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Approval rules define the conditions under which a subscription or quote requires approval before activation. This guide covers creating, configuring, and managing approval rules.

Creating Rules

  1. Navigate to Settings → Approvals → Rules
  2. Click Create Rule
  3. Configure the rule:
    • Name: Descriptive name (e.g., “High Discount Approval”)
    • Description: Explain when and why this rule applies
    • Conditions: When to trigger (see below)
    • Approval Group: Who must approve
    • Priority: Evaluation order (lower = higher priority)
  4. Click Save

Condition Types

Alguna supports five condition types. Each one is chosen from a dropdown in the rule editor; a rule can carry several.

Product Conditions

Example: require product-team approval whenever “Enterprise Support” is added.

Discount Conditions

Operators: greater than, greater than or equal, less than, less than or equal, equal, not equal. Discount type: percentage or fixed amount. This is required, and it matters: a rule set to percentage does not match a fixed-amount discount of the same size. Example: require manager approval when any product is discounted by 20% or more. Example: require legal approval whenever a rep edits a standard clause.

Unconditional Rules

An “always” rule cannot be combined with other conditions in the same rule, and cannot be negated. Within a ruleset only the first matching rule by priority applies, so every rule below an “always” rule is unreachable — place it last unless you intend it as a blanket override. Example: require deal-desk approval for every subscription while a pricing migration is in progress.

Combining Conditions

Add several conditions to one rule and choose how they combine.

ALL

Every condition must be true for the rule to match:
  • “Enterprise Support” is present AND any product is discounted by more than 15%

ANY

One condition is enough:
  • Any product is discounted by more than 30% OR a standard clause has been modified

Rule Priority

Rules live inside a ruleset, and within a ruleset they are evaluated in priority order, lowest number first. The first rule that matches wins, and evaluation stops there. Example:
  • Priority 1: “Executive Discount Approval” (discount ≥ 40%)
  • Priority 10: “Manager Discount Approval” (discount ≥ 20%)
A 45% discount matches the executive rule and stops. Only the executive group is asked. Reverse the priorities and the manager rule would match first, so the executive would never see it — put the strictest rule at the lowest number. Every enabled ruleset is evaluated, and each can contribute one matching rule. Several rulesets covering the same ground will therefore stack up approvals; keep related rules in one ruleset.

Rulesets

Rules are not scoped to plans or products directly. Instead they live in a ruleset, which is evaluated as a unit: To limit a rule to particular products, use a product condition rather than a scope setting.

Managing Rules

View All Rules

  1. Navigate to Settings → Approvals → Rules
  2. See all rules with their status, conditions, and approval groups
  3. Sort by priority to understand evaluation order

Edit a Rule

  1. Click on the rule name
  2. Make changes
  3. Click Save

Disable a Rule

  1. Click on the rule name
  2. Toggle Enabled off
  3. Click Save
Disable rules temporarily instead of deleting them if you may need them again.

Delete a Rule

  1. Click the three-dot menu on the rule
  2. Select Delete
  3. Confirm deletion
Deleting a rule does not affect existing approval flows. Active flows will continue with their current requirements.

Rule Evaluation

Rules are evaluated against a subscription version before it is published, and re-evaluated when its pricing or terms change. The result is shown on the subscription so you can see what will be required before you commit to it.

Evaluation Results

Viewing Why Approval Was Required

  1. Navigate to the subscription or quote
  2. View the Approval section
  3. See which rules triggered and why

Common Rule Examples

Discount Governance

One ruleset, ordered strictest first, so a deal picks up exactly one level of approval.

Product Governance

A separate ruleset, so it can fire alongside a discount approval.

Best Practices

Start Conservative

Begin with stricter rules, then relax as you build confidence.

Use Descriptive Names

Rule names should clearly indicate what they check.

Document Thresholds

Keep a policy document explaining why thresholds are set.

Regular Review

Review and adjust rules quarterly based on business changes.

Troubleshooting

Rule Not Triggering

  1. Verify both the ruleset and the rule are enabled
  2. Check that a lower-priority-number rule in the same ruleset is matching first and stopping evaluation
  3. Confirm the discount type on the condition matches how the discount was applied — a percentage rule does not match a fixed-amount discount
  4. Confirm the product on the condition is the product on the subscription

Too Many Approvals Required

  1. Check how many rulesets are enabled — each one can contribute a rule
  2. Consolidate related rules into a single ruleset, where first-match-wins keeps it to one approval
  3. Adjust thresholds if they are too low

Next Steps

Approval Flows

Learn how approval flows work.

Overview

Return to approvals overview.