Use the Approve Document window to take approval actions on documents that you create or modify. (You can also use this window to make changes to encumbered documents. See: Changing Encumbered Documents.)

   To take approval actions:

Navigate to the Approve Document window by selecting the Approve button in a document entry window.

1. If you are using encumbrance/budgetary control, Reserve and Unreserve options are available.

   Reserve - You can reserve funds for the document only if you are using encumbrance/budgetary control. Requisition preparers can choose this option only if Reserve at Completion in the Financials Options window is enabled and the document is currently unreserved. See: Defining Financials Options. When you select Reserve (and then OK), Purchasing reserves the funds now. Purchasing also automatically approves the document if the document has been preapproved, you're the appropriate approver, and no more approvals are required. If you get a message that you cannot reserve the funds, forward the document to an approver who has the authority to reserve them. If you don't select Reserve, but just select Submit for Approval (and then OK), Purchasing reserves funds later, when the approver with the authority to reserve the funds approves the document.

   Unreserve - You can unreserve funds for the document only if you are using encumbrance/budgetary control and funds are currently reserved for that document.

   Unreserve Date - If you selected Unreserve, enter an Unreserve Date that falls within an open reserve period.

   Use GL Override - Use this selection to force the reservation of funds for the document. It defaults from the profile PO: Override Funds Reservation. See: Profile Options in Purchasing.

   Use Document GL Date to Unreserve - This selection uses the document's distribution GL dates for the funds reversal instead of the unreserve date. It defaults from the profile PO: Use Document GL Date to Unreserve. See: Profile Options in Purchasing.

   Accounting Date - If dual budgetary control is enabled, then the Accounting Date for this document must be entered.

2. Select Submit for Approval.

3. Select Forward only if you want to forward the document to someone other than the next approver in the default Approval Path.

   If you select Forward, you must enter a Forward To person. If you don't select Forward, Purchasing will automatically route the document to the appropriate person in the Approval Path, if you're not the appropriate approver.

   If the Forward To person is higher up in the default (or selected) Approval Path, but still does not have enough approval authority, Purchasing will continue the approval process with the next person in that Approval Path. If the Forward To person is not in the default (or selected) Approval Path, and also does not have enough approval authority, you will receive an Approver Not Found notification.

4. If Allow Change to Approval Hierarchy is selected for the document type, you can select a new Approval Path. See: Defining Document Types.

5. Enter notes in the Note field to record information about your approval action or provide instructions for the next approver if your document requires additional authorization. See also: Attaching Notes to Purchasing Documents.

6. Enter your comments regarding recent changes to this document in the Change Summary field. If you are using PDF output for purchase orders, these are displayed on the cover page. See: Purchase Orders in PDF Format.

7. If appropriate for this document, select a supplier notification method from the Transmission Methods box. Refer to the discussion of Document Transmission Methods below.

8. If you are approving a blanket purchase agreement and your organization allows sourcing updates or retroactive pricing from this window open the Additional Options tab. Refer to To enter Additional Options below.

9. Choose OK.

   The document is submitted to the approval process, which routes the document to the appropriate approvers based on the approval hierarchies and controls you've defined. If Owner Can Approve is enabled for the specific document type in the Document Types window and you have the authority to approve the document, then choosing OK approves the document.

   To cancel your approval action:

1. Choose the Cancel button to cancel your approval action and return to your document entry window.

   To change the Forward From person:

1. For requisitions only, if you have selected Forward as the action and if Allow change to Forward-From is enabled for the document type in the Document Types window, you can change the Forward From person to the original preparer or to any requestor on a line of the requisition. See: Defining Document Types.

   To change the Forward To person:

1. If you have selected Forward as the action and if Allow change to Forward-To is enabled for the document type in the Document Types window, you can change the Forward To person. See: Defining Document Types.

   The Forward To value is a default from the employee/supervisor relationship or from the approval hierarchy, depending on whether you are using approval hierarchies.

   To enter Additional Options :

From the Additional Options tab of the Approve Document window you can automatically create or update sourcing rules, sourcing rule assignments, and approved supplier list entries during approval submission of a blanket purchase agreement.

1. Select the Enable Automatic Sourcing checkbox and then choose a Release Generation Method to create new supplier sourcing rules, rule assignments, and approved supplier list entries.

2. Select the Update Existing Sourcing Rules and Assignments to extend an existing sourcing rule effectivity date or to add a new supplier and supplier site for a current sourcing rule effectivity date. The sourcing rules will not be updated if the item is multi-sourced (rule has multiple suppliers) or if the rules contains multiple items. This action also updates an existing approved supplier list (ASL) entry with the purchase agreement information as long as the agreement is not already listed in the ASL.

   See: Approved Supplier Lists.

3. Select the Apply Price Update to Existing POs and Releases to have existing standard purchase orders (sourced to global agreements) and blanket agreement releases updated with the pricing from the blanket agreement that you are submitting for approval.

4. Once you have selected Apply Price Update to Existing POs and Releases you may also select Communicate Price Updates. This selection will enable communication of purchase orders and releases that are impacted by the new pricing to the supplier. Otherwise only this purchase agreement is communicated to the supplier.

   Document Transmission Methods:

Although your organization may prefer not to, you can request to prepare your purchase order for transmission to the supplier from the Approval window. You have a choice of several different methods by which the approved document can be transmitted to the supplier. Oracle Purchasing must be configured to support all of these methods. See: Communicating Purchase Orders to Suppliers.

Note that purchase orders can be transmitted using the traditional printed text method or in a PDF (Portable Document Format) file depending on your configuration. See: Purchase Order Communication to Suppliers.

To print the document:

1. Select Print.

   The document will automatically print once it is approved.

   A purchase order will not print if the supplier site on the purchase order is already set up to receive purchase orders through Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) or XML delivery.

To send a facsimile of the purchase order:

1. Select Fax and enter a Fax Number. RightFax, or any facsimile software that is compatible with the RightFax Fax Command Language (FCL), must be installed to use this functionality.

   If the Supplier Notification Method in the supplier site window (General tab) is set to Fax and you have entered a fax number for that supplier site then the number will default in. This is a default and you can change it. Once approved, the document will be faxed to the supplier by the purchase order approval workflow. See: Supplier and Supplier Sites Window Reference

   Selecting Fax and entering a Fax Number automatically sends a facsimile of the document once it is approved.

   Selecting Fax without entering a Fax Number sends the document to your facsimile server once it is approved. Depending on your RightFax setup, you can choose where or when to send the documents that are stored on your facsimile server.

   If the supplier is already set up to receive purchase orders through Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) or XML delivery, a facsimile of the purchase order will not be sent.

To send an e-mail of the purchase order:

1. Select E-mail and enter an e-mail address to send this standard purchase order, blanket agreement, or blanket release by way of e-mail. Selecting E-mail and entering an e-mail address automatically sends the purchasing document by way of e-mail, once it is approved.

   If the Supplier Notification Method in the Supplier Site window (General tab) is set to E-mail and you have entered an e-mail address for that supplier site then the address will default into the Document Approval window. Once approved, the document will be e-mailed to the supplier by the purchase order approval workflow. The e-mail will be sent in the language indicated for the supplier site. See: Supplier and Supplier Sites Window Reference

   Note that setting your supplier site notification method as described above simply provides a default on this form. The buyer is free to change or override these defaults.

   If the supplier is already set up to receive purchase orders through Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) or XML delivery, an e-mail of the purchase order will not be sent.