To work with the tool in Foresight Analytics Platform 10, use the new interface.

Data Entry and Approval in Business Processes

To execute process steps of data entry or approval, use:

The Processes panel or tab.
The Finish/Approve and Reject buttons on the Home ribbon tab, if the Automatically Request Data about Active Processes checkbox is selected.

To add handlers for the Finish/Approve and Reject buttons on the Home or Processes ribbon tab, use the Parameters dialog box.

NOTE. Work with business processes is available only if the Business Process Management extension is installed.

To provide correct work of business processes in data entry form selection by dimensions of authorization object must be fully contained in selection by dimensions of data entry form used in process step. Selection by data entry form dimensions is not changed when setting up data filtering in table area:

Filtering parameters affect only on how data is displayed.

Features of interaction between data entry form and authorization object:

If an authorization object contains several cubes with selections by dimensions, for example, cube A and Cube B, the data entry form should contain at least one data source with the selection, which is contained in selections of cube A and cube B at the same time.
If several data entry forms use data from the same authorization object, the result of execution/rejection of steps can be saved in all data entry forms if they were specified in step wizard. Data entry and approval will be available in each of the specified data entry forms.

Data entry and approval methods in business processes:

With the use of process tree. The tree of running processes is formed on the Processes panel depending on selections by dimensions located in table areas on all loaded data entry form sheets. The Load Only Active Sheet checkbox is selected by default on creating a data entry form to speed up work. If the checkbox is deselected, data of all sheets is loaded on opening a data entry form. This data entry and approval method allows for controlling a specific step or several selected steps of business processes.
Without the use of process tree. The list of running processes is not displayed but their control depends on selections by dimensions located in table areas only on an active data entry form sheet. This data entry and approval method allows for controlling general steps based on active sheet selections without the ability to select control for specific business process steps.

NOTE. When a data entry form opens in business processes, parameters and selection by dimensions of authorization object are sent to the data entry form. When a data entry form opens in the object navigator, selection by dimensions of the data entry form is sent to business processes depending on the data entry and approval method. The number of steps for finishing, approval and rejection may differ in the opened data entry form depending on the obtained selection.

The highlighted cell range available for editing differs depending on the selected data entry and approval method:

If the process tree is used, highlighted cell ranges are merged by dimension selections contained on all loaded data entry form sheets.
If the process tree is not used, the cell range is highlighted only by dimension selection contained on an active data entry form sheet.

Data Entry and Approval with the Use of Process Tree

To display the panel and the Processes tab, click the Process Tree button on the View ribbon tab.

The Processes panel contains the tree of processes, linked to data entry form:

The process tree displays only running steps of processes that are available for use in this data entry form. If form is not specified in the process step, the panel will be empty.

To close the panel, release the Process Tree button or click the Close button on the process panel.

Depending on the process settings, the following steps can be executed:

To set up and execute the step, select it on the Processes panel. When the step is selected, the table area that is linked to the step opens; if data source is on another sheet, the table area that is linked to the step opens on this sheet. When several steps are selected, there is no navigation.

To determine settings of process steps execution, use the Processes tab. The setup is available only in the desktop application.

Available operations:

Refresh Process Tree. If settings of running processes were changed, one more process available for this user in this form is started or steps available to other users are executed, refresh the process tree. To do this, click the Refresh Process Tree button.
Select Several Steps. To enter or approve data simultaneously for several steps, select them in the process tree. To do this:

Click the Multiple Selection button.
Select steps. The selected steps can be of various types.

If several steps were selected and then the Multiple Selection button was released, the first selected step remains selected.

Set Up Range Highlighting. To set up highlighting of the range available at this step, click the Highlighting button. On multiple selection of steps, highlighted ranges are merged. While holding down the button, select step or steps on the process panel, the range, for which the user has permissions, will be highlighted on the data entry form, data unavailable for edit will be blocked. The button is pressed by default.
Display Process Active Steps. To display only active steps of running processes available for the user in this data entry form, click the Only Active Steps button. On releasing the button, all steps of running processes available for the user in this form will be displayed. The button is pressed by default.
Apply Step Selection. To apply step selection defined on creating a step in process, click the Apply Step Selection button. The selection will be rebuilt according to step settings. The button becomes active if one step is selected.
Finish or Reject Step. The step finish and reject buttons become active if at least one step was selected. Depending on the process step, the step finish button changes name: for active step of the Data Entry process the button name is Finish, for the Approval step it is Approve. On multiple selection of steps of various types, the button name is selected depending on the first selected step type. The reject button name remains the same: Reject.

At the Data Entry step:

Enter data or edit it in the available range.
Save data by clicking the Save Changes button on the Home ribbon tab.

NOTE. If data was entered or changed, the control was set up and the data did not pass the control, then on saving the information message will be displayed indicating that entered data is to be changed.

Click the Finish button to finish the step and go to the next step.

If the Finish button is clicked without saving data, the user will be prompted to save it before finish the step:

NOTE. If data was entered or changed, the control was set up and the data did not pass the control, then after the step is finished the warning will be displayed indicating that changed data will not be saved because it does not respect the control settings. On accepting to continue without saving, changed data will be reset and the step finish dialog box opens. On canceling to continue operation without saving the changed data remains in table area.

Check if entered data is correct at the Approval step and click the Approve button if data is correct; otherwise click the Reject button. Table area at this process step is not refreshed, access permissions are refreshed only for the current step selection.

When the Finish/Approve button is clicked, the finished step disappears from the process tree if only active steps are displayed. If all steps of available processes are displayed, the step becomes inactive and the icon defining step type changes color depending on step status.

The Reject button is used to return to the previous process step.

If the step(s) was(were) executed and there are no active steps in the process tree available for the user in this form, the step finish and reject buttons are not available.

Data Entry and Approval without the Use of Process Tree

To display the Finish/Approve and Reject buttons, on the Home ribbon tab select the Automatically Request Active Processes Data checkbox.

If there are active steps for user with specified parameter values, if there are parameters on the current active sheet, then:

The Finish/Approve and the Reject buttons become active. For the active step of the Data Entry process - the Finish button; for the Approval step - the Approve button; if the form is connected to several processes, the the first one will be the step of the last running process.
All ranges linked to the active steps will be highlighted. On entering data, unlinked cells will be locked.
If there are several active steps on the sheet, clicking the Finish/Approve and the Reject buttons applies the action to all active steps, the message asking for action confirmation is displayed. If the action should not be applied to all active steps, use the panel and the Processes tab, using which execute the required actions. The Finish/Approve and the Reject buttons will not be displayed on the Home ribbon tab. If the Processes panel is closed, the Finish/Approve and the Reject buttons will be displayed again on the Home ribbon tab. Comments inserted on steps execution will be applied to all executed steps.

The example of the step of data entry without displaying process tree:

The example of the step of approval without displaying process tree:

When the approval is finished, follow the step, if required: