What is a Approval Workflow in Business Central?

Business Central's built-in system for routing purchase orders and invoices through configurable approval chains before posting.

Approval Workflows in Business Central enforce internal controls by requiring designated approvers to review and approve documents before they can be posted. This is especially important for purchase orders and purchase invoices where spending limits and budget compliance must be checked.

BC provides pre-built workflow templates for common approval scenarios — purchase order approval, purchase invoice approval, and payment journal approval. Each can be configured with amount thresholds, approval hierarchies, and substitute approvers for when someone is out of office.

When a document is sent for approval, the approver receives a notification and can approve, reject, or delegate directly from the Role Center or via email. Once all required approvals are obtained, the document is released and can be posted.

Related terms

• Purchase Order — A formal document sent to a vendor to order goods or services, with agreed quantities, prices, and delivery terms.
• Purchase Invoice — A document recording a vendor's bill for goods or services received, used for accounts payable processing in Business Central.
• Three-Way Matching — A verification process that compares the purchase order, goods receipt, and vendor invoice to ensure accuracy before payment.

How Zentriq helps

Zentriq's AI tools automate many of the manual processes around approval workflow in Business Central. Learn about the Zentriq Agent or try Zentriq PunchOut to see how AI simplifies procurement in BC.