Sicon Approvals Help and User Guide – Invoices Module

1. Approvals Navigation

To navigate to Invoices, hover over the menu on the left, then click the relevant menu item to select.

Alternatively, to approve, click the approval button on the dashboard.

2. Invoice Enable Configuration

For the Invoice module to be available the enable module must have the Invoice module ticked. Once this is configured, Invoice options will then be visible within the system.

For further information on licencing, please speak with your Business Partner in the first instance.

3. Configuring Invoices

These next sections are aimed at Approvals consultants and super users looking to set the module up for the first time. Much of this would be covered in initial consultancy with your Sage Business Partner or Sicon Approvals Consultant.

3.1. Configuring Invoices Module Overview

*Please make sure the Approvals Service is restarted following any changes.

These are all explained in more detail throughout this help and user guide.

4. Pre-requisites in Sage 200

4.1. Purchase Ledger Invoice Authorisation Required

In Sage 200 Purchase Ledger Settings, enable Purchase Invoice ‘Authorisation Required’ (Sage – Purchase Ledger – Utilities – Ledger Set Up – Ledger Settings – Processing Tab) and set a value at which purchase invoices require approval; this value would usually be set at 0.01. As soon as this is ticked, invoices will require authorisation and will be pulled through to Approvals for approval.

When an invoice is entered into Sage that is over this value (either directly onto the Purchase Ledger or via Purchase Order Processing), the tick box is set so the invoice requires authorisation. Approvals will then pick this invoice up and replace the need to use the basic invoice authorisation in Sage 200. This functionality in Sage is still available if enabled on a user’s role and within the Approvals Addon; it is advised that users don’t have permission to approve in Sage if approval is to be done in Approvals, unless required for troubleshooting purposes if invoices are mis-keyed in Sage.

4.2. Default Unauthorised Purchases Nominal Account

While an invoice requires authorisation, a query status ‘U’ will be applied to the transaction and the value will not be paid or post to the associated nominal code(s) – the cost will be posted as an unauthorised line. An Unauthorised Payments Balance Sheet Code should be created and listed in the Default Nominal Accounts (Sage – Nominal Ledger – Utilities – Ledger Set Up – Default Nominal Accounts – Balance Sheet). This is the Balance Sheet liability account where unauthorised purchase invoices are posted. The invoice value will post to this balance sheet code until the invoice is authorised at which point it will move from this code and post to the appropriate nominal code(s). The transaction date will be taken from the Invoice date but the invoice will post to the next available open Purchases accounting period.

N.B. if this default account is not set up, the value will initially post to the Suspense Account. It is not recommended to use the Suspense Account as this can confuse month-end reporting.

If required, a Reverse Journal can be run from within the Approvals Add-on at month end to post the values of any outstanding unauthorised invoices to the appropriate nominal code, allow for month end reports to be run and the journal will then automatically reverse to put these unauthorised invoices back to the unauthorised nominal code.  See the Approvals Add-on Help and User Guide for more information on this function.

4.3. Use Existing and Active Nominal Accounts

To prevent invoices being coded to incorrect or invalid nominal codes, it is recommended to restrict users from being able to choose invalid nominal accounts (Nominal Ledger – Utilities – Ledger Settings – Options tab):

4.4. Approvals Add-Ons

The Approvals Add-on provides additional features for Sage 200, particularly with regard to additional analysis and processing for invoices and month end routines in Sage 200. Please see the Approvals Add-on Help and User Guide for an overview of all settings.

5. Costing Module Pre-requisites

The Approvals system can be configured to integrate with Sicon Projects, Sage Project Accounting or Approvals Projects. Select accordingly with System Settings – Costing – once a costing module has been set, please restart the Approvals service.

In addition to the Approvals Costing settings, Project Integration must be turned on within Sage for the relevant costing module.

Sicon Projects: this can be configured in Sicon Projects – Utilities – Project Settings:

For further information on configuring Sicon Projects with Invoices, refer to the Sicon Projects Help and User Guide in the first instance.

Project Accounting: this can be configured in Project Accounting – Utilities – System Setup – Project Accounting Settings – Integration:

For further information on configuring Sage Project Accounting with Invoices, speak with your Sage Business Partner.

6. Invoice System Settings

System Settings relating to the Invoice module are accessed in System Settings – Invoices menu item. Settings are defaulted in a way that many sites will not need to make changes, however the below explains the settings available within Approvals.

6.1. Invoice Tab - Display Banner

Display Allocated (Paid) Status:  whether to show the payment allocation status of an invoice; once a payment has been allocated to an invoice this will update in Approvals to show either Unpaid, Allocated or Paid.

Remove ‘All Suppliers’ Option:  hides all suppliers from the Filter on Invoice entry screens within Approvals.  Applicable to invoices entered directly into Approvals only.

Remove ‘Approved Suppliers’ Option:  hides approved suppliers from the Filter on Invoice entry screens within Approvals.  Applicable to invoices entered directly into Approvals only.

6.2. Invoice Tab Functionality Banner

Invoice Review instead of Approve enabled: if invoices keyed in Sage are to post directly to the ledger and only come through Approvals for a review process, not approval, select this setting.  This will mean the service will not check for any invoices or credits that have a U query against and instead will only pick up invoices and credits for review.

Number of seconds old Invoices / Credits have to be before picked up by the service for approval:  by default, this is set to zero so invoices will be picked up by the Approvals service as soon as they are saved in Sage.  If other third-party software must be run in Sage once an invoice has been saved prior to Approvals picking the invoice up, enter a value here, e.g. 60 seconds.

Approve invoices ‘Select all’ check box selects all items on the current page (off selects all items all pages):  if users have the User Type permission to select and approve multiple invoices at a time and if this setting is enabled, only invoices on the current page will be approved, preventing users from accidentally approving all items on all pages without checking the invoices on subsequent pages.

Automatically Load Existing Invoices on Page Load:  if ticked, all current invoices will be loaded automatically.  If not ticked, use the Search filters and Quick Links to display invoices required.  N.B. by default Completed invoices will not show unless the option to include completed is ticked.

Allow duplicate Transaction References:  if invoices require editing once they are in the Approvals system, e.g. nominal code to be changed, this setting will need to be enabled.

Pick up Suggested Payments for approval in Approvals:  if suggested payments should be approved in Approvals, enable this setting.  If not ticked, suggested payments would not require approval in Approvals before being paid in Sage.

When Placing Invoices on Hold:  notifications can be sent to previous/current/future approvers to advise the invoice has been placed on hold.  If this setting is changed, please ensure the Approvals service is restarted as this relates to email notifications.

Hold Reason Entry Method: when approvers put an invoice on hold, they will either use a free text entry method, or a pre-defined list can also be created.  To set up a predefined list, this is done under System Setup banner – Approval Hold Reasons.  It is a User Type permission to Maintain Hold Reasons.

Invoice entry within ‘Approvals

The following settings are applicable for invoices entered directly in Approvals rather than Sage, such as when Commercials are disabled.

Require Invoices to be recorded by matching to a Goods Received note:  applicable to invoices entered directly into Approvals only.

Require Expected Invoice Values to Match Actual values when recording invoices:  applicable to invoices entered directly into Approvals only.

Automatically populate the second reference with the Approvals Invoice ID:  for invoices entered directly into Approvals; automatically populate the second reference with the Approvals document ID.

Validate a Sage accounting period exists for the Invoice Transaction Date:  when ticked, the system will validate whether the accounting period exists when saving or submitting an invoice.  This setting is applicable only to invoices entered directly into Approvals.

Transaction Analysis Code Mandatory (if enabled in Sage):  applicable to invoices entered directly into Approvals only; if transaction analysis codes have been configured in Sage, these must be completed in Approvals.

Restrict Invoice Line Date Entry:  applicable to invoices entered directly into Approvals only; this can restrict the time period an invoice can be entered.

7. Invoice User Type Permissions

What are User Type Permissions?

In addition to system settings, some permissions are driven at a User Type level; User types are similar to Roles within Sage Administration. Different levels of management could belong to one User type if they perform the same duties. The amount that someone can approve an invoice for is configured from within the user profile. For example, a cost centre budget holder and a director could both belong to the same User Type that can both approve invoices and run reports. However, at the point of creating the user, the budget holder may be given a finite approval limit, whereas the Director may be given an unlimited approval limit. See the next section on Invoice User Permissions for further information on this aspect.

Configuring User Type Permissions

Permissions for whether a user is able to approve, amend or view reports are set at a User Type level, under both the Invoices/Credits and Suggested Payments tabs.

Enter New Invoices:  applicable to invoices entered directly into Approvals only – the ability to enter new invoices.

Enter New Batch Invoices:  applicable to invoices entered directly into Approvals only – the ability to enter invoices in a batch.

Enter New Credit Notes:  applicable to invoices entered directly into Approvals only – the ability to enter new credit notes.

Copy Invoices:  applicable to invoices entered directly into Approvals only – the ability to create new invoices by coping existing invoices.

Record PO Invoices:  applicable to invoices entered directly into Approvals only – the ability to record invoices against approved Purchase Orders.

Approve Invoices / Credits:  the ability to approve an invoice.  If a user does not have this permission, they cannot be selected when building an approval route.

Delete Invoices / Credits:  the ability to delete an invoice.  If an invoice has been pulled through to Approval from Sage and then deleted in Approvals, it will be pulled through to Approvals again for approval as the invoice in Sage still has the ‘U’ query flag.

View all Invoices / Credits:  the ability to view all invoices in Approvals.  Usually only Admin or Finance users would be given this permission.

Amend Invoices / Credits:  the permission to edit an invoice or credit note, i.e. to change a nominal code or split lines.  Depending on Costing module configuration, it may not be possible to change the invoice.

Allow Adding Notes to Invoices / Credit Notes:  the ability to add notes to an invoice during the approval process; these notes are only visible in Approvals and will not post through to Sage.  If an invoice is edited or re-routed it can be useful to add notes to pass information onto other approvers.

View Invoice / Credit Reports:  permission to run the invoice report showing all invoices, their values, status, approval history etc.

Maintain Hold Reasons: the ability to maintain reasons for putting invoices on hold during approval in Approvals.

Approve Suggested Payments:  the ability to approve suggested payments.  If a user does not have this permission, they cannot be selected when building an approval route.

View All Suggested Payments:  the ability to view all suggested payments; if this is off, users will only be able to view suggested payments that they have to approve.

Amend Suggested Payments:  the ability to make any changes to suggested payments.

Delete Suggested Payments:  the ability to delete a suggested payment within Approvals; the suggested payment routine would need to be run within Sage to pull through payments for approval.

View Suggested Payments Reports:  the ability to run the suggested payment report showing payments, their status, approval history etc.

Other User Type permissions from other tabs can also be beneficial for Invoice User configuration.  See the User Settings Help and user Guide for full information on all User Type permissions.  In particular, the General (for filtering reports) and Costing tabs (to specify whether to allow project amendments during approval, if permitted).

8. Invoice User Permissions

Configuring User Permissions

A number of permissions can be set on the user profile relating to viewing or approving invoices.

What are User Permissions?

Unlike User Type permissions that belong to a group of users, User permissions are set at a user level to determine specific permissions for individual users.  For example, a cost centre budget holder and a director could both belong to the same User Type that can both approve invoices and run reports.  However, at this point of creating the user, the budget holder may be given a finite approval limit, whereas a Director may be given an unlimited approval limit under their Account Options tab.  This section explains all the tabs relevant to invoices within a users’ profile.

8.1. Account Options Tab

Against a user set their Invoice Item and Approval values; item value is the amount the user is able to enter an invoice for and approval value is the amount a user is able to approve an invoice for.  If invoices are to be entered in Sage, the item value can be left at zero while if a user is not allowed to approve an invoice (i.e. Finance Users to be included only in the Reject Invoice approval route), leave the approval value as zero.  If a user has unlimited approval value (i.e. for users at the end of an approval route), set the approval value as 999,999,999.  When creating approving users and considering approval routes, it is important to ensure that there are approvers with enough approval to cover the value of the invoice.

8.2. Business Units Tab

If the user belongs to a business unit they will be able to view any invoices awaiting approval or approved by other users within the business unit.

If entering invoices in Approvals, business units can be chosen at that stage.  Further information on this is included later in this User Guide.

If invoices are to be entered in Sage, then the Approvals Addon setting to “Select Approvals approver and record additional notes after invoice / credit note entry” must be turned on to enable Business Units to be defined.  Further information on this setting is available in the Approvals Add-on Help and User Guide.

8.3. Nominal Tab

This tab can be used to view nominal codes the user has been given access to, or to set that the user is to have access to all nominal codes.  These codes will be visible to the user if amending a nominal code.

It is also possible to set different levels of approval at a nominal level here. For example, an IT Manager may have an approval value of 10k, but for any IT Nominals, it could be set that they have an approval value of 100k. Where the IT manager is in an approval route, if the nominal account on the invoice line is outside of their cost centre, then the 10k limit will apply. If the nominal account on the invoice line falls within the IT department, the 100k limit will apply instead.

To allocate multiple nominal accounts to a user, it is recommended that this is done either via the Nominal Account Wizard or an import (within Settings – User Setup banner – Nominal Accounts). See User Settings Help and User Guide for more information on configuring this.

8.4. Projects Tab

If a costing module has been configured, this tab can be used to view projects or project headers the user has been given access to, or to set that the user is to have access to all projects or project headers. These projects and project headers will be visible to the user if amending an invoice (if the project can be amended and the user has the User Type permission to do so).

Tips for configuring Projects

It is possible to restrict project headers against specific projects within Sage (see Projects Help and User Guide for further information on this). If done this way, this automatically feeds through to Approvals and will not need configuring at this user level.

Alternatively, within Approvals it is also possible to restrict project headers against specific users, as mentioned above.

For invoices, all header Types will be available. For other Approvals modules, it is recommended that ‘Access All Project Headers’ is not ticked, and only the Projects and/or Project Headers are configured as required (either specific projects, specific headers, all projects, all headers, or a combination of these options).

To allocate multiple projects or project headers to a user, it is recommended that this is done either via the Projects Wizard (within Settings – User Setup banner – Projects / Project Headers / Project Header Types) or an import (within Settings – User Setup banner – Users – Import and Export – Import – Costing). See User Settings Help and User Guide for more information on configuring these.

8.5. Company Access Tab

This tab will show what companies the user has been given access to along with their default delivery and invoice addresses. Users will require access to a company to be able to approve an invoice or run reports.

9. Configuration of Invoice Approval Routes

Before invoices are configured in Sage to require authorisation, ensure approval routes have been setup correctly in Approvals.  Approval routes can be configured in a number of ways (i.e. based on nominal account, Project or supplier) but the recommended configuration would be based on nominal account.  It is only possible to configure invoices on Requesting User if invoices are entered in Approvals rather than Sage.  For further information on configuring Approval Routes, please refer to the Approval Routes Help and User Guide.

9.1. Standard Invoice Approval Routes

Use the approval route wizard or import to configure approval routes for invoices based on configuration; e.g. either based on nominal account, project manager, supplier etc.  Ensure when building routes that there is a user in the route who can approve high value invoices; routes should start with an approver with the smallest approval value and end with a user with unlimited approval value.  Approval routes for invoices that are entered in Approvals can also be based on Requesting User however, this is not possible for invoices that are entered in Sage.

Invoices entered in Approvals or Sage will pick up the standard approval route regardless of whether they are entered directly in the Purchase Ledger or via Purchase Order Processing.  There are further options available for Invoices linked with Purchase Orders, explained in the “Automatic Invoice Approval” section of this Help and User Guide.  It is also possible to create Custom Approval Routes in Sage at the point of recording the invoice, and this is explained later in the “Approvals Invoice/Credit Additional Options” section of this guide.

9.2. Rejected Invoice Approval Routes

Before an invoice can be rejected the default reject invoice approval route will need to be configured – Approvals Settings– Approval Route Setup – Approval Routes – Edit Default Approval Route – Rejected Invoices & Credits.  It is advised to configure this route to either one member of the Finance Team or a list of users within the Finance Team; it will be their responsibility to recode an invoice and resubmit for approval, they will not be doing any approval of invoices.  These users require permission to approve an invoice (so they can be put into the rejected invoices approval route), would be given zero invoice approval value and would also require permission to amend invoices and access to all nominal codes in case amendments are required.

Either use the ‘Simple’ option to add one user into the approval route or use the ‘Advanced’ option to add a User List or User Type to the route.

In the screen above, Add Requester could also be used for invoices entered in Approvals, and will redirect a rejected invoice back to the user who raised the invoice.  This option is not possible for invoices entered in Sage as the user in Sage does not map to an Approvals user and the invoice would not move on for approval.

A default rejected invoice route needs to be configured regardless of whether invoices are entered in Sage (Commercials enabled) or in Approvals (Commercials disabled).

10. Automatic Invoice Approval

Approvals has been developed with three settings regarding approving invoices that are linked to purchase orders.  Only one of the below settings can be chosen.  If these settings are changed, clear the Approvals Cache and restart the Approvals service once saved to ensure the new configuration is picked up.

10.1. Automatically approve invoices that are linked to Purchase Orders

This option allows for the auto approval of an invoice that is linked to a related requisition and will be used in conjunction with the variance checking options beneath.  If an invoice fails the variance check, it will not be automatically approved but will be pulled through into Approvals and will follow the pre-configured invoice approval routes (see the last section on Configuration of Invoice Approval Routes).  The approver will see a note against the invoice on the approval screen which will show the variance detail, in addition to a ‘justification’ tab which holds this information.  If the invoice was entered in Sage, comments added by the user who entered the invoice would also be shown on this tab.

Check for variance when auto approving invoices (Requires Approvals Addon configured in Sage): Using the Approvals Add-on in Sage, this setting will check for any variance in conjunction with the other settings configured on this screen.

Acceptable variance percentage with purchase order line: This setting will check the value of the invoiced line(s) against the total of the matched PO lines with the figure here.

Acceptable variance value with purchase order line (Approvals base currency): This setting will check the value of the invoiced line against the total value of the matched PO lines with the figure here.  If the invoice falls outside of this acceptable monetary value it will require additional comments to explain the discrepancy (if it is within the variance, comments are not mandatory), and will then be sent for approval.

If the invoice falls within this variance, the invoice will be automatically approved in Approvals.

Note; these two settings work together so if there is any variance outside of either one, the invoice will require approval in Approvals.

Check the invoiced quantity matches the Goods Received quantity:  this setting will check the invoice quantity against the total goods received quantity.  It requires three-way matching to be turned on in Sage Purchase Order Settings.

If the order is part-received and invoiced, this will not be counted as a variance that requires approval, but an additional comment will be displayed for the user keying the invoice to explain that the Invoiced Quantity doesn’t match so this can be queried prior to approval.  If there is no GRN at all, a warning will be displayed to the user to explain that “Order X has been invoiced for X items but no items have been delivered.”  The user will then need to enter a reason for this variance (or close the screen if this is a mistake and query with the user who raised the requisition).

Further information with examples of all these variance settings are available within the Approvals Add-on Help and User Guide.

Automatically approve if invoice line is less than purchase order line:  this option can be configured if company policy is to approve automatically an invoice that is received less than the purchase order.

What checks are made?

Below is an illustration of all the checks that are being made by the Approvals Addon in Sage depending on the settings above configured in Approvals:

If an invoice falls outside of the acceptable variance in Sage it will require additional comments from the input clerk to explain the variance, and will then be sent for approval.

If an invoice is entered in Approvals, the same checks are made however no comments are required as these can be added directly to the invoice in Approvals, if required.

If the invoice falls within this variance, comments are not mandatory and the invoice will be automatically approved in Approvals.

Invoices that are not auto approved should be approved first by the requisition requestor, then the normal approval route for the invoice: If there is no ‘Invoice & Credits with variance’ default route configured, this setting routes a PO invoice first to the PO requesting user in Approvals, before moving onto the normal approval route for the invoice.  Each user who could raise a requisition would need to also be given permission to approve an invoice with a suitable invoice approval value (this could be £0).  If the user has enough Invoice Approval to cover the whole invoice, it will not move onto the usual approval route and will fully approved by the original requisition requester.

10.2. Invoices linked to requisitions should be approved by the requisition requester

This option generates a custom approval route for each invoice that is linked to a requisition; the route will contain only the user who raised the requisition in Approvals and will not follow the pre-configured standard approval route or any budget checking options.  If this option is required, each user who could raise a requisition would need to also be given permission to approve an invoice with unlimited invoice approval value.

10.3. All invoices require approval

This setting can be enabled if no auto approval is permitted and all invoices should require authorisation through the standard configured approval routes.

Note, if these settings are changed please ensure the Approvals service is restarted for changes to be picked up.

11. Entering Invoices

The next few sections are aimed at users who record invoices, covering the features they may use in their day-to-day role.  If a site is not using Sage Commercials, invoices can be entered in Approvals and the sections regarding Approvals Invoice entry are to be followed.  If Sage Commercials are enabled, then invoices should be entered in Sage and these sections followed instead.

12. New Invoice Entry - Approvals

If a site is not using Sage Commercials, invoices can be entered into Approvals that once approved, will post into Sage Purchase Ledger.

From the side Invoices menu, select New Invoice.  N.B. Options on this screen will be dependent on the functionality and options enabled or disabled within the System Settings.

Company:  the user’s default company will be selected here and greyed out if the user only has access to one.  If the user has access to multiple companies, they can select a different company here.

Supplier:  select the correct supplier from the drop-down list either by typing the supplier name or code.  All suppliers will be pulled through from Sage; if a supplier is on hold in Purchase Ledger it will not appear on the list.  If required, within system settings – Invoices, the supplier list may be restricted to show only Approved Suppliers as defined in Sage 200.

Currency:  once a supplier has been selected, their currency will be shown.

Approvals Reference:  this will be auto populated by Approvals once the invoice is saved.

Urgent:  if the user marks an invoice as urgent they will need to enter a reason for the urgency in the Urgent pop up box.  Once the invoice is then submitted, an email will be sent instantly to approvers advising them there is an invoice awaiting approval.

Document Date:  this will auto populate to the current date but can changed as required.

Due Date:  this will auto populate in accordance with the supplier’s payment terms as configured on their Purchase Ledger account.

Reference:  free text box to enter the invoice number.

Second reference:  free text box which can be used to enter an additional reference.  Alternatively, a system setting can be configured to automatically populate the second reference with the Approvals reference once the invoice is saved.

Save Only:  clicking this will allow the user to save the invoice before submitting; i.e. if extra lines or attachments need to be added before the invoice is submitted.

Save and Submit:  this will send the invoice for approval.

Close:  this will close the screen without saving any changes.

Reset Lines:  this option will reset the approval route for all lines back to the beginning of the approval route.

Copy Invoice:  this will allow the use to select a previously approved invoice to copy and create a new invoice for approval.

12.1. Add a New Item

Select Add a New Item and complete as required.  N.B. certain fields or boxes may not be visible as below, depending on the System Setup.

Details:  free text field to enter the description of the invoiced items.

Account reference:  this will show the supplier code as selected on the original invoice entry screen.

Reference:  this will show the invoice reference as selected on the original invoice entry screen.

Supplier Name:  this will show the supplier account name as selected on the original invoice entry screen.

Second Reference:  depending on configuration, this will either show the second reference as selected on the original invoice entry screen or the Approvals invoice reference.

Transaction Date:  this will show the date as selected on the original invoice entry screen.

Gross Goods Value:  once lines have been saved, this will show the total gross goods value.

Tax Code:  this will default to the tax code as configured on the supplier account in Sage but can be overridden if required.

Tax Value:  this will show the total tax value.

Narrative:  by default, this will contain the supplier code and invoice reference; additional text can be added as required.

Save:  click to save the line to the invoice.  Once saved, the invoice line details box remains on the screen ready to add further lines if required.  By default, the nominal code will remain but can be changed.

Close:  when no further lines are required on the invoice, click Close to return to the invoice header page.

Nominal Analysis Tab

The user will need to select a nominal code for the line item.  Nominal codes can be searched for either by typing an account number or name.  Users can be given permission on their User profile to ‘Access All Nominal Codes’ but it is advised to restrict user nominal access so they see a limited list of codes.

Projects Tab

If WAP has been linked with Approvals Projects, choose a project here – this project information will not post through to Sage.

Approval Tab

The approval tab will display the route configured for this line item.  Users will not be able to make any changes to the route, unless they have the user type permission to ‘Create ad-hoc Approval Routes’ – this is recommended for Finance or Admin users only.

Budget Status

If budget checking has been enabled, the details will be shown under this banner and a detailed drilldown can be viewed by clicking on the budget link.

12.2. Attachments Tab

This tab is used to add file attachments to be viewed during the approval process.  If Sicon Documents is configured, invoice attachments will post through from Approvals to Sage.  Documents can either be dropped on the file box as indicated, or use the button to browse for a file as required.  If one document is attached, a single paperclip will appear in the Flag column on the invoice summary grid tables and approval grid page, if further documents are attached, two paperclips will show.

12.3. Related Orders Tab

If the invoice has been entered and linked to a PO in Approvals, this tab will show order and order line information.

12.4. Justification Tab

This tab is used to provide additional notes and information regarding the invoice that would be visible to the approver.  These additional notes are for internal use only; they will not post through to Sage.  If Approvals Analysis Fields have been set up, these will be displayed and can be completed as required.  If the invoice is linked with a Purchase Order, and variance checking is turned on, a summary of any variances will also display here.  If notes have been added a post-it note icon will appear in the Flag column on the invoice summary grid tables and approval grid pages.

12.5. Approval History Tab

This tab will start to be populated once the invoice has been submitted and starts through the approval process.

Filter By Item:  by default, all invoice liens will show, use this drop-down box to filter to view history of one specific line.

Urgent Reason:  if the user ticked the option to mark the invoice as urgent, the reason given will be displayed here.

12.6. Audit History Tab

If configured, this tab will be populated with information on the invoice lines; when they were created, amended or deleted and by which user.  By default, all invoice lines will show but the filters can be used to only show specific lines, audit actions (e.g. create, edit, delete etc.) or a date range when the action occurred.

Auditing is switched on in System Settings – Auditing.

12.7. Copy Existing Invoice

Once an invoice has been fully approved it can be copied to create a new invoice.  This functionality is useful if repeat invoices are being placed regularly, or invoices with many lines.  The user should find the correct invoice to copy using the search functionality and click to View.  Once the invoice is open, click the Copy Invoice button at the bottom of the screen.

Sage Database:  select the correct Sage company for the new invoice to be raised in.  Only companies the user has access to will be visible.

Copy From:  this is the invoice that will be copied; the invoice number need to be entered on the new invoice once it has been created.

Supplier:  choose the correct supplier the new invoice should be raised for; start typing either the supplier name or account number to find.

Invoice/Credit:  select whether the new invoice is to be an invoice or a credit.

Copy:  click here to create the new invoice, or cancel out to avoid completing this.

Once copied, a new invoice is created.  This new invoice can then be edited if required; i.e. if lines need to be added or deleted, or changes to quantities etc. need to be made.  Once the invoice is correct, this can then be submitted for approval.

12.8. Pending Approvals Invoices

Once the invoice has been saved in WAP it will be visible in Sage against the supplier account, under the Pending WAP Invoices tab.

Invoice in WAP is awaiting approval –

Within Sage, PL – Supplier Transaction Enquiry, the Pending WAP Invoices tab is populated with the corresponding information.

N.B. this tab is only populated if the invoice was entered directly into WAP – if the invoice was entered into Sage, it will not be populated onto this tab.

13. New Credit Entry - Approvals

Credit notes can be entered into Approvals following the same process as for new invoice entry as detailed above.  The ability to enter credit notes is a User Type permission so if required, users may be able to enter invoices but not credit notes.

14. Approvals - Batch Invoice Entry

This option can be used to enter multiple invoices at the same time.  Select Batch Entry from the side menu and complete the fields as required.  Use Update to save each batch line.  The ability to enter batch invoices is a User Type permission so if required, users may be able to enter invoices but not invoices in batches.

Choose the correct Sage Database and enter lines as appropriate.

Add a new line:  click to add additional invoice lines.

Save Only:  save and open the invoices; this will allow users to add attachments or notes as required before submitting the invoice for approval.

Save and Submit:  save and submit the invoices for approval.

Close:  close the screen without any changes.

Once submitted, an invoice for each line will be created.  The invoices will follow the configured approval routes and appear in the Submitted tab until the invoice has been approved.

15. Approvals - PO Invoice Entry

An invoice can be entered for a single supplier and either one or multiple POs raised and approved within Approval.  PO invoices should only be recorded in Approval if using Sage 200 with no Commercials.

From the navigation menu, select Record PO Invoices.  Select the correct supplier, enter the invoice date, reference and goods and tax value.  Click Find Orders to display all approved and outstanding POs from the chosen supplier.

From the list displayed, choose the appropriate PO(s) that the invoice matches to and click OK.

Select the PO lines and goods received lines to which the invoice relates to.

N.B.  if the invoice differs from the PO line, edit the Quantity to be invoiced or the Unit Price on the appropriate lines.  The quantity to be invoiced figure will be pulled through from the quantity received.

Save & Open:  save the current screen and open the invoice; this will allow users to add attachments or notes as required before submitting the invoice for approval.

Save & Submit:  save the current screen and submit the invoice straight for approval.

Close:  if the invoice should not be recorded, untick the lines selected and click close to return to invoice entry screen.

Once an invoice has been saved, the original purchase order will be updated as invoiced.

16. New Invoice Entry - Sage

If Sage Commercials is enabled, it is recommended that invoices are entered into Sage.  For full information on entering invoices in Sage, speak to your Sage Business partner in the first instance.  Sicon uses the standard Sage functionality to bring the information into Approvals.  The next couple of sections detail basic information for entering invoices in Sage that will then pull through to Approvals for approval.

16.1. Purchase Ledger Invoice Entry - Sage

In Sage, navigate to Purchase Ledger Purchase Ledger – Enter Transactions – Invoice.

Supplier Details – Code / Short name / Postcode: Select the supplier by entering or choosing the code, short name or postcode.

Invoice details – Invoice Date: This will default to today’s date.

Invoice details – Due Date: This will depend on the payment terms set on the supplier account and can be overridden here if required.

Invoice details – Reference: Enter the invoice number or reference.

Invoice details – Second ref: If required, an additional reference can be entered here, for example a PO reference.

Transaction Details – Goods Value: Enter the net invoice amount.

Transaction Details – Requires Authorisation (checkbox): This must be ticked for invoices to pull through to Approvals.  The tick box will only appear if it has been configured – see the pre-requisites section at the beginning of this guide for more information.  Depending on the value configured there, and the value entered, the checkbox may need to be manually checked by the user.

VAT Analysis: This will default to the rate set on the supplier account, and can be overridden here if required.

Nominal Analysis: This will default to the nominal account set on the supplier account and can be overridden if required.

If Sicon Documents is installed and the user given Indexing permissions, the attachment can be added using the Add Docs button that will appear.  Once the relevant information has been entered, click Save for the invoice to be brought through to Approval.

If the add-on setting to add notes has been enabled, an additional screen will appear which allows for the invoice to be linked with a Business Unit, marked as Urgent, any notes added, and a custom approval route to be created.  If the invoice should follow the standard route, the Override Approval Route options can be left as the default:

Click Save for the invoice to come through to Approvals.

Running a Transaction Enquiry against the Supplier will show that the invoice requires authorisation before it can be paid, as identified by the Query flag on the transaction line.  And the invoice will sit in the Unauthorised Payments Balance Sheet Code until the invoice has been approved in Approvals:

16.2. New POP Invoice Entry - Sage

In Sage, navigate to Purchase Orders List – Order Processing – Record Purchase Invoices.

Supplier Details – Code / Short name / Postcode: Select the supplier by entering or choosing the code, short name or postcode.

Once the supplier is selected, all items on order from that supplier will be displayed.

When an invoice is entered in Sage against a PO, certain information must be recorded on this first Record Purchase Invoice screen.  Enter an invoice date and reference number.  If the values (either the price or quantity) on the invoice differs from the purchase order, this must be changed on the order line or overall invoice value.

If Automatic Invoice Approval is configured, at the point of selecting ‘Post Invoice’, the Approvals Add-on will then check the invoice values on this screen against the PO.  If the values match the order and goods received quantities, the invoice will not require approval in Approvals.  If there are any variances against the settings within Approvals, a popup will be displayed at the time of saving the invoice.

In the above example, the original purchase order unit price is lower than the invoice and there is also an additional carriage cost.

The yellow exclamation mark next to the Comments section indicates that it is mandatory for comments to be entered as the invoice value does not match the PO value and falls outside of the variance; these comments will then show in Approvals to the invoice approver both on the post-it note and the Notes tab.

16.3. Approvals Invoice / Credit Additional Options

Using settings within the Approvals Addon, additional options can be triggered in Sage by turning on the setting to “Select Approvals approver and record additional notes after invoice / credit note entry”.  When an invoice entered either in Purchase Ledger or via Purchase Order Processing is saved, additional options pop up and are explained below.

Override Approval Route

By default, Approvals will pick up the standard invoice approval route configured when the invoice is saved.  At this stage, it is possible instead to pick a different set of approvers which would override the standard route:

The invoice will come through to Approvals marked with a Custom route and all steps will be marked as Mandatory approvers in Approvals.  This means that that all approvers will need to approve an invoice before it can post to the relevant nominal accounts in Sage.  As usual throughout Approvals, the final approver must have enough approval value to approve the invoice.

This functionality is not compatible with the Rapid or Batched Transactions invoice entry screens in Sage, and only applies to individual invoices and credit notes.

Business Unit

By default, business units are not linked with invoices entered in Sage.  If they have been configured in Approvals and invoices are to be visible to all users within that Business Unit, select the relevant business unit here.

Urgent

If the Urgent flag is ticked, this will send an urgent notification to the approver.

The notification will be marked as Urgent and will use the Urgent Email Thread to promptly send an email to the approver.

Notes

Enter any notes that the user may wish the approver to see within Approvals.

These will be visible to the approver in Approvals either by hovering over the question mark that shows on the invoice for approval:

Or within the approve invoice screen navigate to the Notes tab:

These notes stay within Approvals and will not post back to Sage with the invoice.

16.4. Entering CIS Invoices In Sage

Refer to the CIS Help and User Guide  for further information on configuring CIS and recording CIS invoices.

Enter the CIS Invoice in Sage as usual:

Enter the required Subcontractor deductions (for Retention if this is not configured against the supplier account and is relevant against this invoice, all others will populate automatically):

A note to explain the CIS element will be displayed:

Both an Invoice and a Credit note will have been created in the Supplier Transaction Enquiry screen:

And the invoice transaction will pass through to Approvals for approval as usual, as indicated by the U query flag on the line.

17. Approving Invoices

The next few sections are aimed at users who approve invoices, covering the features they may use in their day-to-day role.

18. Invoice Approval – Approvals

Once an invoice has been entered into Sage (or directly within Approvals, if Sage Commercials are not enabled) and is awaiting a user’s approval, a notification will be displayed on their homepage; it is these notifications that will be the basis of reminder emails.

18.1. Approving Invoices

To view the invoice for approval, either click the notification link, the Invoice link under the Items Awaiting Your Approval banner or click Approve Invoices from the side menu.

Once within the approve invoice page, the approver will be able to see the invoice ID and References, Sage Company, Supplier, Net and VAT values and Invoice Dates.  The arrow on the left is used to expand the invoice and show all the line detail that the user has to approve (if there are additional lines on the invoice that have gone to another approver, these lines will not be visible to the first approver).

If a document has been added to the invoice, either in Sage 200 using Sicon Documents or Draycir Spindle, or in Approvals using the Attachments tab, the first screen to appear will be the Attachments tab showing the approver the copy of the invoice in the second half of the attachments tab:

If using Sicon Documents, it is possible to attach further documents in the top half of this screen using the ‘Select a file for upload’ function in the top half of the screen (or dragging a document onto the ‘Drop File(s) Here’ area.  Any attachments added will be posted back to Sage once approved.

To see further details on the invoice or to approve or reject, click on the Lines tab.

Lines tab:  this tab will show a further breakdown of invoice lines, description, tax information, narrative, line values and project information if applicable.  Individual lines can be approved or rejected, or all lines approved or rejected.  N.B. a reason needs to be entered if an approver rejects either a line or the invoice as a whole and the invoice will not post back through to Sage until all lines have been fully approved.  If a user has the User Type permission, they may be able to Edit an invoice line here; they would be able to change the nominal code to another code within their nominal allocation.  If a nominal code is changed it may be that the line will then move to another approver, depending on approval route configuration.

Attachments tab:  this will collate all attachments added and allow for approvers to review and add documents as needed (documents added will only post back to Sage if Sicon Documents is in use).

Notes tab:  any notes added to the invoice during entry or approval will be visible here and if the approver has permission, they will be able to add additional notes.  This tab would also include any variance descriptions entered on the invoice if being matched to a Purchase Order.

Budgets tab:  if budgets have been configured, either the nominal or project budget can be viewed here and drilled down into.

Approval History tab:  as the invoice is approved, approval history will be built up on this tab per line.  If the delegate function was used to approve an invoice, this will be recorded on the Approval History tab as “User X has approved on behalf of User Y”.
If a user has been assigned as an Out of Office alternate user, the approval history will show “Item X has been reassigned from User Y to User Z”

Hold Invoice:  enter a reason in the box below and then hold the invoice; this will prevent another user from approving this invoice.  It might be that the approver is querying the invoice with the supplier before they are able to approve.

Notify Additional Users:  when putting the invoice on hold, this can be used to let other users know that the invoice is now on hold; additional approvers or the Finance Team may need to be informed.  By selecting other users, they will receive a notification on their homepage under the ‘On Hold’ section.

View Details:  clicking on this will take the approver through to the main invoice entry screen.  Depending on User Type permissions, the approver may be able to edit the expense, i.e. changing the nominal code, splitting the line or restarting the approval route. It is recommended that to make amendments, this is the option chosen rather than editing the line directly.

Once an invoice has been fully approved, it will post through to Sage and be visible in Approvals under Existing Invoices under the Completed tab.  To view Completed invoices, make sure the option to ‘Include Completed’ is ticked under the Search filters.  Once an invoice has had a payment allocated in Sage, the Paid column will show this.

18.2. Rejecting Invoices

This functionality is to be used when the responsibility for the invoice is not with the approver and they need to send the invoice back to the Finance Team, e.g. if the invoice was coded incorrectly.  A default reject invoices approval route needs to be set up before an invoice can be rejected; it is advised to configure this route to either one member of the Finance Team or a list of users within the Finance Team; it will be their responsibility to recode an invoice and resubmit for approval, they will not be doing any approval of invoices.  These users require permission to approve an invoice (so they can be put into the rejected invoices approval route), would usually be given zero invoice approval value and would also require access to all nominal codes.

When an approver rejects either an invoice line or the whole invoice, a reason for the rejection needs to be entered before selecting the Reject button; the invoice will then go to the user(s) in the Reject route.  Users will not be able to make any changes to the reject route.

The approver in the reject route will receive a notification there is an invoice for their attention and they should complete as required, e.g. change the nominal code and resubmit for approval by editing the correct line.

Once the new nominal code has been saved, the invoice will need to be reset and resubmitted for the new approval route to be used.  The rejected reason will show to the new approver to make them aware the invoice was rejected initially.  Once fully approved, the invoice will post through to Sage as standard.

If using Sicon Projects and the project needs to be amended, the Finance user can instead click on ‘View Details’, and will have more control for editing the invoice.  Please refer to the Editing Invoices section later in this Help and User Guide for further information on editing invoices.

18.3. Holding an Invoice

This functionality can be used when the responsibility for the invoice approval remains with the approver but there may be a query, e.g. with the price, quantity or service received.  By placing the invoice on hold, the document cannot be approved but is visible to Finance Teams in the Existing Invoices screen and reports.

To place an invoice on hold a reason must be given, depending on settings, this can either be a Free Text reason, or the user can select from a Pre-defined list.

Hold reason set-up

Within System Settings banner – Invoices menu item – Functionality banner, select the Hold Reason Entry Method to either be Free Text or a Predefined list:

If a Pre-defined list is to be used, these will first need to be configured under the System Setup banner – Approval Hold Reasons menu item, where reasons can be added and maintained:

It is a User Type permission to maintain Hold reasons.

Putting an Invoice on Hold

Depending on what settings have been configured above, the approver can place an invoice on hold from the Approve Invoice screen, and will either need to enter a reason in the free text box:

Or choose an option from the drop-down if this has been configured instead:

In either instance, click Hold Invoice to place the invoice on hold.

If the user wishes to manually notify additional users that the invoice has been put on hold, they can select this prior to pressing the Hold Invoice button and selecting the user(s) to notify.  The system will not automatically notify any approvers either earlier or later in the approval route.  This option will also not show if the system email account has not been configured.

An example of the invoice on hold notifications is included later in this section.

At the point of pressing ‘Hold Invoice’, an additional popup will be displayed allowing the user to send an email to the supplier if they wish (or press ‘cancel’ if they do not wish to send any notification to the supplier).

Some basic wording is included, and can be amended by users if required:

The invoice will now show as On Hold in the Existing Invoices screen and the reason will be visible by hovering on the information icon.

If additional users were notified, they will receive a notification on their home screen if this has been configured in the email threads.  An example of the invoice on hold notifications is included later in this section.

If placing the invoice on hold due to a query, once this has been answered and the invoice is accepted, the Approver can take the invoice off hold by selecting the invoice within the Approve Invoices screen, clicking on the Lines tab, selecting to Unhold Invoice and then approve.

If a credit note is requested, once it arrives it should be entered into Sage and will be pulled through to Approvals as awaiting approval; the Source will show that this is a credit note rather than invoice.  When approving a credit note an extra tab is available, ‘Invoices on Hold’; this will show any invoices that are currently on hold in Approvals for that supplier.  Tick the select box to choose the related invoice, select the appropriate action required from the drop-down box and click to approve the credit note and action the invoice.

Approve Invoice:  the invoice will be approved as well as the credit note; if additional approval is required the invoice will then go to further approvers.

Unhold Invoices:  the credit note will be approved and the invoice will be taken off hold to be approved separately.

Example of On Hold Notifications

Invoice is entered into Sage and pulled through to Approvals for approval.  Invoice appears to Charlie for approval.

On Charlie’s homepage he has a notification under the Approve tab.

Under Existing Invoices, the invoice is in the Submitted tab as it is awaiting approval from Charlie.

Under the Approve Invoice screen Charlie puts this on hold and selects Idris from the ‘Notify Additional Users’ option.

For Charlie, the notification on his homepage remains in the Approve tab – the invoice is still awaiting his approval albeit he has put the invoice on hold.

On the Approval page, the invoice is still with Charlie but the ‘On Hold’ flag is ticked.  Charlie (or any other approver) cannot approve until Charlie has taken this invoice off hold.

Under Existing Invoices, the invoice remains under the Submitted tab – it is still awaiting approval.

Idris will receive a notification on his homepage under the ‘On Hold’ tab – he was the one that was notified by Charlie that this invoice has been put on hold.  Idris cannot do anything with this invoice (he cannot approve or take off hold as the invoice remains Charlie’s responsibility).

It is correct Charlie does not get an ‘On Hold’ notification and for the invoice to remain in the Submitted tab – it is flagged as being on hold to allow for easy identification of invoices that are on hold.  Users with the correct permissions can view invoices that are on hold – hovering over the icon flag will show who the invoice is awaiting approval from and the on-hold reason that was entered.  The only user that can take an invoice off hold is the user who first put it on hold.

18.4. Approving CIS Invoices in Approvals

Read this section in conjunction with the earlier section “Entering CIS Invoices in Sage”, and the CIS Help and User Guide which explains the CIS processes in more detail.

Once a CIS invoice has been entered in Sage it will come through to Approvals.  Within Approvals, approve or reject the invoice as usual:

Once approved, on the Supplier Transaction enquiry screen in Sage, all CIS transactions are shown with a Green Tick for transactions with a deduction or a Red Cross for transactions with no deduction (Gross).  Highlighting an invoice transaction will show a new tab on the transaction summary called CIS.  This will include details on the Labour and Material splits, how much is applicable for the CIS deduction, the rate of deduction and the credit note details.

Unticking the ‘Show outstanding only’ will display the CIS credit that has been allocated against this invoice, as you can see from the Reference and 2nd Reference, it uses the same invoice number and appends ‘CIS’ on the end.

19. Invoice Approval (Sage)

With the Approvals Invoice module enabled, it is recommended that invoices should always be authorised in Approvals so that a full approval history is available.

This section details very basic information for authorising invoices in Sage and the impact that will have on the invoice in Approvals.  For full information on approving invoices in Sage, speak to your Sage Business partner.

Why might a user authorise the invoice in Sage?

On rare occasions, some sites may wish to adopt an internal process to approve certain invoices directly in Sage, such as Utilities.

Perhaps the nominal account used for Utilities is also used for other invoices that do require approval in Approvals, and therefore cannot be included as a pre-authorised nominal using the Approvals Add-on.  The value of these invoices is usually too high to be able to de-select the ‘Requires Authorisation’ query flag in Sage.

19.1. Impact of invoices approved in Sage

This invoice was entered in Sage and has a query flag of U:

The query flag means the invoice is awaiting approval and cannot be paid until approved.  The invoice can be found in Approvals by searching for the URN, Supplier, Reference etc. in Existing Invoices, and will show as Submitted and awaiting approval:

To authorise in Sage instead of Approvals, in Sage navigate to Purchase Ledger – Enter Transactions – Authorisation (not all users will have this feature in their role), navigate to the transaction and click Authorise.  By Default, the Approvals Addon will not allow this and users will be presented with a message that the transaction is awaiting authorisation in Approvals:

With the Approvals Addon setting “Stop supplier transactions being approved when not approved in Approvals” disabled, the user is able to progress to authorise the transaction in Sage.

In Approvals, the invoice will be taken out of the Submitted tab and found in the Completed tab instead.  The approval history will show that the invoice was approved directly in Sage:

In the Sage Transaction enquiry, the narrative will show the Sage user who has authorised the transaction.

Invoices approved in Approvals will show that the Approvals user authorised the transaction:

Please note: with the Approvals Invoice module enabled, it is recommended that invoices should always be authorised in Approvals so that a full approval history is available.

20. Viewing & Editing Invoices

The next sections are aimed any users who may need to view or edit invoices in Approvals.  Viewing and editing invoices will depend on the User Type permissions configured.

21. Editing Invoices

Amending an invoice in Approvals, whether the invoice was entered into Sage or Approvals, is a User Type permission.  Users can click to edit an invoice on the Existing Invoices screen, using the search filters to find the invoice they wish to edit.

See the following sections for further information on what can be edited and how.

21.1. What can be edited in Approvals on an invoice that originated from Sage?

With the correct settings in place, it is possible to:

• Edit the nominal on the invoice
• Edit the project* on a PL invoice (*Sicon Projects only)
• Edit the approval route
• Split lines (as long as the overall value of the invoice remains the same)

In Approvals it is not possible to:

• Edit the tax rate on an invoice
• Edit the overall value of the invoice
• Edit the reference allocated in Sage
• Edit the narrative
• Edit the project on an invoice linked with Sage Project Accounting
• Edit the project on a POP invoice linked with a Sicon project* (*Unless the N/A project and project header was selected)
• Delete the invoice in Sage via Approvals

*See the next section on Editing a Project for further information on restrictions and flexibility around editing invoices linked with Sicon Projects.

For invoices that were incorrectly entered and cannot be amended through Approvals, the invoice will first need to be approved and then a correction made in Sage.  Please speak with your Sage Business Partner for further information on correcting invoices in Sage.

21.2. Editing a Project

When the invoice is recorded in Sage a project will be selected; either from the PO if linking an invoice to a PO, or chosen when entering the invoice directly onto the PL.

If using Sicon Projects, it is possible to amend the project during approval in Approvals if the User Type permission has been set to Edit Projects during Invoice Approval and;

• The invoice is linked to a Purchase order and coded against the N/A project
• The invoice is a direct Purchase Ledger Invoice.

Once an Invoice linked to a Purchase Order has been pulled in for approval, unless it was coded to the N/A Project, it is not possible to change the project, or the project header, as this would lead to issues with the purchasing commitment not matching correctly to the actual purchasing costs already recorded on the project.  The selected project and project header will be greyed out.

Summary of when Sicon Project can be amended during Invoice Approval:

When the project cannot be changed in Approvals, there is a Transaction Editor utility directly in Sicon Projects that enables this option after the invoice has been approved – see the Projects Help and User Guide for further information on this functionality.

Editing project during approval

It is not possible to edit the project directly on the invoice during approval, instead, from the approval screen navigate to View Details.

When an invoice is being viewed to edit, click on the line to be changed; this will bring up the option to change the project underneath the Project analysis tab.

Only projects and project header or project items the user has been given access to will be able to be selected here.  Once the new project and project header have been selected, save the changes and then close.  Reset the line (if only an individual line has been changed) or reset all lines at the bottom of the page (if all lines should be sent for re-approval), and Submit the invoice for approval.

The line should show a status of New Line and can then be saved and submitted to pick up the new approval.  Once fully approved, the invoice will post through to Sage with the costs allocated to the project selected.

If the project cannot be amended, for example because the invoice is linked to a Purchase Order, the project analysis cannot be selected to be changed:

21.3. Editing a Nominal

Editing nominal during approval

The nominal code can be changed during approval if the user has appropriate permission.

Click on the X within the Nominal Account filter to clear the existing nominal and show the nominal code list – or alternatively click the backspace keyboard button (Note, the list will only be those that the approving user has access to).  Once the correct nominal has been chosen, click save once to commit the line.  The line will automatically re-route to the new approver without any need to approve; if the approver is not changed, the line can then be approved.

Editing nominal during approval – “View Details”

When an invoice is being viewed to edit (by clicking ‘View Details’ within the approval screen), click on the line to be changed; this will bring up the option to change the nominal under the Nominal Analysis tab.  Click on the pencil icon to edit the nominal.

The nominal code can then be changed; only nominal codes the user has been given access to will be able to be selected here.  Highlight the line to delete the existing line and select the correct one.  Once the new nominal has been picked, click Update and then Close.

Reset the line (if only an individual line has been changed) or reset all lines at the bottom of the page (if all lines should be sent for re-approval), at which point the status on the line will change from Waiting to New Line for reset lines.  Save and submit the invoice for approval.

Editing nominal through Show Existing Invoices

Finally, it is also possible to edit the nominal by using the navigation Menu to select Invoices – Show Existing, and then using the filters to find the invoice and select Edit:

On the lines, click Edit and then use the pencil to edit the Nominal Analysis (it is not possible to amend the reference or narrative):

Highlight the nominal account and press delete or backspace to display all nominals the editing user has access to.  Click Update to commit the change, then close the line once editing has been completed:

Reset the line (if only an individual line has been changed) or reset all lines at the bottom of the page (if all lines should be sent for re-approval), at which point the status on the line will change from Waiting to New Line for reset lines.  Save and submit the invoice for approval.

21.4. Split Lines on an Invoice

If an invoice line is to be split so the value is spread across different nominal codes, when an invoice is being viewed to edit, click the split lines icon on the line to be changed.  This will split the line into two of equal value; these lines can then be edited to change nominal codes or project.  On a Purchase Order Invoice, the project can only be edited if the original line was entered against the N/A Project and Project Header.  Once costs have been posted to a project, they cannot be changed at this stage and any amendments required would need to be made in Sicon Projects instead.

Note, the total of the split lines must still match the overall value of the invoice, in some instances splitting the lines will require one value to be adjusted to take rounding into account.

Once the lines have been edited, submit the invoice for approval.  Once fully approved, the invoice will post through to Sage with the costs allocated to the nominal codes selected.

21.5. Re-routing an Invoice for Approval

If an invoice should be re-routed to a different approver, the approval route can be edited per line, if the user the user type permission to do so.  When an invoice is being viewed to edit, click edit on the line that is to be changed and click the ‘Edit the Approval Route for this item’ icon.

The current route will be visible and then edited as required; either use the option to clear the entire route or add and remove approval steps.  Only users that have permission to approve an invoice will be listed in the drop-down user list.  Once the new route has been created, click to save the route and then close to return to the main invoice screen.  If there are multiple lines and they should all pick up the same route, select Copy changes to other lines before saving the route.

When the approval route details screen is closed, the invoice line will be shown to be using a custom route with a status of new line.  The invoice will need to be submitted to use the new approval route.

21.6. Deleting an Invoice

If a user has appropriate permissions, they will be able to delete an invoice from within Approvals.  If the invoice was entered into Sage, deleting the invoice in Approvals will only delete the document from Approvals; the Approvals service will pick up the unauthorised invoice again from Sage and post again for approval with a different Approvals reference.  If an invoice was entered in Approvals it can be deleted and entered again, if entered incorrectly.  However, if this was a PO invoice, the PO would be marked as invoiced and further invoices could not be recorded against it.

21.7. Editing an Invoice in Sage

If the invoice cannot be edited in Approvals using the tools outlined in these last few sections, it may be necessary to amend the invoice in Sage instead.  Speak to your Sage Business Partner about the options available but in all cases, usually the invoice will need to be authorised in Approvals or Sage first so that there is no query flag remaining on the transaction.

22. Existing Invoices

Select Invoices – Show Existing from the navigation menu to display the invoices under various tab headings.  Additional icons will appear in the Flags column to show if the invoice is over budget, has notes, has attachments etc.

New:  invoices that have not yet been submitted for approval; only invoices which are entered directly into Approvals and only saved should appear here.

Submitted:  invoices that have been submitted and are awaiting approval.  By hovering over the information icon on the left, the lines will be displayed showing who they are awaiting approval from.

Approved:  invoices that have been approved but not yet posted to Sage.  Invoices should only appear in the approved tab momentarily between being approved in Approvals and posting to Sage.

Rejected:  invoices that have been rejected during the approval process will show under this tab.  The users in the rejected approval route will edit and resubmit for approval.

Completed:  once the invoice has been posted to Sage it will move to this tab.  By default, completed invoices will not show when searching, unless ‘Include Completed’ is ticked in the filter options.

Failed:  if an invoice fails to post through to Sage it will appear in this tab and will need the error flag removing before it can be posted again.  The permission to clear errors and re-post invoices is usually just given to Administrators or Finance users.  Common reasons for an invoice failing are due to a project being closed or an incorrect nominal code selected.  More details on any error flags can be viewed through the Event Viewer.

Archived:  this tab is not currently used for invoices.

22.1. Viewing Invoices

By default, users will always be able to see invoices that are awaiting their approval or that they have approved.  If permission is given, users may also be able to view all invoices within the system or invoices approved by users within the same business unit.

There are two options to search for an existing invoice; either use the Search filters or the Quick Links.

Search Filters:  depending on configuration, the user will either be able to search for their own, within their business unit, delegates or all users’ invoices.  Search filters can be used to find an invoice with a particular ID, Reference, Supplier or if using a costing module, Project.  Use the Show Deleted option to show any invoices that have been deleted or the Include Completed option to show invoices that have posted through to Sage.

Quick Links:  click ‘Show invoices / credits awaiting my approval’ to update the grid and retrieve the most recent invoices.  If a user has permission, they will be able to click to view all active invoices and credits.

23. Additional Information

The final sections of this user guide details other general features contained within the Invoice module.

24. Approving Suggested Payments

With the Invoice module one additional feature is to approve Suggested Payments from the Sage routine.  For further information on the Generate Suggested Payments process within Sage, please speak with your Sage Business Partner in the first instance.  These next few sections focus on approval of Sage suggested payments within Approvals and includes some basic Sage information to illustrate the process.

24.1. Why approve suggested payments?

This functionality can be used to ensure that payments are approved prior to being processed within Sage.  It is most likely used in conjunction with standard invoice approval; invoices may be approved by line managers, budget holders, project managers etc. but the payments that are then generated from these invoices will need approval from Director level.

24.2. Sage Configuration

Within Sage Purchase Ledger – Utilities – Ledger Set Up – Ledger Settings – Payment Groups tab, there is a column to specify which payment groups will require authorisation in Approvals.  Choose which payment groups require authorisation.  Ensure the Approvals service is restarted following any changes made to these settings.

24.3. Approvals Configuration

Prior to payments being approved in Approvals, in System Settings – Invoices – Functionality, switch on the option to Pick up Suggested Payments from Sage.  Once this setting has been saved, please ensure the Approvals service is restarted for this change to be picked up.  This is a system wide setting that will apply across all companies within Approvals, so it is recommended that it is only turned on after Invoice Approval has been fully tested.

User Types will need to be configured to allow certain users to be able to approve, amend or delete suggested payments.  User Types will need to be configured before approval routes can be built.  It is recommended that only Finance or key approvers should be given these permissions.

Approve Suggested Payments:  the ability to approve suggested payments.  If a user does not have this permission, they cannot be selected when building an approval route.

View All Suggested Payments:  the ability to view all suggested payments; if this is off, users will only be able to view suggested payments that they have to approve.

Amend Suggested Payments:  the ability to make any changes to suggested payments.

Delete Suggested Payments:  the ability to delete a suggested payment within Approvals; the suggested payment routine would need to be run within Sage to pull through payments for approval.

View Suggested Payments Reports:  the ability to run the suggested payment report showing payments, their status, approval history etc.

Users who will be approving suggested payments will need approval values for this document type.  This is configured on their User profile – Account Options tab.  Note, once ‘Suggested Payments’ is selected from the dropdown, it will display as ‘ProposedPayment’.

24.4. Suggested Payment Approval Routes

If required, approval routes for suggested payments can be configured based on supplier or value band; however, if the same user(s) will be approving payments across the business, build the default approval route only.

Default approval routes are built under Approval Route Setup – Approval Routes – Edit Default Approval Routes.  Users will only appear on the drop-down list if they have permission to approve suggested payments.

If multiple approvals are required, it is recommended to have individual users at each step rather than e.g. one step containing two mandatory approvers.

24.5. Generating Suggested Payments in Sage

This part of the process is a standard Sage process. For further information on the Generate Suggested Payments process within Sage, speak with your Sage Business Partner in the first instance.
If payments should be generated for all suppliers, within Sage navigate to Purchase Ledger – Period End Routines – Payment Processing – Generate Suggested Payments:

Enter the required information and click OK.  Sage will generate the suggested payments for all suppliers that have payments outstanding and offer to produce a Suggested Payments Report which users may find beneficial for cross referencing in Approvals.  Any suppliers belonging to a payment group ticked as requiring approval will be pulled through for approval.

The suggested payment can also be viewed in Sage through Purchase Ledger – Period End Routines – Payment Processing –Suggested Payments.

Alternatively, if only some suppliers should have payments generated for approval, instead use the Amend Suggested Payment option within Sage (Purchase Ledger – Period End Routines – Payment Processing – Amend Suggested Payments).

This will then only pull through this supplier’s payment to Approvals for approval.

If configured in the notifications and email threads, the approver will receive a notification on their dashboard and an email prompt to approve payments.

24.6. Approving Suggested Payments

Once the suggested payments have been generated within Sage, the suggested payments will be pulled through to Approvals awaiting the approver.

Within the approval screen the user can see information such as the date the suggested payment came in for approval, the supplier information, and the value of all the suggested payments awaiting approval.  Flags will show whether there are attachments on the invoice, whether the payments will be over budget and hovering over the information dot will show the individual payments making up the total for that supplier.

If any filters are applied, for example a supplier selected, the total will be updated:

Click the arrow to the left of the information icon to view invoice details.  At this level, invoice references, total values and attachments can be seen.  If an invoice attachment had been entered in Sage, the attachment can be viewed by hovering over the icon or click to view the entire attachment in a pop up. Please note, this feature is only supported for attachments added to the invoice with Sicon Documents or Draycir Spindle.

Hover over the information flag at invoice level to see information on the individual invoice – this will show the invoice ID, whether the invoice was approved in Approvals or Sage (if Approval, the final approver will show), the date of approval and at line level, the nominal code entered against the line and the narrative.

If the payment value is correct, the payment can be approved either using the Approve button, or if there are multiple payments against a supplier, use the Approve All button.

Once approved, the payment will be ready to be generated in Sage and the remittance printed:

Payments cannot be generated in Sage if the suggested payment is awaiting approval.

For further information on generating payments, speak with your Sage Business Partner.

24.7. Editing Suggested Payments

If the total value of the payment should not be paid, rather than approving, click to View Details.

Lines are flagged as green if they are awaiting approval from the current user.  There are options to Save, Approve, Pay All, Pay None or type the correct payment value in the Payment Value box.  Attachments can be viewed by clicking the left arrow to expand.

Save:  if any changes are made to the payment values but perhaps the payment shouldn’t be approved, click Save to be returned to the Existing Payments screen.

Approve All:  when the payment values are correct, click to approve all lines from within this screen.  You will then be returned to the payments awaiting approval screen.

Pay All: inserts the outstanding amount due on each invoice into the Payment Value column.

Pay None: inserts zero on each invoice into the Payment Value column.

It is possible to manually enter in the Payment Value column the correct value to pay (if not all or none).

In the example below, the approver has adjusted the first two payments, will be paying the third invoice in full and nothing of the fourth invoice:

Once all lines are correct, click to Approve.  Alternatively, save the changes if not ready to approve.  Once approved, the payment in Sage will reflect the approved payment values on the remittance.

These invoices on the remittance will reflect the payment in Approvals –

For further information on generating payments, speak with your Sage Business Partner.

24.8. Existing Suggested Payments

Select Existing Payments from the side menu to display the payments under various tab headings.  Additional icons will appear in the Flags column to show if the payment is over budget or has attachments etc.

New:  this tab is not currently used for existing payments.

Submitted:  payments that are currently awaiting approval will show under this tab.  Hovering over the information icon on the left will show all payment lines and who they are awaiting approval from.

Approved:  payments that have been approved but not yet posted to Sage.  Payments should only appear in the approved tab momentarily between being approved and posting to Sage.

Rejected:  this tab is not currently used for existing payments.

Completed:  once the payment has posted to Sage it will move to this tab.  In the search filters, tick to include completed if required – by default only submitted payments will show that are currently awaiting approval.

Failed:  if a payment has failed to post through to Sage it will appear in this tab and will need the error flag removing before it can be posted again.  The permission to clear errors and re-post payments is usually just given to Administrators or Finance users.  More details on any error flags can be viewed through the Event Viewer.

Archived:  this tab is not currently used for existing payments.

Selecting Edit on any Suggested Payment will take users to the same screen to Edit as it would from the Approve Suggested Payment screen – see the last section for more information on editing Suggested Payments.

24.9. Viewing Suggested Payments

By default, users will be able to view payments either awaiting their approval or that they have approved.  There are two options to search for an existing payment; either use the Search filters or the Quick Links.

Search Filters:  these can be used to find a payment with a particular ID, Supplier or status.  Use the Show Deleted option to show any payments that have been deleted or the Include Completed option to show payments that have been approved and posted through to Sage.

Quick Links:  click ‘Show active suggested payments’ to update the grid and retrieve the most recent payments or the links to either show payments awaiting approval or that have been approved.

25. Reports

There are two reports available within the Invoice module.  If required these can be added as a favourite which can be quickly navigated to from the Homepage under User favourites.

25.1. Invoice Approval Report

This report will show a breakdown of all invoices with their line detail, quantities, approval status and approval history.

Depending on User Type and User configuration, users will be able to see either information relating to invoices they have approved, their delegate or business unit invoices or all invoices on the system.  Use the date range, database filter, header and line status, hold status and invoice options to filter data as required.

This report can be exported to Excel, by right clicking on the header line and then clicking export for further exporting options:

The report can also be customised further either by dragging column headers to change the order or group data by a particular header.  Click the ‘Column Chooser’ menu item above to display additional headers which can be added or existing headers to be removed.  Reports are cookie based so to allow for this customisation, ensure the browser settings allow cookies from the Approvals website.  Customised columns may return to the standard configuration following an Approvals or browser upgrade as cookies may be cleared.

25.2. Payment Approval Report

This report will show a breakdown of all payments with their line detail, quantities, approval status and approval history.

Depending on User Type and User configuration, users will be able to see either information relating to payments they have approved, payments awaiting their approval or all payments on the system.  Use the date range, database filter, header and line status to filter data as required.

This report can be exported to Excel, by right clicking on the header line and then clicking export for further exporting options.

The report can also be customised further either by dragging column headers to change the order or group data by a particular header.  Click the ‘Column Chooser’ menu item above to display additional headers which can be added or existing headers to be removed.  Reports are cookie based so to allow for this customisation, ensure the browser settings allow cookies from the Approvals website.  Customised columns may return to the standard configuration following an Approvals or browser upgrade as cookies may be cleared.

26. Invoice Approval Stages

26.1. Invoice Header Status

New:  the invoice has been saved but not yet submitted; this would only apply to invoices entered directly into Approvals.

Submitted:  the invoice has been submitted for approval but not yet fully approved.

Approved:  the invoice has been approved and will post through to Sage.  Approved invoices should only appear here temporarily while they are waiting to post to Sage.

Rejected:  one or more lines on the invoice have been rejected.  N.B. a rejected line must be edited and resubmitted for approval for the reject flag to be cleared.  An invoice will not post through to Sage if there is a rejected line on the invoice.

Completed:  the invoice has posted through to Sage.  Ensure to tick the search option to include completed to view these invoices.

Failed:  if an invoice has failed to post to Sage it will appear here.  Most likely reasons for the invoice to fail are if the supplier has been put on hold or if a costing module is enabled but the project has been closed or set to not allow costs entered against it.  Please check the Project and then clear the error and repost the invoice (these are usually Superusers permissions).

Archived:  this status is not currently used for invoices.

26.2. Payment Header Status

New:  payments will only appear in this tab if approval routes have not been configured correctly and the document is showing as New Line.  Once generated in Sage, payments will automatically go to the Submitted tab.

Submitted:  the payment is awaiting approval.

Approved:  the payment has been approved and will post through to Sage.  Approved payments should only appear here temporarily while they are waiting to post to Sage.

Rejected:  this status is not currently used for payments.

Completed:  the payment has posted through to Sage.  Ensure to tick the search option to include completed to view these payments.

Failed:  if a payment has failed to post to Sage it will appear here.  Please check the Event Viewer for explanations and then clear the error and repost the payment (these are usually Superusers permissions).

Archived:  this status is not currently used for payments.

27. Release Notes

The release notes page shows which release of the system includes new features or issues resolved.

At the release of Sicon v21 we announced that going forward, we will only be supporting Sage 200c and as such we are able to drop the year from our version numbers. We moved from 201.201.0.0 to 210.0.0.

New features detailed in the Release Notes relating to Pre-Release versions will not be detailed in the current Help and User Guide until the end of development phase.

28. Help & User Guide Archive

29. New Features & Important Information