Auto-Approve PO using BPM

Epicor ERP 10
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1

Have a standard data directive on JobOper that works for creating Purchase Orders for our intercompany subcontract operations. I can open the PO that is created, check approve and get no errors. However, as soon as I try to automate the approval itself, I run into issues.

I decided to run a trace on the approve switch, the methods called, in order, are ChangeApproveSwitch, CheckBeforeUpdate and Update.

I tried replicating this in my BPM, but getting this error:

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I looked through the BOs under PO and Iā€™m not seeing any called setPORelShipToAddress. Whatā€™s really odd is this to the job, not an order number or a drop ship, so Iā€™m not sure why itā€™s asking for a ship to when itā€™s not required.

Any suggestions or ideas?

2

Is your DD trying to create the whole PO, or just approve an existing one (that is fully filled out)?

3

Trying to create and approve the whole PO. I can get it created, and I can go in and manually approve it. But if I try automate the approval it errors out.

This much works:

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But doing this much does not:

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And hereā€™s the methods Iā€™m calling:

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4

Are us doing an update (like doing a ā€œSaveā€ in the UI) before trying to approve it?

Typically, creating the PO Line automatically makes the PO Releaseā€¦ when the Line is saved.

In the UI, you canā€™t mark a PO Approved, until you save after creating a line

In the following GIF, the Approved button isnā€™t enabled until after I save the line.

PO Approved
PO Approved775Ɨ531 101 KB

You probably need to call PO.Update before PO.ChangedApproveSwitch

5

Yes sir, I use an ā€œUpdateā€ widget after creating the line, setting the transaction type and setting the Job, Assembly and Operation. It will create the PO, and if I go look at the PO the line/release exist, the approve box is active. I just canā€™t get it to do the approval through the BPM.

6

Although Iā€™m calling PO.ChangePOSwitch and not PO.ChangedPOSwitchā€¦ hmmm

7

ChangedApproveSwitch. Not ChangedPOSwitch

8

Sorry, yes, thatā€™s what I meant lol. Iā€™m calling PO.ChangeApproveSwitch not PO.ChangedApproveSwitch

9

Changed the methods around and made no difference, still fails with the same null reference exception, referring to the method ā€œsetPORelShipToAddressā€. PO is still created, line and release is there, Approve is active but not checked. The release shouldnā€™t need a ship to, itā€™s for a subcontract operation on a job. The Ship To Cust field is greyed out on the release.

The PO Summary tab, Approve is active:

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The release:

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10

You must be on a new version than I. In 10.2.300, DDā€™s only have an ā€œInvoke External Methodsā€ widgets. Iā€™d have to use a MD to use the ā€œInvoke BO Methodā€.

Also, I donā€™t get that nice list of ā€˜Actionsā€™ in the Workflow Designer. :frowning:

edit

Dā€™Oh! - I see that it becomes a list when you select more than one.

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11

Yes, we are on 10.2.500, are you looking at in-trans DD? This is a Standard DD. Standard DDs should give you the invoke BO method.

12

10.2.300 Data Directive Workflow Designer

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13

As a debugging test, split it into 2 MPMā€™s   BPMā€™s

  • The first creates the PO (which you said works).
  • The second just does the approval part. Hardcode the PONum into the 2nd(just for testing)
14

Dumb question, MPM?

15

LOL ā€¦ Typo of ā€œBPMsā€

Or maybe it means ā€œMethod directitive business Process Managementā€

as opposed to a ā€œDMPā€

ā€œData directitive business Process Managementā€

:wink:

1 Like
16

Same exact issue, null reference for setPORelShipToAddress

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just to double check myself, Iā€™m a complete noob with BPMs, could you tell me if this looks correct to you?

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Iā€™m not entirely sure what to enter as the viewName. In the trace it refrences POHeader, so thatā€™s what I entered.

17

Why do you need the CheckBeforeUpdate and Update 1 after the ChangeAppSwitch?

Iā€™m not saying that you definitely saying that you donā€™t need them. Iā€™d have though that the ChangeAppSwitch would be the last thing to do on the PO.

18

I thought the same thing, as it seems to me the ChangeAppSwitch triggers the CheckBeforeUpdate and Update methods anyway.

So, I removed them and Iā€™m back to square one. Null Reference Exception for setPORelShipToAddress

19

I think I may have stumbled on to it ā€¦

Thereā€™s a two distinct BO methodā€™s (with very similar names) that are called when you approve a PO via the UI.

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A trace of just clicking the Approved box, shows (in order):

  1. PO.ValidateAcctForGLControl
  2. PO.ChangeApproveSwitch
  3. PO.CheckBeforeUpdate
  4. PO.Update
  5. PO.ChangedApproveSwitch

Lines 2 and 5 are different methods!

20

Iā€™ll give it a go