Approval is soon getting a new version, with optional multi-step approval workflows.
If you already use Approval - your key workflow stays the same. The sections below explain what is kept for you and the few small changes.
If you are new to Approval, or don't use it yet - skip to What's new at the end to see what Approval workflows can do for you.
For current users: Will my current setup keep working?
Yes. Your current approval capabilities and settings will be seamlessly transformed into a Default path workflow.
By default it is built to keep your folder working as it does today, by carrying over your current settings:
Everyone already invited to the folder becomes an approver - so the same people approve.
Lock editing during approval, if you have it on, is kept (now called Lock mode).
Auto-submit stays a folder setting, and auto-approval for a contact keeps working.
You can leave the Default path exactly as it is. Open it only if you later decide to manage approvers or add approval steps.
👉 Will the people who approve today still be able to approve?
Yes. The people already invited to the folder will be added as approvers on the Default path, so the same people approve as before - it is just clearer now who they are.
The few changes you will notice
👉 You will see which workflow a document lands in. This is new: when a document goes into approval, Datamolino shows the workflow it matched. For your folders, that will be the Default path (it contains all invited users, so the same people can approve documents as before).
👉 Export without approval
Admins: Export to accounting software without approval will be called "Skip approval and Export". Export docs to file can be done in bulk, not individually.
Users: Won't be able to export docs to accounting software without approval. They will be able to bulk export to file only.
👉 "Force approve and export" has been removed.
It used to override a rejected document and push it straight through. Now, to get a document through, you will need to submit it again - and a folder admin can Approve as admin while it is still awaiting approval (with a short reason).
👉 Rejecting now asks for a reason. When you reject a document, you add a short note saying what is wrong, so the person who submitted it knows what to fix.
👉 Submitted documents get a "More actions" button. A folder admin sees Reassign, Download document, Approval settings, and (under Admin) Approve as admin and Reset approval. A regular user sees Download document only.
👉 Self-approval becomes a setting, on by default.
By default you can still approve a document you submitted yourself, exactly as today. If a path has it turned off, you will see Approve and Reject disabled on your own document, and someone else approves it.
What's new - Approval workflows
👉 Why use approval workflows?
Approval workflows let you make sure the right people sign off on a document before it is exported. You set the rules, add the approval stages, and choose who approves at each one. Nothing is exported without the approver first reviewing the document.
Here's what you can set up:
Conditions - an amount, a supplier, a currency and coding preferences (a ledger account, a tax code, a tracking category) - that decide when a workflow applies.
Several approval stages that run in order, each with its own approvers.
What each approver can edit at their stage.
Reassign a pending approval, or fix stuck ones from an admin-only Exceptions list.
New "Approver-only" folder access role - New role which allows a person to see and approve only documents assigned to them.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to do anything when the new version launches if I already use Approval?
No. Your approval will keep working as it does today, and the new multi-step options are there only if you choose to use them.
What happened to "Force approve and export"?
A folder admin now uses Approve as admin instead: it approves a document that is still awaiting approval, with a reason saved to its history. There is no force-reject.
Can the same people still approve documents if I already use Approval?
Yes. Everyone invited to the folder will be added as an approver on the Default path, so the same people approve as before.
Who can set up approval workflows?
Folder admins and managers. Users can submit documents, and approve or reject when they are an assigned approver. Approver-only users can only approve or reject the items assigned to them.
Can different documents go to different approvers?
Yes. You can create more than one workflow per folder and set conditions - an amount, a supplier, or a currency - that decide which one applies. Workflows are checked top to bottom, and the first match wins.
Can someone approve a document they submitted themselves?
That depends on the workflow's self-approval setting, which is on by default. With it on, a submitter who is also an approver can approve their own document; with it off, someone else must approve it.
Will I be notified when a document needs my approval?
Not in this version. To see documents waiting for you, sign in to Datamolino and open Approvals, where your Awaiting list shows what needs a decision. Notifications are planned for a future update.
Have any questions or suggestions for us? Please let us know at support@datamolino.com. We're here to make Datamolino work better for you!