hi @MyleneKM ,
That’s a great question! The "Cancelled" state in a knowledge approval workflow is actually quite useful, but it often gets overlooked because, as you said, we usually think only about "Approved" and "Rejected."
Here’s what it’s really for, in practical terms:
The "Cancelled" state means the approval process was stopped before it could be completed, usually because the request itself is no longer needed.
This might happen, for example, if:
The author or knowledge manager withdraws the request before all approvers finish.
The associated knowledge article version is deleted or replaced by a new draft, making the current approval obsolete.
A process or scripted action determines the request should no longer proceed (e.g., because another approver group took over, or the article was merged).
It isn’t typically something an approver chooses. Instead, it’s usually set automatically by the system or by an admin if the workflow is no longer valid.
Regarding versioning: yes, it can be related! For example, if you submit version 1 of an article for approval, but then make edits that create version 2, the system might cancel the pending approvals for version 1, since it’s now outdated.
So, think of “Cancelled” like this:
✅ It’s not a decision like “Approve” or “Reject,” but rather a way to stop the approval process entirely because the request is no longer relevant.
It helps keep the workflow clean and avoids approving something that the business no longer intends to publish.
If you'd like, I can also help you adjust your workflow to automatically set approvals to "Cancelled" when a new version is created — that’s a common best practice!
