Setting up the Manager Approval Feature

To enable manager approval and email notifications, you must perform the following setup steps.

Step 1: Setting up Email in Microsoft Dynamics System Preferences

TimeTrack email notifications require you to set up either MAPI or Exchange in System Preferences found at Microsoft Dynamics GP > Tools > Setup > System > System Preferences.

The difference between MAPI and Exchange is how Microsoft Dynamics GP attempts to email. 

• MAPI
  MAPI emailing uses a call to Outlook to email. This requires a 32-bit Outlook to be installed on the same workstation as the Dynamics GP client

  
  Be aware that this process can have issues when using Remote Desktop Servers for RDP/Citrix or Remote App. Usually, these issues can be resolved by making sure Outlook is installed on the Remote Server, and that all users launch a direct Remote Desktop session and run both GP and Outlook as an Admin once to complete the Outlook login process. Exchange is strongly recommended for all Remote Desktop/Remote App environments due to these issues.
• Exchange
  Exchange emailing comes in two flavors, New and Old. Only Microsoft Dynamics GP 18.3 and newer can use the New functionality. Neither option requires Outlook, or anything outside the GP application and an Exchange Server somewhere (On-Prem or O365 both work, hosted by anyone outside of MS is not supported but may work).

• • The New functionality (covered in the MFA section below) uses MS Graph and Azure to send direct calls to Exchange to send emails. This uses OAuth and tends to be pretty reliable once setup is complete. 
    MFA
    If you pick Exchange, are past GP 18.3, and want to use MFA, you can find the setups for setting up Azure for MFA here:
    Multi-Factor Authentication - Dynamics GP | Microsoft Docs (https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics-gp/whats-new/multi-factor-authentication)

    The GP side of the setup can be found here:
    (+) Microsoft Dynamics GP Fall 2020 - Multi-Factor Authentication - Microsoft Dynamics GP Community

  • The Old functionality uses the EWS endpoint to make a call to Exchange to send an email. This also relies on Basic Authentication, TLS 1.0, and Autodiscover (all of which are not used with the New functionality). Due to these requirements including old technology, sometimes system-wide settings (i.e. Group Policy and O365 settings) cause the login process to no longer work. The Microsoft Dynamics GP Troubleshooting Guide can help track down these issues. (https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics-gp/installation/email-troubleshooting-guide)

OLD:

TimeTrack email notifications require SQL Server Database Mail to be set up. Database Mail allows you to set up an account that uses an SMTP server and email address to automatically send emails. The account is assigned to a profile, and the default Database Mail profile can be used to send manager approval request notifications from TimeTrack.

If you already have a profile and account set up, make sure the profile you want to use for TimeTrack notifications is set as the default profile. If you need to create a new profile, complete the steps below. Refer to the Microsoft SQL Server help for further details on account and parameter setup.

The following instructions are for Database Mail setup on SQL Server 2008 R2. Setup steps may vary for different SQL Server versions.

1. Open SQL Server Management Studio.
2. In the Object Explorer sidebar, expand Management.
3. Right-click Database Mail, and select Configure Database Mail.
4. On the first screen of the Database Mail Configuration Wizard, select Next >.
5. Mark the Set up Database Mail... radio button, and select Next >.
6. On the New Profile page, enter a Profile Name and Description. Use the Add... button to add an SMTP account to this profile.
7. On the Add Account to Profile window, use the drop-down menu to select an existing account, or use the New Account... button to set up a new account. Once you have selected an account, select OK to close this window and add the account to the profile.
8. When you are finished setting up the profile, select Next >.
9. On the Manage Profile Security page, mark the Public checkbox next to the profile. Set this profile as the default by selecting Yes from the Default Profile drop-down menu. Select Next >.
10. On the Configure System Parameters page, specify the options that you want to use for Database Mail. Select Next >.
11. When you are done setting up the profile, select Finish. Additionally, if you are using Microsoft Office x64 as the default mail client, the server type must be set to Exchange on the System Preferences window (Microsoft Dynamics GP > Tools > Setup > System > System Preferences).

Step 2: Enabling Manager Approval and Email Notifications

Complete the following steps to enable the manager approval feature and customize the email notifications that you want to use.

1. Select Microsoft Dynamics GP > Tools > Setup > TimeTrack > Setup Options.
2. Mark the Require Manager Approval checkbox to require that time cards be approved before they can be committed.

3. Mark the E-Mail Notification checkbox to enable email notifications. This checkbox is enabled only when the Require Manager Approval setting is turned on. 

   Email notifications only work if you are using TimeTrack for manager approval. If you will be using Clock for time entry and approval, these settings will not apply. Most notifications work with MobileTech time entry submissions unless noted otherwise.
4. Mark the additional checkboxes as necessary to customize email notification options.
   • Notify Manager when Employee Submits Time Card for Approval
     Mark this checkbox to send a notification to the employee's manager when a time card is submitted for approval. The employee will not need to notify the manager personally when the time card is ready for approval.
   • Notify Employee when Time Card is Rejected by Manager
     Mark this checkbox to send a notification to the employee when a time card is rejected. The manager will not need to notify the employee personally when a time card is rejected.

   • Notify Manager when Employee has Updated Rejected Trx
     Mark this checkbox to send a notification to the manager when an employee updates a rejected transaction. The employee will not have to re-submit the time card after it is updated. This option only works when transactions are updated in TimeTrack. If a technician updates a rejected time entry in MobileTech, an email notification is not sent to the manager - however, the manager will receive an email when the time entry is resubmitted if Notify Manager when Employee Submits Time Card for Approval is marked.

   • Notify Employee when Manager Prints the Time Card Entries Exception Report
     Mark this checkbox to send a notification to the employee when the exception report is printed by the manager. This report is printed when an employee lists fewer than 40 hours of time for the week. Employees on this list will receive a notification.
5. Select Save.

Step 3: Verify That Email Addresses and Managers Are Set Up

Before email notifications can be sent to employees and managers during the time card approval process, email addresses must be set up for all registered TimeTrack users.

You must also specify the manager of each employee on the Signature Registered Users Setup window. See Setting Up Signature Registered Users for more information.

Setting up Email Addresses in Microsoft Dynamics GP

The email address entered on the Employee Maintenance window in Microsoft Dynamics GP will automatically populate on the Signature Registered Users Setup window.

1. Select Cards > Payroll > Employee. The Employee Maintenance window opens.
2. Select the employee and select the Internet Addresses button located next to the Address ID field. The Internet Information window opens.
3. In the E-mail field, verify or enter an email address.
4. Select Save, then Save again in the Employee Maintenance window.

Setting up Email Addresses in TimeTrack

If email addresses were set up on the Employment Maintenance window in Microsoft Dynamics GP, they will populate on the Signature Registered Users Setup window in Time Track. Otherwise, you can enter them manually.

1. Select Microsoft Dynamics GP > Tools > Setup > TimeTrack > Registered Users. The Signature Registered Users Setup window opens.
2. In the E-Mail Address field, enter the employee's email address.
3. Select Save. The window closes.

Specify a Manager for Each Employee

You must specify a manager for each employee to use the manager approval feature.

1. Select Microsoft Dynamics GP > Tools > Setup > TimeTrack > Registered Users. The Signature Registered Users Setup window opens.
2. For each TimeTrack user, use the lookup to select a Manager ID.
3. Select Save.

Giving Managers Permission to Approve Other Managers' Timecards

To give managers the ability to approve other managers' timesheets, you must set up the approving manager as a Power User. The Power User classification applies ONLY to TimeTrack, and not to any other Signature products. When approving another manager's timesheet in the Time Card Approval window, the Power User manager needs to select Manager ID for the manager whose timecard they are approving.

1. Select Microsoft Dynamics GP > Tools > Setup > TimeTrack > Registered Users. The Signature Registered Users Setup window opens.
2. Locate the user and mark the Power User checkbox.
3. Repeat this step for every manager authorized to approve employee timecard transactions.
4. Select Save.