Approval Matrix

Use Approval Matrix to define who must approve a document, in which order, and each approver's amount limit.

Use Approval Matrix to configure document approval rules based on matching fields and approver limits. Each matrix belongs to a document type. The cockpit selects it from the matching-field values on the document.

Open Configuration → Approval Matrix in the side menu.

Approval Matrix on the Non PO Invoice tab

Approval Matrix on the Order tab

Prerequisites

The page shows a tab only for document types with a complete Approval Configuration in Document Configuration:

• At least one matching field
• An Amount field binding

Matching-field Label values become the columns on the matrix list. Examples include Company Code and Currency Code; the set is tenant-defined.

Matrices list

Each document type has its own matrices. A matrix shows the matching values it covers and how many approvers are in the chain:

• Name – Label for the matrix
• One column per matching-field Label – The value this entry targets, or * when the field is empty (wildcard)
• Approvers – Number of approvers in the chain

Matching columns include a Filter… field. At the end of each row, Preview approval flow, Edit, and Delete actions are available. Select New matrix to create an entry for the active type.

Before deleting a matrix, confirm that future documents still have unambiguous approval coverage. Active approval chains keep their frozen snapshot, but future validation and selection may choose another matrix, find no match, or become ambiguous. The cockpit does not block deletion when a matrix is in use.

Creating a matrix

1

Open the matrix editor

Select New matrix on the active document type tab.

New approval matrix with matching fields and approvers

2

Set name and document type

Enter a Name. The cockpit sets Document type from that tab. Changing it clears matching-field values so they stay aligned with that type's configuration.

3

Set matching-field values

Under Matching fields, enter the values that select this matrix. Leave a field empty to treat it as a wildcard that matches any document value. Comment is an optional internal note; it does not select the matrix.

4

Add ordered approvers and limits

Under Approvers, select Add approver for each step. Approver is one tenant employee per step, not a group or role. After you add an approver, the table shows #, Approver, and Limit (amount). Leave the limit empty for Unlimited. Approvers run in the order shown in the # column.

5

Save the matrix

Select Save. The row appears on that type's tab.

Editing a matrix

Select Edit on a list row to change matching values or the approver chain. Select Save to keep the changes, Cancel to discard them, or Delete to remove the matrix.

The figure shows the saved Order matrix Approval for all companies – the same row as the Order list – with an empty Company ID wildcard and one Unlimited approver.

Edit Approval for all companies with matching fields, comment, and approvers

Matching and amount limits

When a document enters approval, the cockpit picks the matrix for its type as follows:

1. It compares each non-empty matrix value with the corresponding document field. Empty values act as wildcards.
2. It keeps the matrices whose configured values all match.
3. It selects the most specific matrix, which has the greatest number of matching values filled in.

Amount limits use the document type's Amount field binding. After an approver selects Approve:

• If the amount is less than or equal to that approver's limit, or the limit is Unlimited, the chain finishes at that step.
• If the amount is greater than the limit, the document escalates to the next approver.

If the last approver has a numeric limit and the amount is still higher, the cockpit blocks approval. Give that last step Unlimited, or add another approver, then revalidate the document.

Example: Approver 1 has limit 1000, Approver 2 is Unlimited. An invoice of 800 finishes the chain after Approver 1. An invoice of 2500 needs Approver 1, then Approver 2.

Leave the last approver's limit empty (Unlimited) so high amounts can still complete the chain.

Troubleshooting matrix selection

When approval configuration fails, check the following:

Issue	What to do
No matching matrix	Add a matrix or widen an existing one so the document values match, then revalidate the document.
Equally specific matrices	Overlapping candidates with the same specificity create an ambiguity, so no matrix or approval chain is selected. Make one matrix more specific or remove the overlap, then revalidate the document.
Stale matching fields	Compare the matrix columns with the current Approval Configuration and update entries that still use earlier fields.
Incompatible field schemas	Confirm that each matching value uses the field type configured for the document type.
Missing schema or approval configuration	Restore the document type schema and complete its matching fields and Amount field binding before using the matrix.

Revalidation is available only when the active form layout provides a configured Cloud function action for it. If the document has no such action, ask an administrator to add one in Document Actions.

Previewing the approval flow

Select Preview approval flow on a list row to see the ordered chain and each limit (or Unlimited) without opening the editor.

Approving or rejecting

Open the document as described in Managing Documents. When the layout includes an Approval action, select it. You can approve or reject when you are the named next approver, or when you cover that person with a User → User substitution.

In the Approval dialog, add an optional Message. When you select Reject, select a Rejection reason if the document type defines reasons. Select Submit to record the decision. Selecting Approve can finish the chain. If the amount exceeds the current limit, the document escalates to the next approver. Reject ends the approval chain. Approval history records Rejected. A manual rejection before approval is different; it appears under Rejection history. See History.

Substitutions when an approver is away

A User → User substitution lets a colleague Approve or Reject for the named next approver. Set this up in Substitutions. Substitutions do not rewrite the matrix.

See the Order Intake Example for a worked tenant configuration in this cockpit.