Document form
Document form:
The differences between costs invoices and logistics invoices are the greatest in the document form. There are two ways to approve the invoices. Depending on the type of invoice, a specific way of approving the invoice is defined. One way is to do this in AX, the other is to do it in the webapprover. The approvers who have to work in the webapprover get a link with which they can reach it. It should be avoided that an approver approves both in AX and in the webapprover. In rare cases it can happen that a clerk works with both logistics invoices and costs invoices. If possible, it must then be decided whether he or she will only work with logistics invoices or only with costs invoices.
If it is a logistical invoice, the first approver must approve in AX. Also, he or she will always be a clerk in an operational department. The second approver is always the head of the relevant department and will always approve on the web approver.
The first approver has to open ExFlow in AX. There can be found the invoices that have been assigned to the regarding department. The approver then has to book the invoices against transport orders or booking numbers. If that is done, the invoice can be forwarded to the second approver. If there is something wrong with the invoice, it can also be rejected. In that case, the accountants will take a look. The second approver can open the webapprover using the appropriate link. There can be seen the different invoices that were assigned to him or her. The approver then has to check if everything is fine with the invoice or not. If so, it can be approved; if not, it must be rejected.
If it is a costs invoice, the first approver can be a clerk, the head of a department or sometimes a manager. The first approver will always approve in the webapprover. If the invoice relates to a specific department (e.g. the IT department, the technical department, etc.), the head of the regarding department is the second approver. If the invoice is not from a specific department (e.g. office supplies) the second approver is a manager. The second approver will also always approve in the webapprover.
Therefore, both approvers must use the webapprover. They also have to check that everything is okay with the invoice, just like it is with the logistics invoices. Both can reject the invoice, in which case it will always be returned to the accountants, who will then have to check what is wrong with the invoice and act accordingly. If the invoice is OK, the approvers must approve it so that it can be forwarded to the second approver respectively the accountants.
If, regardless of whether it is a logistics invoice or a costs invoice, the second approver has also approved the invoice, the accountants have to work with it again. They have to open ExFlow in AX and click there on the “Cost account invoices” button (to be found under post – Final posting – Invoice approval journal – Cost account invoices). ExFlow then pulls the invoices into the invoice approval journal. There is an additional button that can be used to open the invoice approval journal. When that is done, the journal can be posted. This means that all invoices will be finally posted and can be paid in a different process.
If the invoice is rejected by the first or second approver, the accountants need to check what is wrong with it. If an approver wants to reject an invoice, an additional field opens. In that field it has to be explained why the approver wants to reject the invoice. To make it easier for the accountants, these explanations should be meaningful, understandable and completely. If the invoice gets rejected due to external factors, it should also be explained what to do with the invoice. For example, if the invoice is completely wrong, the approvers could write in the regarding field that the invoice needs to be deleted. In general, the accountants are responsible if the invoice gets rejected because of internal factors, whereas the approvers are responsible if the invoice gets rejected because of external factors. Below is one example of a bad explanation of what is wrong with the invoice and one example of a good explanation of what is wrong with the invoice:
The accountants will then delete the invoice or rework it accordingly. When they have reworked it, they will restart the approval process.
To do this the accountants will use ExFlow in AX and there the document form. In the document form can be seen all invoices that needs to be approved, are approved or were in the approving process at some point. It can also be filtered according to certain categories such as “rejected”, “approved”, “canceled”, “approver X” and so on. It is also possible to filter by vendor, invoice no., date, amount, etc. If the corresponding invoice is found, the current status of it can be seen. This means that it is always possible to see if an invoice needs to be approved, who is the actual approver, whether it has already been approved and so on. For this reason, not only accountants but also managers should find the document form in AX very useful. It is explained in more detail in the article regarding the document form all.