Catalog Builder approval frustration

[matthew_magee1]

Hey all,

Having a heck of a time trying to configure the subflow that fires when a catalog item is submitted.

Per the docs, I made a copy of Catalog Builder - Item review subflow and I've verified the subflow is being hit because I've added log statements.

I also watched the video on the docs site but I'm not able to follow what they did and apply it to my own process.

BTW, I'm new to flow designer so that doesn't help.

Here's what I want to do:

1. Catalog Builder user creates or edits a catalog item via Builder
2. User submits item in Builder
3. Group X is notified when a catalog item has been submitted via Builder
4. User in Group X reviews changes and either Approves or Rejects changes 
5. If approved, item is published
6. If rejected, user in Group X has to supply comments. Item goes back to draft and Catalog Builder user/updater is notified 
7. Catalog Builder user makes changes and submits item in Builder.
8. Jump to step 3

This seems very simple to do in my head but I struggling. If anyone has screenshots or previous experience they can share, I'd love to hear it-

Thanks

[Chaitanya Redd1]

Hi,

It sounds like you're trying to create a custom approval workflow for catalog items in ServiceNow using Flow Designer. Here are the steps you can follow:

Create a copy of the Catalog Builder - Item review subflow:

In Flow Designer, open the Catalog Builder - Item review subflow, and click on the 'Save as new' button to create a new copy of the subflow. Give it a name that makes sense for your use case, like 'Catalog Item Approval Workflow.'

Modify the subflow to include your approval steps:

In the new subflow you just created, add the necessary approval steps for your use case. Based on the requirements you provided, it sounds like you'll need at least two approval steps: one for Group X to approve or reject the changes, and another for the Catalog Builder user to approve or reject the changes after they've been updated.

To add an approval step, drag the 'Approval' element from the palette onto the canvas, and configure it as needed. You can set the 'Approver' field to the appropriate group or user, and set the 'Approval policy' to either 'All must approve' or 'Any can approve,' depending on your requirements.

Configure the catalog item to use your new subflow:

In the Catalog Item record, navigate to the 'Approval' related list, and click on the 'New' button to create a new Approval record. Set the 'Approval sequence' to '1,' and set the 'Approver type' to 'Flow Designer.' In the 'Flow Designer approval' field, select the subflow you just created.

Test your new approval workflow:

Create a new catalog item or edit an existing one, and submit it for approval. The approval process should follow the steps you defined in your subflow. You can use the 'Debug' feature in Flow Designer to troubleshoot any issues that arise during testing.

I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any further questions or need additional guidance.

[matthew_magee1]

Hi, thanks for the reply. You are pretty close to understanding our requirements. Please see my responses below:

Create a copy of the Catalog Builder - Item review subflow:

In Flow Designer, open the Catalog Builder - Item review subflow, and click on the 'Save as new' button to create a new copy of the subflow. Give it a name that makes sense for your use case, like 'Catalog Item Approval Workflow.'

DONE

Modify the subflow to include your approval steps:

In the new subflow you just created, add the necessary approval steps for your use case. Based on the requirements you provided, it sounds like you'll need at least two approval steps: one for Group X to approve or reject the changes, and another for the Catalog Builder user to approve or reject the changes after they've been updated.

One approval step which goes to Group X. 

Watching the SN video again (and again) I think in the subflow, I think I need to create an REQ/RITM and get the RITM approved. The RITM would then have the approval which is assigned to Group X.

Just thinking out loud, I might be way off.

To add an approval step, drag the 'Approval' element from the palette onto the canvas, and configure it as needed. You can set the 'Approver' field to the appropriate group or user, and set the 'Approval policy' to either 'All must approve' or 'Any can approve,' depending on your requirements.

I see the 'Ask for Approval' element. What's confusing me is what is being approved. If I got w/ the REQ/RITM theory above, the approval would take place on the RITM..I think?

Configure the catalog item to use your new subflow:

In the Catalog Item record, navigate to the 'Approval' related list, and click on the 'New' button to create a new Approval record. Set the 'Approval sequence' to '1,' and set the 'Approver type' to 'Flow Designer.' In the 'Flow Designer approval' field, select the subflow you just created.

So if we have 500 catalog items, we need to do this to all 500?

Test your new approval workflow:

Create a new catalog item or edit an existing one, and submit it for approval. The approval process should follow the steps you defined in your subflow. You can use the 'Debug' feature in Flow Designer to troubleshoot any issues that arise during testing.

I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any further questions or need additional guidance.

[Chaitanya Redd1]

Yes, it sounds like you're on the right track. In your subflow, you can create a new REQ/RITM for the proposed changes and set the appropriate approval policy. You can then assign the approval step to Group X, so that they can review and either approve or reject the changes.

Once Group X has approved the changes, you can then add another approval step for the Catalog Builder user to review and approve or reject the changes after they've been updated. You can use the 'Approval' element to create this step as well, and set the 'Approver' field to the Catalog Builder user.

As for the 'Ask for Approval' element, this is a pre-built flow element that you can use to request approval for a specific task or action within your flow. In your case, since you need to create a new REQ/RITM and get it approved, you'll likely need to use the 'Approval' element instead.

Yes, if you want to use the new subflow for all 500 catalog items, you will need to configure each Catalog Item record to use the new subflow in the Approval related list. This can be a time-consuming process, but it is necessary to ensure that the appropriate approval steps are taken for each catalog item. Alternatively, you can use scripting or automation tools to streamline this process and avoid manual configuration for each catalog item.

[matthew_magee1]

Still working the subflow. Making decent progress. Will keep ya posted