Reviewing the Approval Status of a Requisition Using SAP Transaction - ME53N Display Requisition

Use SAP Transaction - ME53N Display Requisition to monitor the status of a requisition as it moves through workflow approvals.

Gwen Hall-DiFabio
9 steps
34 seconds

As you review requisition workflow approvals, it is helpful to understand general approval guidelines for Duke Health. These guidelines help balance the need for an efficient ordering process with ensuring a sound internal control environment. **Material Master Items** - Items from the material master do not require approvals. - The approval process will show the requisition skipped all possible workflow steps. - SAP automatically creates the purchase order. **Items not from the Material Master** - Includes requisitions for items with specific quantities and framework orders. - Purchase requisitions will route based on the owning org of the cost object being charged on the requisition. In the event that the account assignment is split funded, the requisition will route to the owning org of the cost object that will incur the largest expense. - All lines of the requisition move through the process together and are routed based on the most restrictive item in the requisition. - Approval thresholds are applied to the total value of the requisition, not to individual line items. - Approvers will receive an email notification when they have a requisition to approve. - All framework requisitions will require approval regardless of value. - Requisitions for framework orders begin with "6". - May also route for additional approvals based on the commodity. - Sourcing will review requisitions to ensure they include all appropriate information before turning the requisition into a purchase order.

**Please note:** Items in a requisition will stay together throughout the approval process. For example, a requisition that includes material and non-material master items will not skip approvals. These requisitions route for the required approvals based on the non-material master items included in the requisition. To ensure the fastest processing, separate material master items from non-material master items when creating a requisition.

Click [here](https://duke.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=93e152ff-0fec-4fb0-868a-b16101534d36) to watch this 2-minute and 2-second video demonstrating Reviewing the Approval Status of a Requisition.

Enter the transition action name, **ME53N,** in the **Command Field** or find the transaction in the **SAP Users Menu** in the **Purchasing** folder. Select the **Green Check** or **Enter** on the keyboard to launch the transaction.

On the **Display Purchase Requisition** screen, the most recent requisition displays. Select the **Other Purchase Requisition** icon.

In the pop-up that displays, enter the **Purchase Requisition** number of interest and select **Other Document.**

In the **Header** section, select the **Approval Details** tab. Select the **Folder** icon to open the **Header** section as necessary.

The **Approval Steps** display. The screenshot in this step is for a requisition with a material master item. - **Name** displays the name of the approval step. - **Status** displays the current action taken by the step. - **Processor** displays who is taking action on steps. It will be blank until it routes to each step. - **Recipient** displays the logic determining who received the approval. All Duke requisitions show the same language in this field.

Since this is a material master item that doesn't require approval, the approval step grid is empty. Generally, you will see this display for requisitions that only include material master items which allows SAP to create purchase orders very quickly and send them quickly to vendors.

The screenshot below is an example of a requisition for a framework order (indicated by the requisition number beginning with 6). In this example, the **Name** shows the level of workflow routing. The **Status** shows **Ready** at the first step, indicating the workflow is at that step and is available for action. **Planned** indicates the workflow is planning to go to that step. The **Processors** will display as the approval moves to each step.

This requisition is a text order for an item not on the material master (notice no material master number). Similarly to the example in the previous step, the workflow does not auto-skip steps and outlines the path for approval.

If you change a requisition before it becomes a purchase order, the requisition will re-route for approval. The original workflow displays as **Cancelled**. SAP will display new lines for the active workflow in **Approval Details.** You will need to scroll down the display to see the most current workflow.

Review this [quick reference guide](https://scribehow.com/shared/Display_a_Purchase_Requisition__ME53N__kxkPmh2mREK6gP0D76DkqQ) to review additional information available in the Display Requisition Transaction - ME53N.

Request Changes to Workflow Approvers and Dollar Thresholds