Generate approvals in Flow designer for each application from the multi row variable set

[Kaustubh k]

Hi All, 

Thanks for looking into the issue we have a requirement to generate parallel approvals for each application selected from multi row variable set;

Multi Row variable set  is as below;

Application Name   Application Support group

User selects the Application corresponding Application support group is auto populated, as we have a custom table which stores data of application and support groups.

The ask is to generate Parallel approvals for each application which is submitted on the Multi row variable set.

  Any feedback on the same will be highly appreciable

[Sujatha V M · Accepted solution]

@Kaustubh k  I have replicated your use case and its possible on sequential execution of each record. Unfortunately parallel approvals are not supported by flow designer.

Parallel Approvals in Flow Designer : There are times when we need to do parallel approvals on the same record, but this isn't supported within Flow Designer. 

Support case : https://support.servicenow.com/kb?id=kb_article_view&sysparm_article=KB0964016#:~:text=There%20are%2....

Please find the steps below executed for sequential approvals. 

Step 3: Expansion of Flow Variables 

Step 4: Expansion of Look up records [Here you might need to lookup the custom table holding the groups]

Step 5: Expansion of Ask For Approval

Results : 

Under approvals tab: 

Database Approval

Service Desk - 1 Approval

Please mark this as helpful and accept it as a solution if this resolves your query.

Thanks,

Sujatha V.M.

[Sujatha V M · Accepted solution]

@Kaustubh k  I have replicated your use case and its possible on sequential execution of each record. Unfortunately parallel approvals are not supported by flow designer.

Parallel Approvals in Flow Designer : There are times when we need to do parallel approvals on the same record, but this isn't supported within Flow Designer. 

Support case : https://support.servicenow.com/kb?id=kb_article_view&sysparm_article=KB0964016#:~:text=There%20are%2....

Please find the steps below executed for sequential approvals. 

Step 3: Expansion of Flow Variables 

Step 4: Expansion of Look up records [Here you might need to lookup the custom table holding the groups]

Step 5: Expansion of Ask For Approval

Results : 

Under approvals tab: 

Database Approval

Service Desk - 1 Approval

Please mark this as helpful and accept it as a solution if this resolves your query.

Thanks,

Sujatha V.M.

[Kaustubh k]

Hello @Sujatha V M , Thanks for the response , it would be really helpful to share the details of the Flow variables created parameters, As i am not able to relate these entries and follow the next actions.

Thanks

[Sujatha V M · Accepted solution]

@Kaustubh k 

1. Create flow variables using the "More actions" menu

2. Define the variable

3. Select "Set Flow Variables" from Flow logic

4. Select the flow variables created in Step 2. 

5. Drag and drop the data pill "Access Groups"

Please "Accept" it as a solution and mark it as "Helpful", if this resolves your query.

Thanks,

Sujatha V.M.

[JPing]

I have tried this before and parallel approvals don't work. For some reason if you create more than one approval records and it is approved or rejected it will replicate it result to all approvals. HI said something along the lines of the item is listening for an approval result and then will broadcast it. For example in a group approval, if one person approves then it will change all the other approval to "no longer required", but in this case you have multiple different group approvals, but it will still broadcast the result to all the active approvals waiting against an item.  Doing approval fixes this sequentially fixes this. 

I have though of a way around this and maybe in your catalog flow, have a subflow that creates more items, one for each row in the MRVs - and then ask for approval against those new ones. The issue is the I'm not sure how the out of box business rules that connect the request to the item will be impacted. 

What I did for me - was as the user make selection in the MRVs we would limit the future rows options to have the same approvers. This was a lame solution - but our stakeholder were fine with it.