Approval Chains are hierarchical routing structures that direct requisitions to the appropriate approvers, based on dollar value. A requisition moves through the chain, until it is approved by a user or group with an Approval Level high enough, to cover the requisition's cost.
Management of these chains is limited to users with the Community Administrator or Approval Administrator role.
Navigating to Approval Chains
To manage chains, go to the Administration module > Approvals > Chains tab.
Adding Approval Chains
Create a New Chain: Click the three dots (ellipsis) on the right side of the screen, select Add Approval Chain, enter a name, and click +Add Approver.
Add Approvers: When adding approvers to a chain, you must order them from the lowest Approval Level to the highest. You can assign a specific User or an Approval Group. Once completed, select Add (twice).
You can also watch a short video on how to add approval chains:
Add an Approver to the Middle of an Existing Chain
If the new approver's limit is lower than the current highest level, you must "shift" the existing approvers upward manually:
Identify Desired Approval Chain and select Edit.
Identify the Starting Point: Find the approver who is currently one level higher than the person you want to add. Click Edit next to their name.
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Overwrite the Slot: In the pop-up window, take note of the current user's name and level (you will need this for the next step).
Edit the user and level to the new approver's information and click OK.
Shift Subsequent Approvers: Repeat this process for every person further up the chain. You are essentially moving each existing person one "slot" higher, by editing the entry above them.
Finalize the Chain: Once you reach the very top of the chain, click Add Approver to re-insert the final, highest-level approver that was "pushed out" during the shifting process.
Summary of Logic
Because the system appends new entries to the bottom, adding someone to the middle requires you to rename existing slots. And then add a new slot at the end, for the person who used to be at the top.
Modify Existing Chains
You can Edit or Delete chains, using the options next to the chain name.
Important Implementation Rules for Import/Exports
Approver vs. Group: You must populate either the Approver column or the Group column for each row, but never both for the same step.
Sequence Matters: If you have multiple approvers at the same Approval Level, the system will build the chain based on the order (top-to-bottom) in which they appear in your file.
Pre-requisites: Before importing this file, ensure that all Approval Levels and Approval Groups referenced in the spreadsheet have already been created in the Unimarket Administration module.
Full Replacement: Remember that importing a new file will delete all existing chains and replace them entirely with the contents of the new upload. Always keep a backup of your exported data.
Warning on Imports: Importing a file will delete and replace all existing approval chains with the content of the new file. Ensure the file is complete before uploading.
Bulk Management (Import/Export)
For large-scale updates, administrators can use CSV files to bulk edit approval chains.
Export: Click the three dots > Download Chains > select the here hyperlink. You will be directed to the Background Jobs screen to download the CSV file once it has finished processing.
Edit: Modify the CSV file, ensuring that the Chain, Level, and Approver (or Group) columns are correctly populated.
Import: Click the three dots > Import Chains > click Browse to upload your updated file. Once completed, select OK.
CSV Column Specifications
| Column | Type | Mandatory | Max Length | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chain | Text | Yes | 255 | The unique name of the approval chain. |
| Level | Text | Yes | 255 | The name of the Approval Level. Note: This must exactly match a level already created in the system. |
| Approver | Text | Conditional | 255 | The Username of the individual approver. Required if the Group column is empty. |
| Approver Name | Text | No | 255 | First and Last name. This is for your reference only and is ignored by the system during import. |
| Group | Text | Conditional | 255 | The name of an Approval Group. Required if the Approver column is empty. Use this if multiple people should be able to approve at a single step. |
- You can also watch a short video on how to add export/import approval chains: