Approval Workflows
Business Central's built-in workflow engine routes documents for approval before they're posted. Learn how to set up native workflows, configure notifications, and manage approval user groups.
Why approval workflows?
Approval workflows are like a signature chain on a paper form.
Before Business Central, Raj at Summit Distribution had to print a purchase order, walk it to his manager’s desk for a signature, then walk it to finance for a second signature. If the manager was on holiday, the PO sat on the desk for days.
With workflows, Raj creates a PO in Business Central and clicks “Send Approval Request.” His manager gets a notification, reviews it on their phone, and approves with one click. If the amount exceeds a threshold, it automatically routes to finance too. No paper, no walking, no delays.
Workflow components
Every workflow has three parts:
| Component | What It Does | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Event (When) | Triggers the workflow | ”A purchase order approval is requested” |
| Condition (If) | Optional filter that must be true | ”Amount > $5,000” |
| Response (Then) | Action taken when triggered | ”Send approval request to direct approver” |
Workflow templates
Business Central ships with pre-built workflow templates for common scenarios:
- Purchase order approval
- Sales invoice approval
- Purchase invoice approval
- General journal batch approval
- Customer credit limit approval
- Vendor payment approval
To use a template:
- Open Workflows (Tell Me > “Workflows”)
- Select New Workflow from Template
- Choose a template
- Customise the conditions and responses
- Enable the workflow
Exam tip: Templates vs custom workflows
The exam expects you to know:
- Templates are starting points — you almost always customise them
- You can create workflows from scratch, but templates save time
- A workflow must be Enabled to start processing events
- Only ONE enabled workflow can respond to the same event (avoid conflicts)
- Disabled workflows don’t process events but retain their configuration
Setting up approval users
Before workflows can route approvals, you need to define who approves what.
Approval User Setup
Open Approval User Setup (Tell Me > “Approval User Setup”):
| Field | Purpose |
|---|---|
| User ID | The user who needs approval (the requester) |
| Approver ID | Who approves their requests |
| Sales Amount Approval Limit | Max amount this user can approve for sales |
| Purchase Amount Approval Limit | Max amount this user can approve for purchases |
| Unlimited Sales Approval | Can approve any sales amount |
| Unlimited Purchase Approval | Can approve any purchase amount |
| Substitute | Who handles approvals when the approver is absent |
Example at Summit Distribution:
| User | Approver | Purchase Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Nina (Purchasing) | Raj (Ops Lead) | $0 (all POs need approval) |
| Raj (Ops Lead) | CFO | $10,000 |
| CFO | (unlimited) | Unlimited |
When Nina creates a $3,000 PO, it goes to Raj. When Raj creates a $15,000 PO, it goes to the CFO.
Workflow user groups
For scenarios where multiple people can approve (any one of them, not all), create Workflow User Groups:
- Open Workflow User Groups (Tell Me > “Workflow User Groups”)
- Create a group (e.g., “Finance Approvers”)
- Add members with their sequence numbers
- In the workflow, set the response to route to the group instead of an individual
| Group Use Case | Members |
|---|---|
| Finance Approvers (any one can approve) | Olivia, Marcus, CFO |
| Executive Approvers (sequential chain) | Department Head → CFO → CEO |
Setting up notifications
Approval requests need notifications — otherwise nobody knows they have something to approve.
Notification setup
Open Notification Setup (from the Approval User Setup page):
| Setting | Options |
|---|---|
| Notification Type | Approval, Overdue |
| Notification Method | Email, Note (in-app) |
| Schedule | Instantly, Daily digest, Weekly digest |
| Recurrence | When to send digest (specific time and day) |
Best practice: Set approval notifications to Instantly and overdue notifications to Daily digest. Approvers need to know immediately when something needs their attention.
Email vs in-app notes
| Method | Best For | Requires |
|---|---|---|
| Users not always in BC, mobile approvals | Email account configured in BC | |
| Note (in-app) | Users who live in BC all day | Nothing extra — built-in |
The approval flow in action
Here’s what happens when Raj sends a purchase order for approval:
- Raj creates a PO for $8,000 and clicks Send Approval Request
- The workflow checks: is there an enabled PO approval workflow? Yes.
- The workflow checks conditions: amount > $5,000? Yes (Raj’s limit requires approval above $5K).
- Response: send approval request to Raj’s approver (the CFO).
- The CFO receives an email notification with the PO details.
- The PO status changes to Pending Approval — Raj can’t post it.
- The CFO reviews and clicks Approve.
- The PO status changes back to Open — Raj can now post it.
If the CFO clicks Reject, Raj gets a notification with the rejection reason. If the CFO is on holiday, the request routes to the Substitute approver.
What happens with delegation?
When an approver is unavailable:
- Substitute approver — defined in Approval User Setup. Requests automatically route to the substitute.
- Delegate action — the approver can manually delegate a specific request to someone else.
- Overdue notifications — if no one acts within a configured timeframe, overdue notifications are sent.
The workflow can also be configured with approval limits. If a document exceeds the approver’s limit, it automatically escalates to the next level.
Knowledge check
Nina creates a purchase order for $12,000. Her approval limit is $0 (everything needs approval), and her approver is Raj with a $10,000 limit. What happens when she sends the approval request?
Sam wants to set up a purchase order approval workflow at Nordic Manufacturing. He finds a pre-built template for PO approval. What must he do before enabling it?
🎬 Video coming soon
Next up: Your company is configured with users, security, dimensions, and workflows. Let’s explore how Business Central connects to the broader Microsoft ecosystem — Excel, Outlook, Teams, and Power Platform.