Skip to content

Getting Started

This guide walks you through installing, configuring, and running your first Smart Approval workflow in Business Central.

Step 1: Install the App

Install Smart Approval from Microsoft AppSource or by deploying the extension package (.app file) through Extension Management in Business Central.

Once installed, the app automatically:

  • Creates workflow templates for all supported document types
  • Registers Copilot capabilities for AI-assisted criteria generation
  • Seeds initial setup data with all available approval types

Step 2: Assign Permissions

Assign the appropriate permission sets to your users:

  • EOLSA Basic — for users who send and respond to approval requests
  • EOLSA Setup — for administrators who configure approval types and criteria

See Permissions for details.

Step 3: Enable Copilot

Smart Approval uses Microsoft Copilot to generate approval criteria from natural language. To enable this:

  1. Open Copilot & AI Capabilities in Business Central.
  2. Locate Smart Approval in the list.
  3. Set the status to Active.

Step 4: Configure an Approval Type

  1. Search for Smart Approvals in the Tell Me bar.
  2. The list page displays all supported approval types grouped by category (Sales, Purchase, Finance, etc.).

Smart Approvals list page showing approval types grouped by category

  1. Click on a row to open the Smart Approval Card for that type (e.g., Purchase Order).
  2. On the card, the Criteria subpage is where you define your approval rules.

Smart Approval Card with criteria subpage

Step 5: Create Your First Criteria

You can create criteria manually or use the AI assistant:

Using AI (recommended):

  1. On the Criteria subpage, click Suggest Smart Approval Criteria.
  2. Describe your rule in plain language, for example: "Orders over $5,000 require approval from the finance manager."

Copilot prompt dialog with natural language input

  1. Review the generated criteria and click Keep it to save.

Generated criteria proposal ready for review

Manually:

  1. Add a new line on the Criteria subpage.
  2. Fill in the Criteria text, Type (Approval, Warning, Error, or Notification), Approver Type, and Approver ID.
  3. Enable the criteria line.

Step 6: Enable the Workflow

  1. Return to the Smart Approvals list.
  2. Toggle the Enabled checkbox for your approval type.
  3. The app automatically creates and enables the corresponding BC workflow.

Step 7: Test It

  1. Create or open a document that matches your approval type (e.g., a Purchase Order).
  2. Click Send Smart Approval Request in the document actions.

Smart Approval actions on a Purchase Order

  1. Verify that:
    • An approval entry appears in Approval Entries
    • The assigned approver receives a notification
    • The document status changes to Pending Approval
  2. Approve the request and confirm the document is released.

Note

If the current user is the calculated approver, their entry may be auto-approved. Test with a different user account to validate the full routing flow.

Next Steps

Related information: