Questions on Shopping Cart Approval WFs in EBP 4.0

Wed Apr 14 12:20:34 EDT 2004

Hi Jocelyn/Jim,

Is the scope of the 'added approvers' only for a specific approval request
or is it for longer? What is meant by the statement 'there isn't any
functionality to remove approvers you have added'?

In general, the more I look into the SC approval with it's various quirks
and etc.., the more I know but unfortunately I don't feel more comfortable
regarding implementing our approval requirements.

Would you be able to provide some advise? The following is our requirement:

1.) In the initial phase, there will only be one 'financial' approval step
in EBP. It will cover the first 100K, any requests that exceed this amount
will be handled in R3. The next phase will probably add additional financial
approval steps in EBP.
2.) There will occasionally be a 'content' approval step that will precede
the 'financial' approval step.
3.) Only managers with 'financial' approval authority can approve shopping
carts (SC) but NOT all managers have this authority.
4.) Bargaining/Union employees (non management) can't approve SC.
5.) If a bargaining employee is temporarily assigned to a management
position (acting assignment via the org structure) they will assume that
positions approval authority if it exists and be in a position to approve
SCs.
6.) The requestor's manager or the first manager in the organizational
hierarchy that the requestor is a part of who has financial approval
authority will approve for financial content.
7.) People who have financial approval authority don't need financial
approval for their SCs.
7.) Occasionally, the SC will also need to be approved for 'content' by a
'content approver' prior to the financial approval step.
8.) The requestor can overwrite the system returned 'financial' approver if
that person isn't available. They can choose any person who has the approval
authority.
9.) Workflow substitutions/delegations will not be allowed.

For now it's about as clear as mud but hopefully in immediate future it will
be clearer (murky water).

Thanking you in advance,
Jerry Martinek

-----Original Message-----
From: Dart, Jocelyn [mailto:jocelyn.dart at sap.com]
Sent: Tuesday, April 13, 2004 9:35 PM
To: SAP-WUG at MITVMA.MIT.EDU
Subject: Re: Questions on Shopping Cart Approval WFs in EBP 4.0

Hi Jerry,
It doesn't need an ad hoc anchor step - the add approver functionality is
handled in the special processing around the BADI. However this wasn't in
the original patch of SRM - there's an OSS note to get it going.  Have a
look in OSS using component SRM-EBP-WFL just in case you don't have it yet.

And Jim - no there isn't any functionality to remove approvers you have
added.  You could always put a dev request in the official
service.sap.com/srm site (customer requirements section). By the by - I've
had sites with 7 (I kid you not!) sequential approvers and the applet
behaved, I've also done scenarios with parallel approvers (up to 5 is fine).

Jerry, I have a project solution to put a BADI around the change approver
functionality that I've used at 2-3 customer sites. The BADI would give you
the control to let them change only particular approval steps as well as
restrict who can be chosen as an alternate approver.

I'm told the BADI or something similar will be added as standard sometime in
SRM 4.0 (EBP 5.0) but that's only via unofficial channels so I can't
guarantee it.

If you need a solution urgently email me direct and I'll send you my notes.
However at this stage it would still be a project solution and it does
require a small mod to one function module to call the BADI.

*****************************************************
HOWEVER - NO "ME TOO!"s from the rest of you PLEASE !
Jerry only! And only if its urgent!
*****************************************************

Jocelyn

-----Original Message-----
From: SAP Workflow [mailto:Owner-SAP-WUG at MITVMA.MIT.EDU] On Behalf Of
Martinek, Jerry
Sent: Wednesday,14 April 2004 2:00 AM
To: SAP-WUG at MITVMA.MIT.EDU
Subject: Re: Questions on Shopping Cart Approval WFs in EBP 4.0

Hi Jim,

I was able to assign a name to my start condition as you suggested but I
wasn't able to figure out how to test the condition, thank you.

In the new N-Step Shopping Cart Approval workflow templates there is no
'Anchor Step' to add additional adhoc approvers like in the EBP 3.5 One
Step, Two Step and Spending Limit workflow templates. Do you know why? Is
this anchor step linked to the SC Add Approver functionality?

In your WS14000133 implementation, how did you deal with the scenarios where
the requestor wanted to change the first system derived approver?

Regards,
Jerry Martinek

-----Original Message-----
From: Stewart, Jim [mailto:FRANK.J.STEWART at saic.com]
Sent: Monday, April 12, 2004 2:51 PM
To: SAP-WUG at MITVMA.MIT.EDU
Subject: Re: Questions on Shopping Cart Approval WFs in EBP 4.0

Jerry,

In the define start conditions for workflow you have to enter "change mode"
and then click right into the field with the name of the start condition as
if  you were editing the text directly. Maintain the text you'd like and
then press ENTER and your new name will be saved. Can you imagine a more
intuitive interface? :-p

There are several parts of start conditions definition that work in the same
manner. Go into change mode, find the open field you need to change and hit
ENTER to signify "I'm done entering this value" ..

..also...

I've implemented the WS14000133 n-step dynamic approval badi, and ad-hoc
approvals were active by default. You might check your authorization level
for authorization within BBP_WFL_SECURITY, there is setting that defines
what is changeable, by whom, and when.  Perhaps it allows changes to
shopping cart during approval but not the addition of adhoc approvers?

** This reminds me, I don't think there is a way to REMOVE an ad-hoc
approver once you have added one!! **

In any case, check the approval role EB_APPROVER, personalization object key
BBP_WFL_SECURITY and ensure that the wf is changeable. I think note 71633
applies to this as well. (we had SAP add another level..)

Hope this helps.  I've done the 14000133 custom approval badi with up to 4
approvers reading from a table, several start conditions, etc, keying off of
WBS, GLA, and the applet is performing quite nicely.  (phew..)

Best, Jim Stewart ________________________________________________
Jim Stewart
SAP EBP Workflow Consultant
o: 858.826.3619
m: 562.212.4312
mailto:frank.j.stewart at saic.com mailto:jstewart at equitytechgroup.com

#
I don't know why but I can't seem to be able to specify the new start
condition names. Regardless of what I try, I keep getting the system default
'Start Condition Without Name'.

How do you do this?

There is also a test start condition facility. When I select this option,
identify the field I want to enter a value for, the screen changes color but
I can't enter anything.  How does this work?

Does any one know why the add hoc 'add approver' workflow functionality
isn't part of WS14000109 ( N-Step Shopping Cart Approval over Value Limit)
and WS14000133 (N-Step Shopping Cart Approval BADI)? This is standard in
WS100000129 and some of the other approval  templates.

How do you activate the 'add approver' functionality in the SC? I'm able to
run WS100000129 without any problems (so far) but I can't seem to be able to
change approvers in the 'approval preview' functionality in the SC. I've
made the required settings for WS100000271/TS10008214 but it doesn't seem to
work.

Thanks,
Jerry Martinek