Modified 04-JUN-2010 Type TROUBLESHOOTING Status PUBLISHED

In this Document
Purpose
Last Review Date
Instructions for the Reader
Troubleshooting Details
Introduction
Has the document been correctly forwarded?
Is the Document Approval Manager Timing Out (Error 1)?
Is the Document Approval Manager Not Active (Error 2)?
Has the WorkFlow Background Process been run?
Is there a Pending Change Request for this PO?
Verify Other Setups
Table Space or Max Extents problem?
Check Invalid Objects
Reload the Workflow Files and retest
Additional Troubleshooting Tips
What to Provide Oracle Support When Logging an iTAR for 'In Process' or or 'Pre-
Approved' documents
What are the MetaLink keywords I should use when searching for 'In Process' or or 'Pre-
Approved' document information on MetaLink?

Applies to:

Oracle Purchasing - Version: 11.5.1 to 11.5.10.4 - Release: 11.5 to 11.5

Linux x86
z*OBSOLETE: Microsoft Windows 2000
HP-UX PA-RISC (64-bit)
IBM AIX on POWER Systems (64-bit)
HP-UX PA-RISC (32-bit)
z*OBSOLETE: IBM AIX 4.3 Based Systems (64-bit)
Oracle Solaris on SPARC (64-bit)
Obsolete Linux Intel (64-bit)
IBM AIX on POWER Systems (32-bit)
Oracle Solaris on SPARC (32-bit)
HP Tru64 UNIX

Purpose

This Troubleshooting Guide documents difficult-to-diagnose problems. It is provided to assist in

debugging complex issues relating to usage of the product. When possible, diagnostic scripts are
included in the document to assist in troubleshooting problems. This document does not contain
bugs/patches as these topics are addressed in the Current Issues and Patch articles referenced in the
Oracle Purchasing Approval Self-Service Toolkit Note 268540.1

Last Review Date

August 20, 2007

Instructions for the Reader

A Troubleshooting Guide is provided to assist in debugging a specific issue. When possible, diagnostic
tools are included in the document to assist in troubleshooting.

Troubleshooting Details

Introduction

Sometimes a documents finds itself in the status of 'In Process' or 'Pre-Approved'. This article is
intended to troubleshoot the reasons why it is in this status, and if necessary to get it moving again
towards approval. This information is specific to Release 11.0 and above. It is not intended for
Releases 10.7 and lower. This article is intended for all users of the Purchasing application,
specifically anyone who creates and submits requisitions and purchase orders for approval, as well as
those who hold the approving function.

During the approval process in Oracle Purchasing, documents will at times be in a status of 'In
Process' or 'Pre-Approved'. When a document reaches this status, it should not be considered a
problem until the proper research has been conducted.

Has the document been correctly forwarded?

The first step is to view the action history of the document in question to understand why the document
has a status of 'In Process' or or 'Pre-Approved' and if the document has been forwarded. This is
because if the Document has been forwarded to the next person in the hierarchy then the document is
correctly in the status of 'In Process' or or 'Pre-Approved' until the Notified employee takes Action via
the Notification on the document(s).

The action history can be viewed by using the Summary screens for Purchase Orders and
Requisitions.

1. Open the Action History

1. Responsibility: Purchasing Super User
2. Navigation: Purchase Orders -> Purchase Orders Summary
- OR -
Navigation: Requisitions -> Requisition Summary
3. Enter the search criteria on the Find window, and click the Find button
4. Click on the document with a status of 'In Process' or or 'Pre-Approved'
5. From the top menu bar, select Special => View Action History
2. Verify the Action History
1. Once the most recent action has been located in the View Action History window, it is necessary to
confirm if action is needed or if action has already been taken. This is done by confirming the value in
the Action field for the top-most sequence in the View Action History window. If the Action Field is Null,
and the Performed by Field has a value of an Employee, then the Document has been forwarded to
that Employee and is awaiting Action on this document.

2. If the attempt to view the action history results in the error 'APP-PO-14288 - This document is
incomplete or you do not have access to it.' and meanwhile the document has a status of 'In Process' -
then this would depict that the workflow has had a breakdown at some point prior to the update to the
action history - but after the Starting point. A status of In Process along with this error usually results in
a valid case of documents which are stuck 'In Process' and most likely are in need of further
troubleshooting outlined in this document. If it is determined that indeed the document is stuck, please
follow the troubleshooting tips outlined below. Most stuck documents can be resolved with the
suggestions offered below.

Is the Document Approval Manager Timing Out (Error 1)?

Is a Notification being sent to either the Preparer (person that submitted the document) or the System
Administrator that the Document Approval Manager is Timing Out (Error 2)?
1. Is the system on 11.5.6, or has 11i.PRC_PF.F been applied? If yes, please follow the White Paper
from Note 224028.1 and configure this Workflow to automatically resolve document IN PROCESS due
to the Document Approval Manager Timing Out.

2. Tune the database and network.

Database and Network performance can cause normal workflow processes to take too much time,
causing the Document Approval Manager Error 1 unnecessarily. Please verify with the DBA and
Network teams that the system is properly tuned.

3. Adjust the Timeout Parameter -- After determining that the system is properly tuned, the timeout
parameter that controls how long a workflow activity will wait can be adjusted. This can be done by
changing the value that is initialized to variable 'timeout' in function PO_REQUEST_ACTION in
package PO_DOCUMENT_ACTIONS_SV (can be found in POXDORAB.pls). The initialized value as
coded is 180, change this to 300, and apply this pls file to database. That should reduce the chances
of document manager timing out. After 11.5.9, use the profile option PO: Approval Timeout Value.

4. If remaining documents are IN PROCESS, run wfretry.sql to reprocess the documents associated
with this problem. Note 134960.1 has instructions for wfretry.sql and if necessary refer to Section 10
for resolution.

5. Reference Note 297862.1 "How to Help Prevent a Large Percentage of PO's Failing with PO
Document Approval Manager " for additional help if the Doc Mgr Error 1 is occuring frequently

Is the Document Approval Manager Not Active (Error 2)?

Is a Notification being sent to either the Preparer (person that submitted the document) or the System
Administrator that the Document Approval Manager is Not Active (Error 2)?

1. Is the system on 11.5.6, or has 11i.PRC_PF.F been applied? If yes, please follow the White Paper
from Note 224028.1 and configure this new Workflow to automatically resolve document IN PROCESS
due to the Document Approval Manager Timing Out.
2. Verify and if necessary restart the Document Approval Concurrent Manager
1. Responsibility: System Administrator
2. Navigation: Concurrent => Manager => Administer and Select PO Document Approval manager
3. If the Document Manager is Not running then the Status field value = Not Running
4. Click on the line containing the PO Document Approval Manager
5. Click on the Activate button.
6. The PO Document Approval Manager should now be restarted

3. If remaining documents are 'In Process' or or 'Pre-Approved' , run wfretry.sql to reprocess the
documents associated with this problem. Note 134960.1 has instructions for wfretry.sql and if
necessary refer to certain steps in Section 10 for resolution.

4. Reference Note 297862.1 "How to Help Prevent a Large Percentage of PO's Failing with PO
Document Approval Manager " for additional help if the Doc Mgr Error 2 is occuring frequently

Has the WorkFlow Background Process been run?

1. If using Background Mode for Approvals (as opposed to ONLINE mode) the PO or Requisition
Workflow Background Process must be run to launch the Approval process. While the process has
been deferred the document will remain in IN PROCESS status. If using ONLINE mode then the
WorkFlow Background Process does not need to be run to launch the Approval Workflow.
2. Navigation: Select System Administrator responsibility. Navigate => Sysadmin => Request => Run
3. Set the parameters and submit:
1. Item Type PO Approval or Requisition Approval
2. Processed Deferred = Yes
3. Process Time Out = Yes
4. Process Stuck = Yes, if the Process Stuck parameter is available
5. Submit the process
4. In addition, the $FND_TOP/sql/wfbkgchk.sql script can be used to verify if documents are Deferred
waiting on the Workflow Background
5. Even if using ONLINE mode for Approvals, Oracle recommends scheduling the Workflow
Background Process to run periodically for both PO and Requisition Approval workflow. If on 11.5.6 or
higher it is also recommended to schedule the POERROR workflow item type which has improved
document manager error handling. Reference Note 224028.1 for additional details on this topic.

Is there a Pending Change Request for this PO?

1. If the document in question that is 'In Process' is a Standard PO or Release, please verify if a
Change Request from iSupplier or from an iProcurement generated Requisition has been entered.
When this happens, the corresponding PO (if one exists) is set to 'In Process' pending approval of the
Change Request.
2. To verify if a Change Request is pending, the following can be done :
1. Go to PO Summary, and query the Release or PO in question, then go to Inquire > View Action
History and see if the last action is "Change Requested". If this is the last action then a Change
Request is the reason this PO is IN PROCESS
2. Have the Buyer navigate to : Purchase Orders > Pending Purchase Order Changes and then be
sure to either Accept or Reject changes that have been requested on these PO's.

Verify Other Setups

1. Verify Document Type Attribute Setups

1. Navigation: Purchasing Responsibility: Setup => Purchasing => Document Types
2. Choose the type(s) of documents that are 'In Process' or or 'Pre-Approved' incorrectly and ensure
the following in the Attributes region:
1. That the Approval Workflow field is properly set to the correct value (this cannot be NULL)
2. That the Workflow Startup Process is properly set to the correct value (this cannot be NULL
2. Verify Approval Hierarchy Method
1. Navigation: Purchasing Responsibility: Setup => Financial Options => Human Resources Tab
2. If using Approval Hierarchies make sure the Use Approval Hierarchies check box is checked
3. If using Employee Supervisor method make sure the Use Approval Hierarchies check box is not
checked
3. Verify Positions Hierarchy Data (if using Position Hierarchy Method)
1. Navigation: Purchasing Responsibility: Setup => Financial Options => Human Resources Tab
2. Take Note of the Business Group that is being used
3. Navigation: HRMS Responsibility: People => Enter and Maintain
4. Query the Employees in question that submitted the 'In Process' or or 'Pre-Approved' documents
5. Click on the Assignments Button and verify the Business Group is correct
6. Take note of the Position field. Verify the Position is correct
7. Navigation: HRMS Responsibility: Work Structures => Position => Description
8. Query the Position(s) from step 3.5. Click on the Reporting To button and ensure the Reporting To
Position is correct
NOTE: If using Shared HR the Employees and Positian be queried from Purchasing => Setup =>
Personnel
4. Verify Jobs and Supervisor Data (if using Employee Supervisor Method)
1. Navigation: Purchasing Responsibility: Setup => Financial Options => Human Resources Tab
2. Take Note of the Business Group that is being used
3. Navigation: HRMS Responsibility: People => Enter and Maintain
4. Query the Employees in question that submitted the 'In Process' or or 'Pre-Approved' documents
5. Click on the Assignments Button and verify the Business Group is correct
6. Take note of the Job field. Verify the Job is correct
7. Take Note of the Supervisor Field. Verify the Supervisor is correct and is most likely not intended to
be NULL.
8. If using Shared HR the Employees and Positions can be queried from Purchasing => Setup =>
Personnel
5. If any of these setups needed to be corrected you must do the following before the original IN
PROCESS documents will be moved through the Approval process.
1. Run the Fill Employee Hierarchy Report (for changes made to Employees and/or Positions when
using Position Hierarchy method)
6. Run wfretry.sql to reprocess the documents associated with this problem. Note 134960.1 has
instructions for wfretry.sql

Table Space or Max Extents problem?

It is possible that database issues can cause documents submitted for Approval to become 'In
Process' or or 'Pre-Approved' due to the database reaching max extents during the Approval process
or if the required table space is not available during the Approval process.

1. Max Extents
1. Verify that the system does not have a Max Extents problem
2. Have DBA locate the alert_<sid => .log file and perform the following command from UNIX: $tail -f
alert_<sid>.log.
3. Submit a different document for approval and at the same time have the DBA views the
alert_<sid>.log via the tail command referenced above to look for errors.

2. Table Space
1. Verify that adequate table space exists
2. Reference Note 154599.1 for verification on tablespace problems and how to resolve them.
3. If remaining documents are 'In Process' or or 'Pre-Approved' , run wfretry.sql to reprocess the
documents associated with this problem. Note 134960.1 has instructions for wfretry.sql and if
necessary refer to certain steps in Section 10 for resolution

Check Invalid Objects

1. Check the instance where the problem is occurring for Invalid Objects that may be the cause. Any
objects owned by APPS need to be VALID.
2. If on 11i.PRC_PF.H (Patch 2320032) or higher run the Apps Diagnostic Program for Oracle
Purchasing and verify Invalid Objects do not exist. If lower than 11i.PRC_PF.H, enter SQL*Plus as the
APPS schema user and execute the following query:

SELECT object_name, object_type, owner, status

FROM all_objects
WHERE status = 'INVALID'
AND owner = 'APPS'

3. IMPORTANT: If on 11i.PRC_PF.G (11.5.6) or higher make sure to check that Oracle XML Gateway
objects (these objects start with ECX) are also checked, because the integration between Oracle
Purchasing and Oracle XML Gateway can cause approval problems if ECX objects are invalid
4. If invalid objects are found, recompile them via the ADADMIN utility. Reference Note 113947.1.
5. If remaining documents are 'In Process' or or 'Pre-Approved' , run wfretry.sql to reprocess the
documents associated with this problem. Note:134960.1 has instructions for wfretry.sql and if
necessary refer to certain steps in Section 10 for resolution.

Reload the Workflow Files and retest

1. In certain unknown circumstances, workflow code can become corrupt in the database. Reloading
the workflow to the database and retrying the Approval can verify this.
2. Even if customizations have been made to the workflow, it is possible that the customized workflow
is corrupt in the database, and that reloading the customized workflow to the database will resolve the
issue. If customizations are in place, first try reloading the customized workflow code to database and
retest the Approval for a new document. If the error still occurs, reload the seeded workflow to the
database and retest the Approval for a new document. This can be used to pinpoint if the
customizations have the root cause of the issue.
3. Instructions for reloading the Approval Workflow are presented here:
1. Login in to the System Administrator responsibility.
2. Choose requests/run
3. Choose 'Workflow Definitions Loader'
4. The report has three parameters: item type, file location, and mode
1. Leave item type blank
2. For the second put in the full path (no Aliases) for the workflow file
NT Server Example: d:/oracle/appltop/po/11.5.0/patch/11.5/import/US/poxwfrqa.wft
Unix Server Example: $oracle/appltop/po/11.5.0/patch/11.5.0/import/US/poxwfrqa.wft
3. For the third parameter, Mode, choose Force. IMPORTANT: This will overwrite the existing workflow
in the database, including any customizations that are in place. Please proceed, but only after making
sure the customized workflow is saved in its own flat file.
4. If this corrects the documents that are going to IN PROCESS, run wfretry.sql to reprocess the
documents associated with this problem. Note:134960.1 has instructions for wfretry.sql

Additional Troubleshooting Tips

Follow these steps in order to try and resolve the IN PROCESS documents that could not be corrected
with the other troubleshooting steps above.

1. Ensure that the PO: Workflow Processing Mode profile option is not NULL at the Site (or User
levels). This must be set to either ONLINE or BACKGROUND
2. Relink the Document Approval Concurrent Manager. Go to Sysadmin -> Concurrent -> Manager ->
Administer -- deactivate the PO Document Approval Manager by hitting the Deactivate button, making
sure the Actual and Target processes are '0'.
1. Go to $AD_TOP/bin and relink the PO executables.
2. For Release 11.0.x:
adrelink force=y ranlib=y "PO ALL"
3. For Release 11.5.x:
adrelink.sh force=y "PO ALL"
3. Verify that duplicate login IDs do not exist
1. The following script, $FND_TOP/sql/wfdirchk.sql, can be used to verify duplicate logins.
2. Once corrected, run wfretry.sql to reprocess the documents associated with this problem.
Note:134960.1 has instructions for wfretry.sql
4. If using Approval Hierarchy ensure that the Fill Employee Hierarchy Report has been run if changes
were made to employee records, positions or position hierarchies. It is good practice to run this report
periodically in case changes were made without anyone's knowledge.
Navigation: Purchasing User => Reports => Run => Fill Employee Hierarchy
5. Run the Workflow Background Process (if not tried already):
1. Navigation: Select System Administrator responsibility. Navigate => Sys Admin => Request => Run
2. Set the parameters - Item Type PO Approval or Requisition Approval; Processed Deferred = Yes;
Process Time Out = Yes.
Process Stuck = Yes, if the Process Stuck parameter is available
3. Submit the Process.

6. For isolated IN PROCESS and Pre-Approved documents that cannot be fixed otherwise, perform
the following:

1. Run wfretry.sql to reprocess the documents. Follow the instructions in Note 134960.1
for using wfretry.sql
2. Re-execute the workflow for each document. For each document that is IN PROCESS
re-execute the workflow by doing the following from SQL Plus as the APPS
 SQL => exec wf_engine.startprocess('item type','item key');

7. If the above command does not work, a last resort for isolated documents is using the reset scripts
from development which are available via NOTE 390023.1 "How To Reset a Document To
Incomplete/Requires Reapproval "

8. Run the "Purchasing(PO) Documents Approval Script" , Note 243026.1, and review the Output for
possible solution

What to Provide Oracle Support When Logging an iTAR for 'In Process' or or 'Pre-
Approved' documents

If this Troubleshooting Guide did not assist with your issue with 'In Process' or or 'Pre-Approved'
documents, please log a service request with Oracle Support and provide the following. Remember,
the more information that is provided up front when the service request is logged, the faster Oracle
Support can diagnose the issue. Even if all of the below is provided, depending on the details of the
issue more information may be required by Oracle Support after the service request is logged.

1. Clear step by steps instructions on how users can reproduce the issue and/or what has occurred on
the system.
2. Information on what has changed on this system since the IN PROCESS documents started to
occur
3. Most importantly, for at least one Requisition or Purchase Order which is IN PROCESS and you
cannot process it in the Application, please go to Note 243026.1 "Purchasing(PO) Documents
Approval Script" and provide the output of this Diagnostic for one or more the stuck documents when
logging the iTAR.

What are the MetaLink keywords I should use when searching for 'In Process' or or 'Pre-
Approved' document information on MetaLink?

Keywords: 'In Process'. 'Pre-Approved' , 'IN-PROCESS', REQAPPRV (if requisitions), POAPPRV (if
Purchase Orders), workflow

Related

Products

Oracle E-Business Suite > Procurement > Procurement > Oracle Purchasing

Keywords

REQAPPRV; DOCUMENT~MANAGER~ERROR; DOCUMENT~APPROVAL; POAPPRV;

IN~PROCESS; APPROVALS~MANAGER; POERROR
Errors

ERROR HANDLING; ERROR 1; ERROR 2

Back to top
 Comments
Article Rating
Rate this document

Excellent

Good

Poor

Did this document help you?

Yes

No

Just browsing

How easy was it to find this document?

Very easy

Somewhat easy

Not easy

Cancel