icons appear when you pause next to a field value. These icons are available for all column values in the grid and provide a quick way to add filters to the analytics. Select the Filter for value (+) icon to add the shown field value as a filter to all visualizations. For example, if you select to filter for a Department value, all visualizations will refresh to show employees for that department. Select the Filter out value (-) icon to remove the shown field value from the filter process for all visualizations. For example, if you select to filter out the Human Resources value in the Department column, visualizations will refresh to show information for all departments except Human Resources. Filters can be removed from the Filters area at the top of the page.
View Approval Chain link	View the approvers and status of a request.