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Set up expense admin and approval functions

  • 5 min.

Depending on the roles of staff in your company, different users could be set up with:

  • Only admin functions, for example IT helpdesk staff who sets up permissions for other users
  • Only approval functions, for example a payroll officer who handles mileages and per diem claims for all employees
  • A combination of admin and approval functions, for example an HR manager who adds new users, and also approves expenses from their own team
  • A combination of admin, approval and expense user functions, for example a chief financial officer who needs to audit expenses, approve expense claims from their own team, and also submit documents for their own expenses

This unit looks at users with admin and approval functions, and the following unit looks at setting up expense users.

Configuring admin functions

Expense admins can audit and post expenses, and manage users in Expense Management. Admin functions in Expense Management are usually performed by an accountant or IT admin.

To configure an admin so they have the right privileges, follow these steps:

  1. Use the search function to navigate to Continia User Setup.

  2. Select New.

  3. Fill in the fields Continia User ID. Make sure to use the lookup function in the field. This ensures that the new Continia user is linked to an existing Business Central user.

  4. In the General FastTab, select Approval Administrator

  5. In the Expense Management FastTab, select Can Edit Approved Documents

  6. There must be at least one user with an Approval Limit set to Unlimited, and often this is an admin user such as an accountant.

Continia user setup admin expense management

Note

Often in different companies, an admin also needs to perform approval functions and/or expense user functions. The additional settings for the other functions can be combined with the set up described here for admin.

Configuring approval functions

An approver reviews submitted expenses and approves them if the expenses are justified.

Approvers are typically set up in a hierarchical structure where some approvers are more senior than others. If an expense amount is higher than an approver's approval limit, the expense will automatically be sent to a senior approver for approval as well. If the second approver still doesn't have a high enough approval limit, the process repeats through the hierarchy until the expense reaches an approver with the necessary approval limit.

Important

Make sure that the senior approver has a higher approval limit than the one you are setting up for the lower-level approver.

To set up an approver, follow these steps:

  1. Use the search function to navigate to Continia User Setup.

  2. Select New.

  3. Fill in the fields Continia User ID. Make sure to use the lookup function in the field. This ensures that the new Continia user is linked to an existing Business Central user.

  4. In the Expense Management FastTab, specify the Approval Limit Amount, and the Approver Name for expenses above this limit.

    • Alternatively select Unlimited instead of setting an amount, and then it is not necessary to enter a user in the Approver Name field.

Important

You must have at least one approver with unlimited approval so that an expense doesn't get stuck in an approval flow because no one has the necessary approval limit to approve it.

Expense approver setup

Note

Often approvers also need to submit their own documents as an expense user. The additional settings for the expense user function can be combined with the set up described here for approvers.

Video

Before you continue, check out this video for a quick introduction to the Continia User Setup page, where you set up expense approvers and admins.