Check
Checks that the work item is complete and right before anything is done with it.
Where it goes: there must be one before every Create in MCS step. You can add more anywhere else.
How it works
The step holds a list of checks. Select Add a check for each one. A check has:
| Setting | What it is |
|---|---|
| Check | Which kind of check |
| Fields checked | The fields it works on |
| If it fails | Ask the sender. Hand to a person (default). Stop. Warn only |
| Security check | Ticked for a check that must always reach a person (below) |
Warn only carries on but records a warning on the work item. The A person approves step can be set to stop whenever a check warns.
The checks
| Check | What it tests | Fields checked |
|---|---|---|
| Required values are present | Every ticked field has a value | The fields that must have a value |
| Lines add up | The lines of a list add up to a total | The list, the amount in each line, and the total |
| Sum equals | Some fields add up to another | The fields to add, then the total last |
| Unchanged since last seen | The value matches the one accepted for this contact. The first value ever seen becomes the accepted one | The field to watch, such as bank details |
| Not a duplicate | No other work item on this workflow in the last 90 days has the same values | The fields that identify it, such as the supplier and invoice number |
| Date is in range | The date is a real date | A date field |
| Well formed | An email address or phone number looks real; any other field is not empty | The fields to check |
Totals must match exactly. Work items that were rejected, stopped or returned to the sender never count for "Not a duplicate", so a corrected resend is not stopped as a duplicate.
:::note Coming later The editor also lists VAT rate is right, References are covered, Matches MCS, Lines match MCS and Within a limit. These are not working yet: a Check step that uses one goes to a person as "this step is not available yet". Setting a tolerance, a limit or a date range on a check is also coming later. :::
Security checks
A security check:
- always hands to a person when it fails, whatever "If it fails" says;
- cannot be removed or made a warning;
- makes A person approves wait for a person, however trusted the sender is.
Choosing Unchanged since last seen ticks Security check automatically. Any workflow that uses a field with the Bank account role must have one on it: this is what stops changed bank details going through unnoticed. The contact then shows the new value as "Changed, waiting for someone to accept it" (see contacts and trust).
What can happen
When several checks fail, the strongest outcome wins:
| What happened | What happens next |
|---|---|
| A check set to Stop failed | Stops, for example as a duplicate |
| A security check, or one set to Hand to a person, failed | Goes to a person: "a check did not pass" |
| A check set to Ask the sender failed | Goes to Ask the sender, which asks about every such check in one email |
| Only warnings | Carries on, with the warnings recorded |
| All passed | Carries on |
What you see on the work item
A tick or a cross for each check, in plain words.
Use it for
- Supplier invoices: required values present, lines add up to the net, net plus VAT equals the total, bank details unchanged, not a duplicate of supplier and invoice number.
- Requests from customers: the details you need are present, and the phone number looks real.