Any user or admin can submit a Ready document for approval - the Submit for approval button is right on the document.
Before you submit
A document must be in Ready status before you can submit it. If it is still processing, or already Awaiting approval, Approved, or Rejected, the button will not appear.
👉 When can I submit a document?
As soon as it reaches Ready. That is the only status from which Submit for approval is available.
👉 What gets validated when I submit?
When Lock mode is on for the matched path, Datamolino validates the document on submit, and the required fields depend on your integration:
Offline - header fields only
Xero - header fields plus tracking categories
QuickBooks - header fields plus class, customer, and billable flag
FreeAgent - header fields plus project
If a required field is empty, submission is blocked until you fill it in. When Lock mode is off, no validation runs and the document is accepted as-is. See Editing documents during approval.
Submitting a document
👉 How do I submit a document?
Open it and click Submit for approval: the status moves from Ready to Submitting, then settles on Awaiting approval (if it shows Submission failed, try again or contact your admin).
👉 Can I submit several documents at once?
Yes. Select the documents you want from the document list (each must be Ready) and choose Submit for approval. Each is matched to its workflow individually - they do not share a submission, and any that match no condition fall to the Default path.
Approving your own document
👉 What if I submitted the document and I am also an approver?
It depends on a per-path setting. When self-approval is on (the default), you can approve it yourself at your assigned stage. When it is off, the Approve and Reject buttons are not shown, and someone else assigned to that stage - or an admin using Approve as admin - must decide. To check the setting, ask an admin to open Manage workflows. See Roles and permissions in approval.
What happens after you submit
👉 Where does the document go after I submit it?
It becomes Awaiting approval with the first assigned stage active, and approvers find it in the Approvals module under the Awaiting tab. For what approvers do next, see Approving and rejecting documents.
Frequently Asked Questions
👉 Will I be notified when a document needs approval?
Approval notifications are not available in this version. Approvers open Approvals and check the Awaiting tab to find documents assigned to them.
👉 The workflow changed after I submitted - does my document update?
No. Your document keeps the workflow it captured at submission. To apply an updated workflow, an admin must use Reset approval to return it to Ready, then resubmit. See how documents are routed.