3625064 - Workflow Escalation Not Triggered

A 1-day escalation path was configured in the workflow. After submitting a leave request with workflow approval, it was observed that workflow escalation did not occur after 24 hours, as expected.

The "Workflow Auto Escalation Job" was verified to have executed and completed successfully.

• SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central

1. Navigate to Time Off ESS UI

2. Submit a Leave Request

3. Wait 24 hours and check the workflow escalation status

4. Observe that workflow escalation did not trigger

This issue is due to a configuration conflict involving the "Days until Auto Approval" field:

• The field was previously enabled and maintained with a value (e.g., 1) in the workflow step configuration.

• Later, the field was removed from the Corporate Data Model, which only hides it from the UI but does not deactivate it in the backend.

• 📌 Per SAP documentation:SAP Help: Enabling Days until Auto Approval Field
  “After you've enabled the 'Days until Auto Approval' field and assigned a value to it, you cannot turn off the feature by removing the code snippet from the data model template. That only hides the field from the UI. To turn off the feature, leave the field empty.”

• When Auto Approval is active for a workflow step, escalation is bypassed by design. Refer to SAP Help: Automatic Workflow Escalation

To allow workflow escalation to function as expected, ensure the "Days until Auto Approval" field is always left blank.

Steps to Implement:

1. Go to Admin Center > Import/Export Corporate Data Model

2. Add the following code snippet to re-enable the field in the Corporate Data Model:

   • <hris-element id="wfStepApprover">

         ...

     <hris-field id="autoApproveInDays" visibility="both">

     <label>Days until Auto Approval</label>

     </hris-field>

     ...

     </hris-element>

3. Re-import the Corporate Data Model

4. Navigate to Manage Organization, Pay & Job Structures > Workflow

5. Locate the affected workflow step and ensure the field "Days until Auto Approval" is left blank

6. Test by triggering a new workflow — escalation should now occur as configured

Note: The change will only take effect for new workflows triggered after the update. Existing workflows will continue to follow the previous configuration.

Optional: Validating the Existing Value Without Re-enabling the Field (via Data Inspector)

To confirm if existing workflows still contain a value for the “Days until Auto Approval” field:

1. Navigate to Data Inspector

2. Select Entity: Table_WF_REQUEST_STEP

3. Apply Filter: Workflow Request ID equal to (Mention the ID)

   • For Workflow Request ID, Navigate to Manage Workflow Requests>Search for the workflow>Open the Workflow Approval Page or open received Workflow Email Notification > View Link > Approval Page
   • Copy the Workflow Request ID from Workflow Approval Page URL (eg; WorkflowApproval.xhtml?workflowRequestId=NNNN)

4. Click Show Data

5. Check the field "Auto Approve in Days" to see if a value (e.g., 1) is still present

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