CHAPTER 4: PURCHASE REQUISITIONS - Dynamics AX User …

Chapter 4: Purchase Requisitions

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CHAPTER 4: PURCHASE REQUISITIONS Objectives

The objectives are:

• Describe how to process a purchase requisition • List the necessary setups for purchase requisitions • Explain how to set up security rights for a purchase requisition • Explain the purchase requisition workflow

Introduction The purchase requisition feature makes it possible to create purchase requisitions. This is a document that authorizes a company's Purchasing Department to purchase materials. The purchase requisition is an internal document, whereas the purchase order is the corresponding external document that is submitted to vendors by the Purchasing Department.

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Trade and Logistics II in Microsoft Dynamics® AX 2009

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Scenario Brook is a Human Resources (HR) assistant, and sometimes needs to buy office supplies for her department. Since she is a non-purchasing agent, and does not have the authority to access the Purchase order form, she can use the Purchase requisition form to make purchase requisitions and through that receive permission to buy the items that she needs.

Managing Purchase Requisitions This lesson discusses the purchase requisition managing procedure, and covers its full process starting form purchase requisition creation to its deletion. This lesson describes how to create, complete, approve and reject purchase requisitions, perform the follow up on them, and view purchase order and purchase order journal information for purchase requisitions. The lesson also describes how to create and process purchase orders created manually from a purchase requisition.

Purchase Requisition Statuses before Approval

Depending on the progress of a purchase requisition it can have different statuses. The purchase requisition status is displayed on the purchase requisition header in the Purchase requisitions form. Purchase requisitions can have the following statuses until they are approved:

• Draft - The purchase requisition is created, but is not yet submitted to Workflow, or the purchase requisition is recalled from Workflow.

• Submitted - The purchase requisition is submitted to Workflow. At this point, no pending approval or task is created.

• Pending completion - The purchase requisition is submitted, resubmitted, or delegated, but the completion task is not yet performed.

• Pending request for quote - A request for quote is created based on the purchase requisition, but no request for quote reply is received.

• Completed - The completion task for the purchase requisition is completed in Workflow.

• Pending approval - The purchase requisition is submitted, resubmitted, or delegated, and is awaiting approval.

• Rejected - The purchase requisition is rejected. • Change requested - A change is requested for the purchase

requisition, and is sent to a user. • Approved - The purchase requisition is approved in Workflow.

A purchase requisition reaches the status of Approved, when the approval is performed in Workflow.



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When the purchase requisition is approved and purchase order lines are created from purchase requisition lines, the purchase requisitions have different types of Approved statuses, depending on the status of the purchase order lines. The status of the purchase requisition is the highest status from the purchase requisition lines.

Purchase Requisition Statuses after Approval

Purchase requisitions can have the following statuses when they are approved. The statuses are listed from lowest to highest.

• Approved-Cancelled - All purchase requisition lines have references to purchase order lines with a status of Cancelled or to deleted purchase order lines. The Cancelled status is the lowest possible status.

• Approved-Partially cancelled - At least one purchase requisition line has a reference to a purchase order line with a status of Cancelled, and purchase order lines are not yet created for one or more purchase requisitions.

• Approved-Partially ordered - At least one purchase requisition line has a reference to a purchase order line with a status of Open order. No other purchase order line that is referenced from the purchase requisition has a status higher than Open order. One or more purchase requisition lines have not yet resulted in purchase order lines, or the purchase order lines are cancelled or deleted.

• Approved-Ordered - At least one purchase requisition line has a reference to a purchase order line with a status of Open order. All other lines have a status of Cancelled or are deleted. No other purchase order line that is referenced from the purchase requisition has a status higher than Open order.

• Approved-Partially received - At least one purchase requisition line has a reference to a purchase order with a status of Received. No other purchase order line that is referenced from the purchase requisition has a status higher than Received.

• Approved-Received - At least one purchase requisition line has a reference to a purchase order line with a status of Received. All other lines have a status of Cancelled. No other purchase order line that is referenced from the purchase requisition has a status higher than Received.

• Approved-Partially invoiced - At least one purchase requisition line has a reference to a purchase order line with a status of Invoiced.

• Approved invoiced - At least one purchase requisition line has a reference to a purchase order line with a status of Invoiced. All other lines have a status of Cancelled.



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Create a Purchase Requisition

A purchase requisition is a document that authorizes the Purchasing Department in a company to purchase materials. The purchase requisition is an internal document, whereas the purchase order is the corresponding external document that is submitted to vendors by the Purchasing Department.

Employees create purchase requisitions manually when they want to register purchase requirements for indirect materials. The employees are not professional purchasers and they do not perform this task frequently. A user can create purchase requisitions in both the Enterprise Portal and the Microsoft Dynamics® AX 2009 client. Purchase requisitions can contain both catalog items and non-catalog items.

Purchase Requisition Process

Generally, the purchase requisition process involves three main roles:

• Requisitioner • Purchasing agent • Sales manager

The following figure shows the tasks involved in the purchase requisition process.

FIGURE 4.1 PURCHASE REQUISITION PROCESS



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Purchase Requisition Form

Purchase requisitions are created in the Purchase Requisition form.

Path: Accounts payable > Purchase Requisition Details

FIGURE 4.2 PURCHASE REQUISITIONS FORM

The form has three main sections:

• Filter • Header • Lines

In the Filter section, a user can filter on the purchase requisitions already in the form. In the Show field, select to show requisitions that are My requisitions, Assigned to me, Created by me, My direct reports or All my reports. If Assigned to me is selected in the Show field, an employee is automatically selected in the Requisitioner field. Use the Status field to filter on the status of the requisitions.

The Header section lists all purchase requisitions according to the filtering of the form. Notice the different statuses a purchase requisition can have on the far right in the grid. It is also from the Header section that new purchase requisitions are created.



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The Lines section lists all the lines in the purchase requisition. Also, from the Lines section, the specific items can be added to the purchase requisition.

Demonstration: Create a Purchase Requisition

To create a purchase requisition from the Purchase requisition form, follow these steps:

1. Open Accounts payable > Purchase requisition details. 2. Click the New icon. 3. In the Create purchase requisition form, in the Purchase

requisition name field, type “Office mobiles” as a purchase requisition name and a 06/15/08 as a required date.

4. Click OK. Notice that the purchase requisition is in the status Draft. 5. Click the Add item button in the Lines section to add items to the

purchase requisition.

NOTE: In the Create purchase requisition form a user can create a purchase requisition on behalf of another employee or change the default delivery address.

Demonstration - Add Lines to a Purchase Requisiton

1. The Create lines form opens and from here, add both items from the item catalog or non-catalog items. On the Catalog item tab, all items made available for purchase requisitioning are listed. These items are grouped in several categories; use the Show category field to filter on which category of items to show in the list.

NOTE: The unit price on the lines in the lower section overrules the unit price in the upper listed items. There might be a difference between the two if special vendor agreements apply. This is because the unit price in the upper section is always directly from the item itself and not from a purchase price trade agreement. Also, be aware that for catalog items, the user when creating the purchase requisition line, can only select between the vendor directly associated with the item and the cheapest vendor as found through the purchase price trade agreements. If another vendor is requested the vendor can be blanked and the user can enter a “Proposed vendor” in the Proposed vendor field on the General tab page for the purchase requisition line.

2. Select “Mobile phones” in the Show category field. 3. Click OK. 4. Select item 9014 and click Add item. 5. Click the Non-catalog items tab. On the Non-catalog items tab, add

items that are not in an item catalog. In the Text field, specify what kind of item is requested and the category in which it must belong. It is optional to specify the vendor account or a proposed vendor. Here, any vendor can be selected, despite the filtered list of vendors for a catalog item.



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6. In the Category field, select “Mobile phone” from the drop-down list.

7. Click OK. 8. In the Text field, type “Mobile phone, Astro Phone model 100”. 9. When the item is specified, click Add item and the item is added to

the added items list here in the Create lines form. 10. Click Create. If selecting the Business justification check box in

the Accounts payable parameters form, it is necessary to specify business justification, on the correspondent tab of the Purchase requisition form.

Demonstration - Submit a Purchase Requisiton

11. Click Submit and the status of the purchase requisition changes to Submitted. Also, now that the purchase requisition is submitted, the workflow framework can be used because there is no more to do until the purchase requisition is approved. The Purchase requisition approval dialog box appears and this is where the requisitioner can enter a comment to the next person in the workflow and wait for the purchasing agent to follow up on the purchase requisition.

Create a Request For Quote From the Purchase Requisition Form

The purchasing agent is the next person, according to the workflow, who is notified on the purchase requisition. Notification comes when, for example, some items added to the purchase requisition are missing or some important information and the purchase requisition must be completed. This can be when a Non-catalog item is added to the purchase requisition and information about the unit, price or vendor is missing.

For example, a vendor is missing on one of the purchase requisition lines. According to the workflow configuration, a Complete Task is created and assigned to a purchase agent. The purchase requisition status is Pending completion. Therefore the purchasing agent must find a suited vendor for the non-catalog item and complete the task assigned to him or her. This RFQ is created from the Purchase requisition form.

Procedure - Create a Request for Quote from a Purchase Requisition Form

To create an RFQ from the Purchase requisition form, follow these steps:

1. Open the Purchase requisition form from Accounts payable > Purchase requisition details.

2. Click Functions > Request for quote.



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3. In the dialog box that appears, select the lines that must be copied to a request for quote.

4. Click OK.

An RFQ process is now initiated and the status of the purchase requisition changes from Pending completion to Pending RFQ.

Complete the Purchase Requisition

In the Request for quote form, an RFQ with the line selected from the purchase requisition is created. When an appropriate vendor is located and accepted through the RFQ process, usually a purchase order is created automatically. However, because the RFQ process is initiated from the Purchase requisition form, only information from the RFQ, in this case the vendor and other information about the item, is updated in the Purchase requisition form. The status of the purchase requisition is changed back from Pending RFQ to Pending completion now that the RFQ process for this purchase requisition is finished.

Several actions are available to select from when the purchase requisition is in the status Pending completion:

• Complete: Complete the purchase requisition. • Request change: Request an acceptance of the changes made to the

purchase requisition. • Delegate: If information is still needed on the purchase requisition,

delegate the tasks to complete the purchase requisition.

Click Actions > Complete to complete the purchase requisition. Use the workflow dialog box that appears to enter a comment about the purchase requisition which then notifies the next user in the workflow. The next user is a Sales Manager, who must approve the purchase requisition.

Procedure - Approve or Reject a Purchase Requisition

The Sales manager, receives a notification that a purchase requisition is pending his approval. To approve the purchase requisition:

1. Open the Purchase requisition form. 2. In the Show requisitions field group, filter on Assigned to me and

the Purchase requisition form lists the purchase requisitions assigned to sales manager.

3. Here we can decide what to do with the purchase requisition by selecting the following: o Approve: Approve the purchase requisition. o Reject: Reject the purchase requisition.



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o Request change: Request a change before the approval can be made.

o Delegate: The approval can be delegated to someone else, if for example sales manager has insufficient knowledge or rights to approve the specific purchase requisition.

4. Click Approve to approve the purchase requisition. By clicking

Reject we will reject purchase requisition. In the Workflow comment dialog box, you can type a message to provide more information. The purchase requisition status changes from Pending approval to Rejected or Approved correspondingly.

Follow Up On Purchase Requisition

This section describes different procedures used to follow up on purchase requisitions. The user can follow up on his/her own purchase requisitions and on purchase requisitions created by other users.

Procedure - Follow Up On Your Own Purchase Requisitions

This procedure is used to follow up on purchase requisitions created by the user himself. You can recall and resubmit purchase requisitions. Depending on the status of the purchase requisitions, they can also be modified and deleted.

1. Click Accounts payable > Places > Purchase Requisitions to open the Purchase Requisitions list page.

2. In the Show requisitions field, select My requisitions to view only purchase requisitions assigned to you.

3. You can also extend the filter to display a subset of this information, such as to display only purchase requisitions with a specific status. Select Status in the filter pane and enter a status.

4. Select a purchase requisition to view the details in the lower pane. From this list page you can perform the following actions: o Double-click a purchase requisition to view or modify it in the

Purchase requisitions form. o Click Actions > Cancel to recall a purchase requisition from

Workflow. The status changes to Draft, and you can make changes.

o Click Submit to submit the purchase requisition to Workflow after you make changes. The status changes to Submitted.



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Procedure - Follow Up Purchase Requisitions Created by Others

For other users’ purchase requisition you can only view information. Only the users who requested the items on the purchase requisition can make changes. You can modify the purchase requisition and perform actions only if a task is assigned to you in Workflow.


2. In the Requisitioner field, select the name of the user whose purchase requisitions you want to view. The selected user's purchase requisitions with status higher than Draft are displayed.

3. Select a purchase requisition to view the details in the lower pane. You can also complete the following tasks: o Double-click a purchase requisition to view more details in the

Purchase requisitions form. o Click Accounts payable > Reports > Statistics > Purchase

Requisition > Purchase requisition statistics to print a report that displays the purchase requisition statistics for you and the users who report to you either directly or through another user.

Procedure - Follow Up On All Purchase Requisitions

In the All purchase requisitions form you can follow up on all purchase requisitions that have been submitted to Workflow, regardless of the purchase requisition status or which user requested the items on the purchase requisitions. You can perform all purchase requisition actions from this form.

1. Click Accounts payable > Periodic > Purchase Requisition > All purchase requisitions.

2. Select how to view the information: o Select the name of a user in the Requisitioner field to view a list

of purchase requisitions that were created by or on behalf of a specific user.

o Clear the All check box and select a status in the Status field to view a list of purchase requisitions with a specific status.

o Select a purchase requisition and then click Actions > View history to view the Workflow history for the purchase requisition.



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Procedure - View Purchase Order and Purchase Order Journal Information for Purchase Requisitions

Information about purchase orders and invoices that were created based on purchase requisitions is available from the Purchase order journal and Invoice journal. Use the following procedure to view this information.


2. Select how to view information: o In the Requisitioner field, select the name of the user whose

purchase requisitions you want to view. o Select Status in the filter pane and type Approved to view only

approved purchase requisitions.

NOTE: You cannot perform any actions when the purchase requisition is approved.

o Double-click a purchase requisition to view the details in the

Purchase requisitions form.

3. In the lower pane, select a purchase requisition line and then click Inquiries > Purchase orders to open the Purchase order journal form or Inquiries > Invoice to open the Invoice Journal form.

Procedure - Create Purchase Orders Manually from Purchase Requisitions

When a purchase requisition has reached status approved purchase order(s) can be created either automatically or manually. To create a purchase order manually on the requested items follow the below described procedure:

1. Click Accounts payable > Periodic > Purchase requisition > Released approved purchase requisition.

2. In the Released approved purchase requisition form, all lines from approved purchase requisitions are listed.

3. Select the check box for each line for which you want to create a purchase order. A common purchase order can only be made for items with the same currency and with the same vendor assigned.

4. Click Create purchase order. 5. Click OK to the option to group the purchase orders by the

requisitioner, and an infolog appears that states that the purchase order has been created.

In the Purchase order form, a purchase order header and lines have been created by using all the information from the purchase requisition. The status of the purchase order is Open order and is ready to be processed.



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NOTE: Purchase order line prices and discounts are automatically recalculated when the line is of type catalog item. Remark that the purchase order line price and discounts are not automatically recalculated when the line is of type non-catalog item or when the line has been through an RFQ process. When the purchase order is created, auto miscellaneous charges for header and lines regardless of item type are automatically recalculated.

NOTE: When a purchase requisition has the status Approved, Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 can be set up to automatically create a purchase order for the lines in the purchase requisition.

Procedure - Process a Purchase Order Created from a Purchase Requisition

Purchase orders that have been created from approved purchase requisitions are processed just like other purchase orders.

NOTE: If you delete a purchase order line, the purchase order reference on the purchase requisition line is also deleted. If you delete a whole purchase order, the purchase order reference is deleted on all purchase requisition lines. In both cases, the status of the purchase requisition changes to Approved - Cancelled.

After the purchase order has been created, you can use the following steps to view the purchase requisition information about a purchase order.

1. Click Accounts payable > Common Forms > Purchase order. 2. Select a purchase order that was created from an approved purchase

requisition. 3. Click the Setup tab in the upper pane to see which user requested the

items on the purchase order in the Requisitioner field. If this field is blank, multiple users requested the items that are included on this purchase order. To add a requisitioner, you can select a name from the list.

4. Click the Address tab in the upper pane to view the attention information in the Attention information field. If this field is blank, multiple types of attention information have been used for this purchase order. To add attention information, type information in the Attention information field.

5. Select a purchase order line and then click the Address tab in the lower pane to see which user requested the items on the purchase order line in the Requisitioner field. You can also view attention information in the Attention information field. You can add or change information in the fields.

6. Select a purchase order line and then click the Other tab in the lower pane to view the reference to the purchase requisition in the Purchase requisition ID field.



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Delete Purchase Requisitions

This lesson describes the way purchase requisitions can be deleted. Only the user who requested the items on the purchase requisition can delete purchase requisitions. When you delete purchase requisitions, the purchase requisition journals are not deleted.

Purchase requisitions can be deleted when they have one of the following statuses:

• Draft • Approved - Invoiced (all referenced purchase order lines that were

created for the purchase requisition lines have been invoiced) • Rejected • Approved - Cancelled (all purchase order lines have been canceled,

deleted, or both)

Purchase requisitions with statuses of Pending, Approved, or Completed cannot be deleted. In these cases, the user who requested the items must first recall the purchase requisitions, and then delete them.

A user who manages purchase requisitions and have the necessary access can delete purchase requisitions - regardless of their status or his role in the purchase requisition workflow - using the Purchase requisitions form (Accounts payable > Periodic > Purchase Requisition > All purchase requisitions).

To delete purchase requisitions manually, follow these steps:

1. Click Accounts payable > Places > Purchase Requisitions. 2. Select the purchase requisition to delete and then click Delete.



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Procedure - Select and Delete Purchase Requisitions

To select and delete a set of purchase requisitions follow these steps:

1. Click Accounts payable > Periodic > Clean up > Delete purchase requisitions.

FIGURE 4.3 DELETE PURCHASE REQUISITIONS

2. Select the purchase requisitions to delete using the following

methods. You can use one or a combination of these fields to select the purchase requisitions to delete: o In the Purchase requisition ID field, select the ID of the

purchase requisition to delete. o In the Requisitioner field, select a user to delete any purchase

requisitions that the user has created or that have been created for the user.

NOTE: If this user created purchase requisitions on behalf of another user, those purchase requisitions will not be deleted.

o In the Submitted from date and Submitted to date fields, enter a

range of dates to delete purchase requisitions that have been submitted within that period of time.



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3. Select the Allow delete of approved purchase requisitions and higher states check box to delete all purchase requisitions that are currently finished.

4. Click OK.

NOTE: You can also click the Batch tab to delete the requisitions as a batch process.



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Lab 4.1 - Create Purchase Requisition Scenario

Scenario: Susan, the Order Processer at Sales and Marketing Department requires new lamp and chair for their division. Here is some information about these required items:

Item Number Qty Unit Purchase price Vendor 9002 Lamp, Desk, Adjustable, Black Shade

1 Ea 46.57 8001

9004 Chair, Executive, Leather, Black

1 Ea 345.99 8001

After the purchase requisition is created by Susan, Kevin, her manager has to approve the purchase requisition. After approval, Susan has to view the approved requisition, post the purchase order and review the purchase order journal.

Requirements: This lab requires at least two user accounts to successfully complete the Purchase Requisition process. Besides, user relations should be set up for these users (Administration > Users > User relations). Each account is listed below and can be accessed by right-clicking Microsoft Dynamics AX icon and selecting the Run As command to log on as the new user. All users are members of the Contoso domain. The Step by Step section of this lab will indicate when this task is required.

User Account User Description Password Susan Requisitioner Pa$$w0rd

Kevin Approver Pa$$w0rd

Challenge Yourself!

1. Create a new purchase requisition as the requisitioner account specifying the items in the table above.

2. Approve the requisition using the Approver account. 3. Post the purchase orders using the requisitioner account. 4. Review the purchase order journal.

Need a Little Help?

1. Create a requisition by clicking Accounts payable > Purchase Requisition Details.

2. Approve the requisition by reviewing the notification in the lower-right corner, and clicking select Go to Origin.



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3. Post puchase order by right-clickng in the Purchase order field on the General tab of the Purchase requisitions form and select Go to the Main Table.

4. Access the purchase order journal to review the purchase orders from Purchase Requisition Details > Inquiries > Purchase order.

Step by Step

1. To log in as Susan Burk, select the Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 desktop icon, right-click it, select Run as..., select the The following user option button, and type “Contoso\Susan” in the User name field. In the Password field, type “Pa$$w0rd”. Click OK.

2. Locate AOT/Forms/Tutorial_EventProcessor,open the form, and click Start in the Demo form to make workflow processor running.

3. From the Navigation Pane click Accounts payable > Purchase Requisition Details.

4. In the Purchase requisitions form, click New to create a new record.

5. In the Purchase requisition name field, type “Office Furniture”. 6. In the Requested date field, type “06/30/2008”. 7. Click OK. 8. In the Lines, click Add item. 9. In the Show category field, select “Chairs” from the drop-down list. 10. Select item “9004 Chair, Executive, Leather, Black” and click Add

item. 11. In the Show category field, select “Lamps” from the drop-down list. 12. Select item “9002 Lamp, Desk, Adjustable, Black Shade” and click

Add item. 13. Click Create. 14. In the Purchase requisitions form, click Submit. 15. In the window that appears, enter the following comment: “Please,

approve ASAP.” 16. Click Submit. 17. Close the Purchase requisitions form. 18. Do not close the Microsoft Dynamics AX session. Keep logged in as

Susan Burk. 19. Start new Microsoft Dynamics AX session. Log in as Kevin Cook

for approval, following the same procedure as for Susan (step 1). 20. Pick the notification related to the purchase requisition just created

from the Notification list form. 21. Click Go to origin. View the create purchase requisition. 22. In the Purchase requisition form, in the Show requisitions field,

select “Assigned to me”. 23. In the Instructions form, view the instruction left for you from

Susan.



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24. Close the Instructions form. 25. Click Actions > Approve. 26. In the Comment form that appears, type “OK”. 27. Click Approve. Kevin has now approved the purchase requisition. 28. A purchase order is automatically created, due to parameter setup,

once approved by Kevin, Susan’s Manager. 29. Close the infolog. 30. Close the Purchase requisitions form. 31. Close the Notification list form. 32. Close Microsoft Dynamics AX. 33. Start new Microsoft Dynamics AX session. Log in as Susan to view

the status of the Purchase requisition as end user. 34. From the Navigation Pane, click Accounts receivable > Purchase

Requisition Details. 35. In the Purchase requisitions form, cllick Lines and go to the

General tab. 36. Right-click in the Purchase order field and select Go to the Main

Table. 37. In the Purchase Order details form, click Posting > Purchase

order. 38. In the Posting form, click OK. 39. Close the Purchase Order Details form. 40. From the Purchase requisition lines, click Inquiries > Purchase

order. Now the requisitioner can access the purchase order journal (what has been communicated to the vendor).

41. In the Purchase order journal form, click the Lines tab. 42. Close the Purchase order journal form. 43. Close the Purchase requisitions form.



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Setting Up Purchase Requisitions When setting up purchase requisitions and defining which items must be available for purchase requisitioning, select to:

• Create a product catalog that only contains items that are relevant for purchase requisitions.

• Make only items that are not blocked for purchase available for purchase requisitioning.

• Make all items available for purchase requisitioning.

In the following topics, these setup areas are handled:

• Purchase requisition parameters • Set up a product catalog • Create a product catalog • Create catalogs for non-catalog items • Set up purchase requisition default values for employees

Create a Product Catalog

Use the Products group form, in Accounts payable, to create a product catalog for purchase requisitions.

Product catalogs for purchase requisitions make it possible to specify which items are available for purchase requisitioning. It is possible to make specific items available and to define a product catalog structure that is relevant to purchase requisitioning without affecting an existing item group structure.

Non-catalog items can also be made available for purchase requisitions. Non-catalog items are typically not part of the company's regular inventory because they are consumed immediately and not stocked. An example of non-catalog items may be office supplies unless it is a company that sells office supplies. Create category catalogs to make non-catalog items available for purchase requisitions.

Both product catalogs and category catalogs require that items are stored in the Microsoft Dynamics AX database. Create product and category catalogs in the Product groups form.

When a product catalog is created, the default purchase requisition product catalog and the category catalog to use can be set up in the Accounts payable parameters form.



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Product Groups Form

Use the Product groups form to create and manage a hierarchical product group structure by using an appropriate number of levels. From this form, the create product catalogs contain items that can be selected for purchase requisitions.

Path: Accounts payable > Setup > Purchase catalog > Product groups.

FIGURE 4.4 PRODUCT GROUPS

The Product groups form is divided into two main sections, the upper pane and the lower pane.

Product Groups Form - Upper Pane

Use the upper pane to create product groups. Add product groups by pressing CTRL+N. Use the Type field to define the group as either a Group node, Item node, or a Category node, available only for purchase requisition product catalog. The Group node type is used to generate the overall structure, whereas the actual items from the inventory list are attached to the Item node type.



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The Top node field indicates if the group or the item node is a top node, the highest level in a hierarchy. If a funnel icon appears in the Selection field, a selection criterion for the item node (available only for items nodes) is defined in the Select items form.

Product Groups Form - Lower Pane

The information displayed in the lower pane depends on if Group node, Item node, or Category node is selected in the upper pane. Typically, a top node can be selected in the upper pane (product groups). When creating a top node, add relations within the top node. Because the top node is usually a group node, (unless there is one level), component groups can only be created in the lower pane.

Component groups are product groups that need to reside within the selected group node in the upper pane. When adding component groups to a group node (press CTRL+N in the lower pane), only select components groups that are available as product groups in the upper pane (either group nodes or item nodes).

When the relation to a product group of the type item node is created, the layout of the bottom pane automatically changes to one that creates and displays all items that are attached to the current item node. Add items to the item node either by pressing CTRL+N and then selecting the item from the Item group field; or add items by clicking Select items.

Procedure - Create a Product Catalog

Use the following procedures to create product catalogs dedicated to purchase requisitions. A product catalog consists of product groups that are organized in a tree structure with three possible node types:

• Group node - Used to hold item nodes, category nodes, and group nodes on a lower level in the product group hierarchy.

• Item node - Used to hold the selected product items from the inventory.

• Category node - Used to hold non-catalog items.

Procedure - Create Group Nodes

To create group nodes, follow these steps:

1. Click Accounts payable > Setup > Purchase catalog > Product groups.

2. In the upper pane, press CTRL+N to create a new node. 3. Type an identifier for the product group in the Product group field

and a name in the Name field.



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4. In the Type field, select Group node. 5. The Top field indicates if the group node is the top node in the

hierarchy. If it is a top node, it is marked with a green check mark.

FIGURE 4.5 PRODUCT GROUPS

6. Repeat Steps 2-4 to create more group nodes.

Procedure - Create Item Nodes

To create item nodes, follow these steps:



and a name in the Name field.



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4. In the Type field, select Item node. The Top field indicates if the product group is the top node in the hierarchy. If it is a top node, it is marked with a green check mark. The Selection field indicates if a selection is made by using the query tool (available only when the selected type is Item node).

5. Click Select items to add items to the item node. 6. In the Item selection form, click Select to select the items to add to

the selected item node. 7. Enter selection criteria and then click OK. 8. In the Item selection form, select the Select items now check box to

add the items to the lower pane in the Product groups form and then click OK.

FIGURE 4.6 ITEM SELECTION FORM

9. As an alternative, in the Product groups form, position the pointer

in the lower pane and press CTRL+N to add items one by one to the item node.

10. In the Selection form, click OK to finish selecting items. 11. Repeat Steps 2-5 on the previous page to create more item nodes. 12. When all the necessary item nodes are created, assign each item node

to a group node.

Procedure - Create Category Nodes

Follow these steps to create category nodes to hold category items. Before creating category nodes, set up one or more category items in the Item Details form.



and a name in the Name field. 4. In the Type field, select Category node.



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5. In the lower pane, press CTRL+N to add a category item to the category node.

6. It is only possible to add one category item to a category node. 7. Repeat Steps 2-5 to create more category nodes.

When all the necessary category nodes are created, assign each category node to a group node.

Procedure - Add Component Groups to Product Groups

If the selected product group in the upper pane is a group node, add component groups in the lower pane. Component groups can be of all node types.

1. In the upper pane, select the group node to link component groups to. 2. In the lower pane, press CTRL+N to add the component group to add

to the group node. 3. In the Component group field, select the component group to

include in the product group.

The list of available component groups consists of the product groups in the upper pane, either group nodes, items nodes, or category nodes.

NOTE: If category nodes are added to a group node to create a category catalog, nodes of other types cannot be added to the group node.

Set Up Category Items

Category items are placeholders for non-catalog items. Non-catalog items are not usually part of a company's typical inventory because they are used immediately and not stocked.

An example of non-catalog items may be office supplies, unless it is a company that sells office supplies.

The non-catalog items are added to category nodes when a category catalog is created in the Product groups form.

Create as many non-catalog items as required from a financial posting, item statistics and vendor perspective. When a purchase order is created based on a purchase requisition, the non-catalog item is registered on the purchase order line and it is the non-catalog item that carries information about financial posting, inventory posting, and so on.

The non-catalog items are created exactly like other types of items. However, the recommendation is to set up the item exactly like a service item to avoid an item on hand.



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Procedure - Create a Category Item

To create a category item, follow these steps:

1. Locate Inventory management > Common Forms > Item details. 2. Create a new item by clicking New or pressing CTRL+N. 3. In the Item name field, type a generic description of the item, and a

search name in the Search name field. 4. In the Item type field, define the item as a service item to avoid any

on hand inventory. 5. In the Item group field, select an item group, for example, an item

group that is specific to non-catalog items used in purchase requisitions.

6. On the Setup tab, assign an inventory model group and inventory dimension group to the item.

Procedure - Set Up Category Items

The following procedures show how to set up an item group, inventory model, and inventory dimension group used for category items.

Procedure - Set Up an Item Group

To set up an item group, follow these steps:

1. Click Inventory management > Setup > Item groups to create an item group used for non-catalog items.

2. Press CTRL+N to create a new item group.



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3. On the Purchase order tab, make sure that the posting profile for the item group is defined against the ledger accounts for items purchased through purchase requisitions to be expensed and not stocked.

FIGURE 4.7 ITEM GROUP

Procedure - Set Up an Inventory Model Group

To set up an inventory model group, follow these steps:

1. Click Inventory management > Setup > Inventory > Inventory model groups to create an inventory model that is used for category items.

2. Press CTRL+N to create a new inventory model group.



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3. On the Setup tab, clear all the check boxes to set up the inventory model group as for a service item.

FIGURE 4.8 INVENTORY MODEL GROUPS

Procedure - Set Up an Inventory Dimension Group

To set up an inventory dimension group, follow these steps:

1. Click Inventory management > Setup > Dimensions > Dimension groups to create an inventory dimension group used for category items.

2. Press CTRL+N to create a new dimension group.



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3. Make sure that all Active check boxes for item and storage dimensions are cleared.

FIGURE 4.9 INVENTORY DIMENSIONS

If multisite functionality is enabled, the site automatically becomes active and mandatory.

Set Up Purchase Requisition Parameters

The following procedures describe how to set up parameters for purchase requisitions.

Before defining the purchase requisition parameters, be sure to have:

• Defined ledger categories (optional). • Created a number sequence for purchase requisitions. • Set up product catalogs and category catalogs.



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Procedure - Set Up Purchase Requisition Parameters

Follow these steps to set up purchase requisition parameters.

1. Click Accounts payable > Setup > Parameters. 2. Click the Purchase requisition tab to specify the parameters for

purchase requisitions. 3. In the Purchase requisition catalog field, select which items to

make available in purchase requisitions. o Catalog - Applies items that are filtered for use in the purchase

requisition. o All items - Applies all items. o Non stopped items - Applies items that are not blocked for

purchase.

4. If selecting Catalog in the Purchase requisition catalog field, select the product catalog to apply to purchase requisitions in the Product group field.

FIGURE 4.10 ACCOUNTS PAYABLE PARAMETERS

5. In the Category catalog field, select a category catalog to apply

category items to purchase requisitions.



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6. Select the Lock multiples, Lock max. order quantity, or Lock min. order quantity to prevent requisitioners from overwriting quantities in purchase requisitions that are set up for the item. Item quantities are defined in Inventory management > Items Details > Setup > Default order settings (Purchase order) or Site specific order settings (Purchase order) if multisite functionality is enabled.


7. Select the Business justification check box to make it mandatory to

enter a business justification before the purchase requisition can be submitted.

8. Select the Unit price check box to make sure that the unit price is always specified before the purchase requisition can be submitted.

9. Select the Vendor check box to make sure that the vendor is always specified before the purchase requisition can be submitted.



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10. In the Auto create purchase order field, specify how purchase orders are created from approved purchase requisitions: o No: Purchase orders are always created manually. o All: Purchase orders are always created automatically. o General purchase: Only purchase orders of the type General

purchase are created automatically.

11. Select the Ledger account selection filter check box to apply a ledger account filter to purchase requisition lines and then click Add ledger account categories to add account categories to the filter.


Procedure - Set Up Purchase Requisition Default Values for Employees

Use this procedure to set up default purchase requisition values for employees, such as spending and approval limits, attention information, and site and warehouse information.

Set up purchase requisition default values for employees:

1. Select Basic > Common Forms > Employee Details. 2. Select the employee for whom to define default purchase requisition

values.



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3. Click Setup > Limits to specify the approval and spending limits for the employee.

FIGURE 4.13 EMPLOYEE FORM

4. In the Limits form, specify the spending and approval limits for the

employee. 5. Press CTRL+N, select limit ID (approval or spending limit) in the

Limit ID field, and type the amount in the Limit field: o Spending limit: The employee will be able to create purchase

requisitions that exceed the amount specified here but they will require approval before purchase order is created.

o Approval limit: If a Purchase requisition is required to be approved, the employee approving it, must have an approval limit that exceeds the amount specified here.



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6. Specify the dates that the save limit is active from and to in the Active date and Expiry date fields.

7. Select the Active check box to activate the limits.

FIGURE 4.14 LIMITS FORM

o Click Save and return to the Employee form. o Click the Setup tab. o Type an employee's additional delivery address information in

the Attention information field, for example office location. The attention information is automatically transferred to the purchase requisition header and lines.

o If multisite is activated, select a site. By default, the selected site is added to the purchase requisition. The site delivery address is the default delivery address for the purchase requisition, if no delivery address is created on the warehouse for the purchase requisition.

12. Select a warehouse, if it is required. By default, the selected

warehouse is added to the purchase requisition. The warehouse delivery address will be the default delivery address for the purchase requisition.

If multisite is activated, the combination of the selected site and warehouse is validated.

NOTE: Create limit types for a purchase requisition before defining spending and approval limits. Click Basic > Setup > Limit types.

NOTE: You can also define rights for an employee to “submit on behalf of” other employees. Click Basic > Employee Details > Setup > On behalf of.



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Define User Groups and Security Settings for Purchase Requisitions

To make purchase requisitions available to users in the organization and to enable the Purchase requisition approval workflow, define the user groups that control access to the purchase requisition functionality and security settings.

The following procedures describe how to enable the purchase requisition functionality and how to define user groups and security settings.

User Groups Example

The example requires the following user groups:

User Group Name Description PREmployee Users can create, submit, and cancel purchase

requisitions.

PRApprove Users can approve, cancel, delegate, reject, and request changes to purchase requisitions.

PRComplete Users can complete purchase requisitions, modify all purchase requisitions, and create purchase orders from approved purchase requisitions. These users are typically purchasers or purchasing agents.

In this example, users who approve purchase requisitions are members of both the PREmployee and PRApprove groups.

Procedure - Define User Groups

To define user groups, follow these steps. The procedure uses the PREmployee user group as an example.

1. Click Administration > Setup > User groups. 2. Press CTRL+N to create a new group. 3. Enter the identifier and name of the user group in the Group and

User group name fields, such as “PREmployee” and “Purchase requisition - all employees”.

4. Click the Users tab to add users to the user group.



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5. Click Permissions to define user group permissions. 6. In the User group permissions form, assign the relevant domains

that the users must have access to. In this example, the PREmployee user group has access to all company accounts.

FIGURE 4.15 USER GROUP PERMISSIONS

Procedure - Give Users Access to Purchase Requisition Workflow Actions

Use this procedure to let users create, modify, and delete purchase requisitions in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009:

1. Click Administration > Setup > User groups. 2. Select a user group, in this example PREmployee, and then click

Permissions to define user group permissions. 3. In the User group permissions form, click the Permissions tab. 4. In the Viewing field, select Workflow and double-click it. 5. Expand Accounts payable > Purchase requisitions. Select

Purchase requisition approval and select a permission level under Access. The Purchase requisition approval workflow configuration template is now available to the users in this group.



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6. Expand Purchase requisition approval > Template menu items. Select Cancel and Submit in both nodes, and select a permission level under Access. Users in this group can now submit and cancel purchase requisitions in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009.


7. Expand Purchase requisitions > Tables. Select Purchase

Requisition and Purchase requisition lines, and select a permission level under Access.



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8. Expand Basic > Tables. Select SysWorkflowInstanceTable and select permission level Full control under Access. Users in this group can now create, modify, and delete purchase requisitions in the Microsoft Dynamics AX.


NOTE: Similar setup steps are required to use the Project purchase requisition approval workflow configuration template.

Procedure - Give Users Access to Purchase Requisition Forms

Use this procedure to give users access to the purchase requisition forms in the Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 client.

1. Click Administration > Setup > User groups. 2. Select a user group and then click Permissions to define user group

permissions. 3. In the User group permissions form, click the Permissions tab. 4. In the Viewing list, double-click Security. 5. Expand Accounts payable > Daily. Select Purchase Requisitions,

Purchase Requisition Details and select a permission level under Access. Users in this group can now access the Purchase requisitions form and Purchase Requisitions list page.

6. Click Cascade to use the same permission level for all the subnodes.



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7. Expand Accounts payable > Inquiries. Select Purchase requisitions and select a permission level under Access. Users in this group can now access the Purchase requisition journal form.

8. Click Cascade to use the same permission level for all the subnodes.

Procedure - Give Approvers Access to Purchase Requisition Workflow Actions

Use this procedure to let users approve, cancel, delegate, reject, request changes to, and resubmit purchase requisitions in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009.

1. Click Administration > Setup > User groups. 2. Select a group, for example PRApprove, and then click Permissions

to define user group permissions. 3. In the User group permissions form, click the Permissions tab. 4. In the Viewing list, double-click Workflow. 5. Expand Accounts payable > Purchase requisitions > Purchase

requisition approval > Workflow elements. 6. Select Approval, Check mandatory lines [Required], and

Purchase Requisition Approval [Required]. 7. Select a permission level under Access and then click Cascade to

use the same permission level for all the subnodes. 8. Expand Basic > Tables. Select SysWorkflowInstanceTable and

select permission level Full control under Access. Users in this group can now approve, cancel, delegate, reject, request changes to, and resubmit purchase requisitions in the Microsoft Dynamics AX.


Procedure - Give Approvers Access to Print Purchase Requisition Statistics

Use this procedure to enable users who approve purchase requisitions to print purchase requisition statistics.

1. Click Administration > Setup > User groups. 2. Select a group, in this example PRApprove, and then click

Permissions to define user group permissions. 3. In the User group permissions form, click the Permissions tab. 4. In the Viewing list, double-click Security. 5. Expand Accounts payable > Reports and select Purchase

requisition statistics. 6. Select a permission level under Access to use the same permission

level for all the subnodes.



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Users in this group can now print purchase requisition statistics.

Procedure - Give Users Who Complete Purchase Requisitions Access to Purchase Requisition Workflow Actions

Use this procedure to give users who complete purchase requisitions (typically purchasing agents) access to workflow actions.

1. Click Administration > Setup > User groups. 2. Select a group, in this example PRComplete, and then click

Permissions to define user group permissions. 3. In the User group permissions form, click the Permissions tab. 4. In the Viewing list, double-click Workflow. 5. Expand Accounts payable > Purchase requisitions > Purchase

requisition approval > Workflow elements > Check mandatory lines [Required].

6. Select Workflow element menu items. 7. Select a permission level under Access and then click Cascade to

use the same permission level for all the subnodes. 8. Expand Basic > Tables. Select SysWorkflowInstanceTable and

select permission level Full control under Access. Users in this group can now complete, delegate, reject, request changes to, and resubmit purchase requisitions in the Microsoft Dynamics AX.


Procedure - Give Users Access to Specific Purchase Requisition Functionality

Use this procedure to allow users to complete one or more of the following tasks:

• Access all purchase requisitions, regardless of the status in the All purchase requisitions form, and to perform all available purchase requisition actions.

• Delete a set of purchase requisitions at the same time. • Manually release approved purchase requisitions to purchase orders.

Purchasing agents typically perform these steps.

1. Click Administration > Setup > User groups. 2. Select a group, in this example PRComplete, and then click

Permissions to define user group permissions. 3. In the User group permissions form, click the Permissions tab. 4. In the Viewing list, double-click Security.



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5. Expand Accounts payable > Periodic and select All purchase requisitions, Delete purchase requisitions, and Release Approved Purchase Requisitions Details.

6. Select a permission level under Access.

Users in the group can now access the purchase requisition functionality listed here.

Purchase Requisition Workflow Before using purchase requisitions it is required to define a purchase requisition workflow. The purchase requisition workflow enables companies to control the purchase requisitioning process before the purchase requisition is accepted and a purchase order is created and submitted to vendors.

The purchase requisition workflow must represent the business process for purchase requisitions in the company. It must define how purchase requisitions “flow” through the organization by showing who can process and approve purchase requisitions.

Business Roles in the Workflow

An organization usually has three business roles in the workflow:

• The requisitioner (the user who requests the items) • The purchasing agent (approver) • The requisitioner's manager (approver)

NOTE: The requisitioner is always the user who requested and who will receive the items on the purchase requisition, even if that user does not actually create the purchase requisition. Depending on how the system is set up, users can create purchase requisitions on behalf of other users. In that situation, the requisitioner is not the same user who actually creates and submits the purchase requisition. In the workflow process, the requisitioner's settings (such as approval limits and approvers) are used for the purchase requisition.



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Example: Purchase Requisition Workflow

The purchase requisitions in this example follow these steps in the workflow process:

1. The requisitioner creates a purchase requisition and submits it to the workflow.

2. The purchasing agent receives a notification requesting him or her to verify the information in the purchase requisition and fill in mandatory information where missing, such as net amount and vendor information. He or she also has the option to return the purchase requisition to the requisitioner. When he or she has filled in the mandatory fields, the workflow continues to the approval process.

3. If the requisitioner has filled in the purchase requisition correctly from the beginning, the workflow continues to the approval process automatically.

4. The requisitioner's manager approves the purchase requisition.

FIGURE 4.18 PURCHASE REQUISITION WORKFLOW

5. If the requisitioner has exceeded the spending limit for purchase

requisitions, the purchase requisition approval is routed to his or her manager who can approve, reject, or return the purchase requisition to the requisitioner and request him or her to modify it.



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NOTE: In this example, the hierarchy provider is used and it defines that the requisitioner's manager is the approver. Hierarchy provider is setup based on employee position reporting relationship. The hierarchy provider builds on an implementation structure implemented in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009.

When the purchase requisition is approved, a purchase order is created automatically.

One purchase order for each currency and vendor in the purchase requisition lines is created, if Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 is set up to automatically create purchase orders.

For example, if a purchase requisition has two lines with two vendors and currencies, it results in two purchase orders.

If automatic creation of purchase orders is not set up, the approved purchase requisition is routed to the Release approved purchase requisitions form and the purchasing agent must manually select the purchase requisition lines from which he or she wants to create purchase orders.

Create a Purchase Requisition Workflow Configuration

To create a purchase requisition workflow, a workflow configuration must be set up. The workflow configuration controls interaction between the originator (the requisitioner) and the approver in the workflow. It determines the routing of the purchase requisition based on conditions in the workflow configuration, for example, when to route, whom to route to, and available actions for users to take.

Two purchase requisition workflow configuration templates are provided with Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009. A general purchase requisition template (Purchase requisition approval) and a purchase requisition template specific for purchase requisitions created from Project (Project purchase requisition approval).

This section covers creating a purchase requisition workflow configuration based on the general purchase requisition approval template. The configuration of the templates varies from organization to organization. This means the templates must be configured to match the business process for purchase requisitions in the organization.

Use the procedure to create a purchase requisition workflow configuration based on the purchase requisition workflow template that is provided with Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009. The following procedure describes a recommended configuration.



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Procedure - Create a Purchase Requisition Workflow Configuration

Use this procedure to select the Purchase requisition approval template to base the workflow configuration on:

1. Click Accounts payable > Setup > Workflow configurations. 2. Click New to open the Create configuration: Select a template

form. 3. Select Purchase requisition approval from the Templates list.

FIGURE 4.19 CREATE CONFIGURATION: SELECT A TEMPLATE FORM

4. Click Create configuration to create the configuration. The

Purchase requisition approval form opens.



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5. In the Name field, type a name for the workflow. 6. Click Save.

FIGURE 4.20 WORKFLOW: PURCHASE REQUISITION APPROVAL FORM

Create Instructions

Instructions are for the users who submit purchase requisitions for processing and approval in the form.

Placeholders can also be inserted in the instructions that are replaced with the appropriate data when the instructions are displayed to users.

Example:

A user might enter the following message text:

“The vendor and/or price is missing on one or more of the purchase requisition lines. Update the purchase requisition Purchase Requisition Details. If this task cannot be completed, return the purchase requisition to the Requisitioner.”

These instructions contain placeholders for the purchase requisition ID and the user who created the requisition.

NOTE: A list of available placeholders and their descriptions is included in the Available placeholders area of the Edit message form.



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Procedure - Create Instructions

To create instructions, follow these steps:

1. In the Purchase requisition approval form (which is opened when creating the purchase requisition workflow configuration), click Create instruction to open the Edit message form.

2. Click Add language to select the language that is used in the instructions.

3. Type the instructions in the Message text field. 4. Repeat Steps 2 and 3 for each language to display the instructions in. 5. Click OK to return to the Purchase requisition approval form.

To insert a placeholder:

1. Click the message text to specify where the placeholder will appear. 2. In the Available placeholders list, select the placeholder to insert. 3. Click Insert.

FIGURE 4.21 EDIT MESSAGE FROM



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Procedure - Configure the Task

Use this procedure to configure the purchase requisition complete task. In this example, the purchasing agent is requested to fill in the missing mandatory information (net amount and vendor information) on the purchase requisition line.

1. In the Purchase requisition approval form, click the Details tab. 2. In the Workflow elements field, select the required task. The details

of the task are displayed in the lower pane. 3. On the Overview tab, type a name for the task in the Task name

field, such as “Fill in missing information”. 4. Click Create subject to add a subject that describes the task to the

user, such as “Add missing information to the purchase requisition”. The subject is displayed in the Purchase requisitions form when the purchasing agent is requested to fill in the missing mandatory information. Click OK.

5. Click Create instruction to enter instructions that are displayed in the form. For more information, view the previous procedure. Click OK.



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6. Select the Set a time limit for the task check box to set a time limit for the approval process, for example, five days.

FIGURE 4.22 WORKFLOW: PURCHASE REQUISITION APPROVAL - OVERVIEW TAB

7. Click the Automatic actions tab to define a condition.

In this example, vendor and net amount information is mandatory on the purchase requisition line.

Condition Condition Condition Action Where Purchase requisition lines.

Vendor account Is not [Leave blank]

And

Where Purchase requisition lines. Net amount

> 0.00



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The task runs automatically when the condition is met.

8. In the Action field, select Complete.

FIGURE 4.23 WORKFLOW: PURCHASE REQUISITION APPROVAL - AUTOMATIC ACTIONS TAB

9. Click the Assignment tab and then click to specify who the task

must be assigned to: o Role based: Assign the task to all users in a specific role. Select

the appropriate user group. o Hierarchy based: Assign the task to a particular level in the

hierarchy. o User based: Assign the task to specific users. Select the

appropriate users.Select Role based, and then select a user group from the list, such as a purchasing agent user group.



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10. Click OK.

FIGURE 4.24 ASSIGNMENT FORM

11. Click the Escalation tab to define what must occur when a user does

not act on a task by the task's due date. In this example, click Escalate to one or more people to escalate the task to one or more users, and then click Add to specify which user to escalate the task to.

12. Click the Notifications tab to specify when to send notifications to users, and which users to send them to. For example, to notify the user of who created a purchase requisition if the requisition is returned for changes.

13. For this example, click Choose, select the Role based option, and select Workflow originator in the list. Click OK to return to the Purchase requisition approval form.

14. Select the Enabled check box for the Request change event to enable the notification, and type a message to the user in the Message text field.

15. Click the Advanced tab to specify which actions are available to users.

Procedure - Configure the Approval

Use this procedure to configure the purchase requisition approval.

1. In the Purchase requisition approval form, click the Details tab. 2. In the Workflow elements field, select the required approval. The

details of the approval task are displayed in the lower pane. 3. On the Overview tab, type a name for the approval in the Approval

name field, such as Approve purchase requisition.



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4. Click the Automatic actions tab. Click Enable automatic actions and specify a condition, such as the following example.

Where Purchase Requisition details. ApprovalAmount

<= Purchase Requisition.SpendingLimit.

5. In the Action field, select Approve. The purchase requisition is

approved automatically if the purchase requisition total amount is less than or equal to the spending limit for the user who created the purchase requisition.

FIGURE 4.25 WORKFLOW: PURCHASE REQUISITION APPROVAL - AUTOMATIC ACTIONS TAB

6. Click Notifications to specify when to notify the user. For example,

to notify the user when purchase requisitions are approved and rejected.

7. For this example, click Choose, select the Role based option, and select Workflow originator in the list. Click OK to return to the Purchase requisition approval form.



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8. Select the Enabled check box for the Approve and Reject events to enable the notification and type a message to the user in the Message text field.

9. Click the Advanced tab to specify which actions are available to users.

FIGURE 4.26 WORKFLOW: PURCHASE REQUISITION APPROVAL - ADVANCED TAB

10. In the Workflow elements list, click Step to configure the details for

the step. 11. On the Overview tab, type a name for the step in the Step Name

field, such as “Approve”. 12. Add a subject and instructions for the user who will approve the

purchase requisitions. The subject and instructions are displayed in the form when the purchasing agent is approving purchase requisitions.



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13. Click the Condition tab to specify a condition. 14. Select the Always run this step option. In this example, the approval

is always routed to the manager of the user who created the purchase requisition if that user exceeded his or her spending limit for purchase requisitions.

FIGURE 4.27 WORKFLOW: PURCHASE REQUISITION APPROVAL - CONDITION TAB

15. Click the Assignment tab to specify the user to assign the approval

to. 16. For this example, click Choose and select Hierarchy based. 17. In the Start from field, select Requisitioner to indicate that the

approval process starts from the position in the hierarchy of the user who created the purchase requisition, and then moves on to that user's manager, the manager's manager, and so on.



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18. Select Assign to all users retrieved, and then click Create stop condition to define a stop condition that defines when to stop the approval process. The following table includes an example of a stop condition.

Where Employee, Approval limit >= Purchase Requisition,

Approval Amount

FIGURE 4.28 WORKFLOW CONDITION EDITOR

19. Click OK to return to the Purchase requisition approval form. 20. Save the configuration and close the form to complete the purchase

requisition workflow configuration. 21. In the Workflow configuration form, select the Active check box

next to the workflow configuration to activate it.

NOTE: To designate a workflow a default workflow, click the Overview tab and select the Default check box next to the workflow configuration.



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Lab 4.2 - Create Purchase Requisition Workflow Configuration

Scenario

Scenario: A purchasing manager of the Contoso Company has decided it is time to implement controls around its purchasing process.

Currently the process is very paper dependent and prone to errors and lost paperwork. After seeing a demonstration from its partner the Contoso Company is excited to start implementation of workflows with purchase requisitions in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009. Specifically the Contoso Company is excited to reduce manager paperwork by using approval conditions to auto-approve requisitions that are less than 50 U.S. dollars (USD).

A workflow template is created, and the purchase requisition form is workflow enabled. A workflow must now be configured.

Challenge Yourself!

1. Create a new workflow configuration for Purchase Requisition Approval.

2. Create submit instructions that will be viewed by the user when creating a new purchase requisition.

3. Create instructions for each of the required elements of the workflow.

4. Create an automatic approval condition to auto-approve purchase requisitions entered for less than 50 U.S. dollars (USD).

5. Specify the Assigned to value for each element. 6. Save the workflow configuration and make sure it is the default and

set to active.

Need a Little Help?

1. Create a new workflow configuration for Purchase Requisition Approval. Follow the path: Accounts Payable > Setup > Workflow configurations.

2. Create submit instructions to be viewed by the user when creating a new purchase requisition. In the Workflow form, locate Purchase requisition > General tab and then click Create instruction.

3. Create instructions for each required element of the workflow. In the Workflow form open Purchase Requisition Approval > Details. Click each element and then Task details > Overview > Create Subject/Create instruction.



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4. Create an approval condition to auto-approve purchase requisitions entered for less than 50 U.S. dollars (USD). In the Workflow form open Purchase Requisition Approval > Details and then click PurchReqApproval > Automatic actions.

5. Specify the Assigned to value for each element. In the Workflow form, go to Purchase Requisition Approval > Details and then click each element and Task details > Assignment tab.

6. Set the workflow configuration to Default and active then save it. In the Workflow form locate Purchase Requisition Approval > General and select the Active check box. Click File > Save.

Step by Step

Create a New Workflow Configuration.

1. Follow the path Accounts Payable > Setup >Workflow configurations.

2. Click New. 3. Select Purchase requisition approval and then click Create

configuration.

Create and submit instructions.

1. In the Workflow, from the Purchase requisition approval form, on the General tab and click Create instruction.

2. In the Message text box, enter submit instructions such as, “Complete all required fields before submitting”.

3. Click OK.

Create instructions for each elements of the workflow.

1. In the Workflow, from the Purchase Requisition Approval > Details Tab > click PurchReqComplete.

2. In the Task details section on the Overview tab, click Create Subject.

3. In the Edit message window for the subject, enter text such as “Verify required fields”.

4. Click OK. 5. Continuing on the Overview tab of the Workflow form, select

Purchase Requisition Approval and click Create instruction. 6. In the Edit Message window for the instructions, enter text such as,

“Verify the required fields are filled in before completing this task”. 7. Click OK. 8. In the Workflow form, select Purchase Requisition Approval >

Details, expand the PurchReqApproval node and then click Step 1. 9. Under Step details section of the Overview tab, in the Step Name

field, enter a name for the step such as, “Approve Requisition”.



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10. Click Create subject. 11. In the Edit Message window that appears, enter a subject such as,

“Requisition approval”. Click OK. 12. Click Create instruction. 13. In the Edit Message window for the instructions, enter text such as,

“Approve this purchase requisition if everything is correct”. 14. Click OK.

Create an approval condition to auto-approve purchase requisitions entered for less than 50 U.S. dollars (USD).

1. In the Workflow form select the Purchase Requisition Approval > Details tab and click the PurchReqApproval node.

2. In the Approval Details section, click the Automatic actions tab and select the Enable automatic actions check box.

3. In the Edit conditions field enter the following condition:

Where Purchase requisition.ApprovalAmount < 50

4. From the Action drop-down list, select Approve from the list. 5. Click Save.

Specify the assigned value for each workflow element.

1. In the Workflow form, go to Purchase Requisition Approval > Details and click PurchReqComplete.

2. Under the Task details section, click the Assignment tab > click Choose.

3. In the assignment window that appears make sure to select Role based and select a user group from the drop-down list. For this first example, leave it set to Administrators.

4. Click OK. 5. In the Workflow form, locate Purchase Requisition Approval >

Details, click PurchReqApproval and Approve Requisition. Under the Step details section, click Assignment tab > Choose.

6. In the assignment window that appears, make sure to select Role based and specify a user group from the drop-down list. For this first example, leave it set to Administrators.

7. Click OK. 8. Click Save. 9. Close the Workflow form.



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Set the workflow configuration to default, activate and then save it.

1. In the Workflow configuration form, click the General tab, select the Active check box, and then select the Default check box on the Overview tab.

2. Click the Save icon on the toolbar or click File > Save. 3. Close the form.



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Summary A purchase requisition is a document that authorizes the purchasing department to buy items. The purchasing department can use purchase requisitions to generate the actual purchase orders for the items. Purchase requisitions are internal documents, whereas purchase orders are the equivalent external documents that the purchasing department submits to vendors.

You can select items from product catalogs that contain only items that are relevant for purchase requisitions. It is also possible to request both catalog items and non-catalog items using purchase requisitions.

Purchase requisition workflow that should be set up prior to purchase requisition creation controls the approval process of the purchase requisition from when it is submitted to Workflow until it is approved, after which purchase orders are created and submitted to vendors. The purchase requisition workflow represents the business process for purchase requisitions in your company; it defines how purchase requisitions flow through your organization by determining who can process and approve purchase requisitions.

You can create purchase requisitions in both Enterprise Portal and the Microsoft Dynamics AX client.



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Test Your Knowledge Test your knowledge with the following questions.

1. How many category items can be added to the category node?

( ) Unlimited ( ) 1 ( ) None ( ) 2

2. What is the way to make purchase requisitions available to users in your organization?

3. Before defining purchase requisition parameters, which of the following must you make sure that you have performed? Mark all that apply.

( ) Defined ledger categories (optional) ( ) Created number sequence for purchase requisitions ( ) Setup product catalogs and category catalogs ( ) Created number sequence for purchase orders

4. The purchase requisition workflow must represent the business process for purchase requisitions in your company. It must define how purchase requisitions “flow” through your organization by showing who can process and approve purchase requisitions. An organization has three business roles in the workflow. Identify them from the list: Mark all that apply.

( ) The orderer ( ) The requisitioner ( ) The purchasing agent ( ) The requisitioner's manager



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5. What status does the newly created purchase requisition have?

( ) Created ( ) New ( ) Draft ( ) Submitted

6. Where information about purchase orders and invoices that were created based on purchase requisitions is available from?

7. Which purchase requisition statuses do not allow to delete purchase requisitions? Mark all that apply.

( ) Pending ( ) Approved-Invoiced ( ) Approved ( ) Completed



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Quick Interaction: Lessons Learned Take a moment and write down three key points you have learned from this chapter:

1.

2.

3.



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Solutions Test Your Knowledge

1. How many category items can be added to the category node?

( ) Unlimited (•) 1 ( ) None ( ) 2

2. What is the way to make purchase requisitions available to users in your organization?

MODEL ANSWER - Define the user groups that control access to the

purchase requisition functionality and security settings.

3. Before defining purchase requisition parameters, which of the following must you make sure that you have performed? Mark all that apply.

(√) Defined ledger categories (optional) (√) Created number sequence for purchase requisitions (√) Setup product catalogs and category catalogs ( ) Created number sequence for purchase orders

4. The purchase requisition workflow must represent the business process for purchase requisitions in your company. It must define how purchase requisitions “flow” through your organization by showing who can process and approve purchase requisitions. An organization has three business roles in the workflow. Identify them from the list: Mark all that apply.

( ) The orderer (√) The requisitioner (√) The purchasing agent (√) The requisitioner's manager

5. What status does the newly created purchase requisition have?

( ) Created ( ) New (•) Draft ( ) Submitted



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6. Where information about purchase orders and invoices that were created based on purchase requisitions is available from?

MODEL ANSWER - Purchase requisition details > Inquiries > Purchase

orders Purchase requisition details > Inquiries > Invoice

7. Which purchase requisition statuses do not allow to delete purchase requisitions? Mark all that apply.

(√) Pending ( ) Approved-Invoiced (√) Approved (√) Completed



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Documents

CHAPTER 4: PURCHASE REQUISITIONS - Dynamics AX User …