Set up an invoice approval workflow in Datamolino
Start with the decision you need: client sign-off on a purchase, a manager’s approval or a bookkeeping review. Create a workflow in the relevant folder, set its matching conditions and add the approval stages. Choose who must sign and what they can edit. Test one invoice through approval and one through rejection before using the workflow routinely.
Can the client approve while the bookkeeper finishes coding later?
Yes, when Keep documents editable is enabled. Admins and Users in the folder can then continue editing after approval; only Approver-only users cannot. Leave automatic export off until the final coding is complete.
Write down who decides what
For an accounting practice, the client may confirm that the supplier’s work was received while the bookkeeper checks the accounting treatment. For a business, a department manager may make the purchase decision before finance completes the bill.
Give each stage one clear purpose. “Confirm the repair was completed” is useful to a manager. “Check the account and tax code” belongs with someone who has that responsibility and the necessary access.
Create a workflow for the folder
Enable approvals for the folder and save the setting. A folder admin then opens Folder Preferences, then Approval Workflows. Add a named workflow and its conditions. Datamolino evaluates workflows in order and uses the first matching one; the Default path is the catch-all. A document must satisfy all conditions in its selected path. Follow the workflow setup guide.
For example, use a supplier condition for invoices from a facilities contractor. A separate workflow might apply to larger invoices. Put specific paths before a broader path that would otherwise match the same document.
Do not use folder names as the only record of the policy. Name the workflow for its purpose and check what happens to an invoice that matches none of the specific conditions.
Add the stages and the people who must sign
Stages run in order. A stage can run for every document on the path or from a configured amount upward. Choose Any or All for the named approvers, then check the self-approval setting if the submitter must not sign their own document. The workflow overview explains the parts.
| Example stage | Decision | Suggested setup to test |
|---|---|---|
| Client sign-off | Was this purchase agreed and received? | Any, if either of two authorised client contacts can decide. |
| Joint authorisation | Does this purchase need both named managers? | All, if the policy requires both signatures. |
| Bookkeeping review | Are the account and tax choices ready for export? | A named reviewer with appropriate editing access. |
These are configuration examples, not a policy every business should adopt. Use the fewest stages that meet the actual requirement.
Decide when accounting edits are allowed
Stage permissions control what an approver can edit. Approved documents are locked by default. Where the client decision should precede final coding, enable Keep documents editable for the workflow. Admins and Users in the folder can then continue editing after approval; Approver-only users cannot.
Check a test document before relying on a post-approval edit. The approval changes guide explains the default lock and the optional setting.
Keep automatic export off when finance must still finish coding after approval. Otherwise the approval event may start export before that work is complete.
Test the successful path and a rejection
- Submit a representative captured invoice. Check the matched workflow and named approvers.
- Sign in as the intended approver and confirm that the document and permitted actions are visible.
- Approve it. Check whether the next stage starts or the document becomes Approved.
- Use another test invoice to reject with a clear reason. The submitter should be able to identify what needs correcting.
- Correct and resubmit it. Check the new approval round before exporting.
A submitted document keeps its stages and named approvers from submission. Later changes normally apply to new submissions. Keep documents editable is a live workflow setting, so changing it also affects documents already in progress. Use the documented reset and resubmission process when a document needs a new route; see the workflow lifecycle.
Check the final export and decision record
The normal accounting-export path requires approval to be complete. Administrators also have a separate Skip approval and Export action; agree who may use it and in which circumstances. Bulk export to a file is a separate operation. The export guide sets out those permissions.
For Xero, enable the Audit Trail PDF in the folder’s Approval Settings. It is attached when the approved invoice is exported and shows the invoice details, the approval history of the completed round and the coding. Confirm that the exported bill contains the record your team expects. Keep payment authorisation in the process where your business actually makes payments.
Use the approval product tour for the wider workflow. If you need to compare it with a separate approval platform, see Datamolino and ApprovalMax.
Must everyone in a stage approve?
You choose. All requires every configured stage member to sign; Any lets one of those people complete the stage.
