How It Works

The Backup Delegate Approver menu option is available in the left navigation panel under Approvals application. Select it to open the list of all configured records.

Each record targets a specific user (the Current User) and assigns one or more substitutes. An Effective Date and Expiration Date define exactly when the substitution is active. The system activates and deactivates records automatically using a background scheduler. Administrators can also activate or deactivate records manually at any time.

Backup Approver: How Request Reassignment Works

A backup approver is the right choice when an approver will be completely unavailable and someone else needs to take over as the responsible party. When Transfer In Flight is enabled on a backup record:

• All pending approval requests assigned to the original user with no action taken are automatically reassigned to the backup user.
• All new approval requests that would normally route to the original user are assigned to the backup user instead.
• The backup user can approve or reject those requests exactly as the original approver would.

Delegate Approver: Acting on Behalf Without Replacing

A delegate approver is the right choice when the original approver should remain visible and accountable as the assignee, but needs support from other users during a busy or partially unavailable period. When a delegate record is active:

• The original approver remains the assigned user on every approval request.
• Each configured delegate can also see the request in My Approvals and take action — approve or reject — on the original approver's behalf.
• The delegates appear in the Details section of the approval Preview and My Approvals pages.
• All delegates act independently — any one of them can act without requiring the others to act first.

How the Scheduler and Timing Work

Every record has an Effective Date and an Expiration Date. The system uses a background scheduler to activate and deactivate records automatically. Here is what happens at each stage:

• When the Effective Date and time is reached and the scheduler runs, the system sets In Effect to Yes and the substitution begins.
• While In Effect, the record is read-only. Fields including the dates cannot be edited. Deactivate the record first to make changes.
• When the Expiration Date passes and the scheduler runs, the record deactivates automatically and assignments return to the original approver.
• If you need the substitution to start immediately, you can manually activate the record from the list page using the Is Active toggle or the Activate button on the record details page.

Notifications for Delegate Approvers

For delegate records, the Suppress Delegate Notifications toggle controls whether delegates receive email notifications when an approval request is assigned. When OFF (the default), all configured delegates receive the notification. When ON, only the original approver is notified — but delegates can still see and act on the request from the My Approvals page.

Behavior and Recommendations

• Admin-Only Access: Only administrators can create, edit, activate, or deactivate backup and delegate records. End users cannot set up substitutes for themselves.
• Effective Date Rules
  • The Effective Date must be today or a future date. You cannot use a past date.
  • The Expiration Date must be later than the Effective Date. The system validates this on every save.
• Self-Substitution Is Not Allowed : The Current User and the Backup or Delegate Approver cannot be the same person. The system displays a validation error if you try to save such a record.
• Overlapping Date Ranges Are Not Allowed: You cannot create two records of the same type for the same user if the date ranges overlap. Deactivate the existing record before creating a new one for the same period.
• In Effect Records Are Read-Only: Once a record is In Effect, it cannot be edited. To make changes, deactivate the record first, update it, then reactivate it.
• Transfer In Flight and In Effect Are Mutually Exclusive : A record cannot have both Transfer In Flight and In Effect set to Yes at the same time. Transfer In Flight applies only to Backup mode, while In Effect applies to both Backup and Delegate modes. The system enforces this automatically.

• Works with Standard and Adhoc Approval Processes: Backup and delegate substitution applies to both standard and Adhoc approval processes. If an adhoc step is assigned to a user with an active backup or delegate record, the same substitution rules apply.

Select one of the following topics for more information:

• Creating a backup Approver Record
• Creating a Delegate Approver Record
• Modifying a Backup or Delegate Approver record