Configuring Conditional Approval Levels

Emburse Professional administrators can configure conditional approval levels that apply when an expense is allocated to a specific department, cost center, expense category, client, project, entity, subsidiary, or other custom field.

You can configure conditional approval for the following fields:

• Departments
• Employee General Ledger Dimensions
• Expense General Ledger Dimensions
• Expense Categories

Overview

Conditional approval routes expense reports to the individuals responsible for specific departments, cost centers, expense categories, clients, projects, entities, subsidiaries, or other accounting dimensions.

Conditional approval rules can help your organization:

• Route applicable expenses to the appropriate budget holder, project manager, or department leader.
• Enforce project and department accountability.
• Support cost center and client review.
• Limit an approver's review to applicable expense line items.
• Reduce manual approval reassignment.
• Create consistent conditional approval workflows.
• Synchronize project approvers from supported ERP connectors.
• Improve financial governance and audibility.

Prerequisites

Before you configure conditional approval levels, confirm that:

• You are a full administrator.
• Your organization uses a Locked Approval Workflow.
• You have identified the departments, categories, or custom fields that require approval.
• You have identified a primary approver and backup approver for each applicable value.

Configure Department-Based Approval

Department-based approval routes an expense report to a department approver when the report includes an expense allocated to that department.

Enable Department-Based Approval

1. On the Emburse Professional home page, select Settings.

2. Under Travel and Expense Policy, select View and Edit Policy.

3. Select Configure Locked Approval Workflow.

4. Go to the Department Based Approval section and turn on Department Based Approval.

5. Select any additional options your organization requires.

• Swap Approver: Replaces the user's first- and second-level approvers with the department approver when the report includes an expense allocated to the applicable department.
• Applicable Expenses: Limits the department approver's view to the expense line items allocated to that approver's department. Other line items on the report are hidden.

6. Select Save.

Assigning Department Approvers

1. Return to the Settings page.

2. Select View and Edit Departments.

3. Enter search criteria for the department, and then select Submit.

4. Select the Edit button for the department.

5. In the approver fields, search for and select a primary approver and backup approver.

6. Select Next to save your changes.

Reports submitted after you save the change route to the department approver when they contain an expense allocated to that department.

A submitter cannot approve their own expense report. If a user submits an expense allocated to a department for which they are also the primary approver, the report routes to the Backup Approver.

The department approver receives the report after the applicable first- and second-level approval steps are complete. When Swap Approver is enabled, the department approver replaces the first- and second-level approvers.

Update Department Approvers in Bulk

Use the bulk update tools to update approval records for multiple departments.

1. Return to the Settings page.

2. Under Bulk Update Tools, select Import Records.

3. From the import dropdown menu, select Additional Approvers, and then select Next.

4. In the Dimension Field dropdown menu, select Department.
5. Select Populate to add approver email addresses in the text box, or select Download to edit the current records in Excel.
6. To upload an edited file, select Choose File and select the file.

Configure GLD Approval Rules

General Ledger Dimension (GLD) approval rules route an expense report to the approver assigned to a specific GLD value. GLDs are custom fields that your organization creates. For more information, see General Ledger Dimensions Overview.

Enable GLD Approval Rules

1. On the Emburse Professional home page, select Settings.

2. Under Travel and Expense Policy, select View and Edit Policy.

3. Select Configure Locked Approval Workflow.

4. Go to the GLD Approval Rules section and turn on GLD Approval for each applicable GLD field.

5. Select any additional options your organization requires for each rule.

• Swap Approver: Replaces the user's first- and second-level approvers with the GLD approver when the report includes an expense allocated to the applicable GLD value.
• Applicable Expenses: Limits the GLD approver's view to expense line items allocated to that approver's GLD value. Other line items on the report are hidden.

6. Select Save.

Assign a GLD Approver

1. Return to the Settings page.

2. Select General Ledger Dimensions.

3. Open the menu for the applicable GLD, and then select View and Edit List.

4. Enter search criteria for a GLD value, or select Submit without entering criteria to display all values.

5. Select the Edit button for the GLD value.

6. In the approver fields, search for and select a primary approver and backup approver.

7. Select Next to save your changes.

Reports submitted after you save the change route to the GLD approver when they contain an expense allocated to that GLD value.

A submitter cannot approve their own expense report. If a user submits an expense allocated to a GLD value for which they are also the primary approver, the report routes to the Backup Approver.

The GLD approver receives the report after the applicable first- and second-level approval steps are complete. When Swap Approver is enabled, the GLD approver replaces the first- and second-level approvers.

Update GLD Approvers in Bulk

Use the bulk update tools to update approval records for multiple GLD values.

1. Return to the Settings page.

2. Under Bulk Update Tools, select Import Records.

3. From the import dropdown menu, select Additional Approvers, and then select Next.

4. In the Dimension Field dropdown menu, select the GLD that you want to update.
5. Select Populate to add approver email addresses in the text box, or select Download to edit the current records in Excel.
6. To upload an edited file, select Choose File and select the file.

Configure Special Approval Rules

Special Approval Rules, also known as category-based approval, conditionally route an expense report to an approver assigned to a specific expense category, if the expense report contains expenses allocated to that category.

Create a Special Approval Rule

1. On the Emburse Professional home page, select Settings.

2. Under Travel and Expense Policy, select View and Edit Policy.

3. Select Configure Locked Approval Workflow.

4. Go to the Special Approval Rules section and select Create a Special Approval Rule.

5. Search for and select an approver.
6. Select the expense categories that apply to the approver.
7. Select Save.

Reports submitted after you save the rule will route to the special approver when they contain an expense allocated to a category included in the rule.

Conditional Approval FAQ

Can I Enable Approval for More Than One GLD?

Yes. You can enable conditional approval for any active GLD field.

Can I Use Department-Based Approval and GLD Approval Together?

Yes. A report can route to multiple department approvers and multiple GLD approvers.

Can I Configure Applicable Expenses Differently for Each Rule?

Yes. You can enable Applicable Expenses independently for each Expense Report GLD and for department-based approval.

Why Is Applicable Expenses Unavailable for Employee GLD Approval?

Employee GLDs apply to the employee and every expense on the employee's report. As a result, an Employee GLD approver sees all line items because each line item is associated with that Employee GLD value.

Can I Enable Swap Approver for Only One GLD?

No. When you enable Swap Approver for one active GLD or department rule, it applies to all other active conditional approval rules. The only exception is Special Approval Rules (category approval) which does not leverage the Swap Approver functionality.

What Happens When the Submitter Is Also the Conditional Approver?

Submitters cannot approve their own reports. The report routes to the backup approver for the department or GLD value.

Can an Approver Change a GLD Value During Review?

Yes. When your configuration permits approvers to edit reports, a changed department or GLD value takes effect immediately. The report will then route to any newly applicable department or GLD approvers.