Hi Shaun,

Please check whether below information helps you.

In Application Base Setup\System Setup\System Definitions, Object properties, you have four different system parameters to define if you want to use automatic authorization or not for posting lines on work orders. The name of these parameters are:
• AUTO_AUTH_SIGN (authorization of time) 
• AUTO_AUTH_SIGN_EXP (authorization of manual expense) 
• AUTO_AUTH_SIGN_EXT (authorization of manual external) 
• AUTO_AUTH_SIGN_TOOL (authorization of tool time)

All these parameters can either have value TRUE or FALSE.
TRUE = automatic authorization should be used.
FALSE = automatic authorization should not be used, i.e. all authorization should be done manually.

If any of these parameters are defined as TRUE, the value from the system parameter DEF_AUTH_SIGN should be used for the automatic authorization of that type of posting rows. The system parameter DEF_AUTH_SIGN will by default have the user SYS as value. This also means that the user SYS (or any other value) needs to be defined as a user on a company to be able to be used for automatic authorizations.

For example, you can create time reports for the Work order even Work order status is ‘WorkRequest’ and these time reports create personal posting lines with booking status is blank. This is ok because Work order status is ‘Work Request. The booking status of the above posting lines will change to ‘Authorized’ when you change the Work order status to ‘Released’ if the object property ‘AUTO_AUTH_SIGN’ is TRUE. i.e. when Work Order is released the existing postings (Personal) should get authorized if "Object Property”  MaintenanceConfiguration AUTO_AUTH_SIGN = TRUE and DEF_AUTH_SIGN exists.
For example, if you check the manual authorization, the RMB Authorized selected rows will only be enabled if the work order status is Released or higher. The same applies for Automatic authorization as well.

Test Flow (when above properties are set to TRUE):
1.    Create a work order.
2.    Report time.
3.    Release the work order – note that the posting is now authorized.
4.    Do another time reporting.
5.    Note that the posting is authorized.
 

@ThiliniK Thank you for your detailed response.

Currently we only have parameter AUTO_AUTH_SIGN set to TRUE.

In order for purchase reqs/purchase orders to be auto authorized, based on the above i guess we would need to set AUTO_AUTH_SIGN_EXT to TRUE? 

We have credits and debits in the postings tab, would both of these be auto authorized?

For example, cost type Material on the postings tab has two lines. One with a value of 152.77 and the other with a value of -152.77. This appears to be where the material has been returned.

What parameter would be associated with auto authorize of materials?

Thanks in advance

Hi Shaun,

Kindly note that AUTO_AUTH_SIGN_EXT is valid  for manual external lines. i.e. you directly create an external line in the posting tab and it has no connection to purchase requisition/purchase orders.

For material returns and issues, there is no parameter set. when you return or issue a material, the posting will be transferred by the system hence separate authorization is not needed (Issue / return material - Booking status of the posting line will be set to Transferred).

@ThiliniK We were hoping that we can get postings to auto authorize as this is preventing the WO from going to Finished. We have a job which automatically Finishes WOs each night when they are at Work Done status. 

We don’t transfer WOs to customer order for invoicing purposes so this step is not required. 

We effectively raise WOs, create Material or Purchase Reqs off WOs and book time against the WO. Also we use PSO and Mobile; so the WO is issued to an engineer who completes the work and it sets the WO to Work Done at this stage. No other individual would look at the WO at this stage.

Example:

WO 248866

Linked to Purchase Req 209720

Linked to PO 53387

PO 53387 arrives but is then returned for credit. 

WO Postings tab; we see two lines. One with positive qty and cost and second line with the negative values. 

The negative line is not authorized.

Hope the above makes the situation clearer and what we are hoping to achieve 

Maybe you could add the authorize step to the job you have that automatically finishes your work orders? Is it a migration job?