Skip to main content
Nintex Community Menu Bar

How to configure manager approval step in the workflow if there is no hierarchy in AD?

  • January 8, 2018
  • 3 replies
  • 49 views
L

Hello all,

 

I am new to K2. I am using K2 Designer to build a workflow for a simple request approval process. (4 levels of manager approval)

I have connected the company AD domain with K2. But our AD does not have a hierarchy. What should I do with the manager approval step?

 

According to the tutorial I watched, when I build the workflow, I drag and drop the "Manager"role to the manager approval step. But I know this will not work without hierarchy in AD.

Is there any other outside table in the database that I can build and maintain for this?

How could I solve this problem? I think it is a common question for those companies without hierarchy in AD.

 

Any help would be appreciated.

    3 replies

    A
    Forum|alt.badge.img+9
    • arduk
    • January 9, 2018

    Hi Larry,

     

    You can use K2 to connect to a database, but you may have to write custom code, or create smartobject(s) to retrieve the information.

     

    Before taking this approach, I would encourage you to revisit why the information is not available in AD. By creating a separate database to maintain users and their managers, you are just creating a separate set of data that you have to maintain, and keep in sync with AD. This has the potential to turn into a maintenance nightmare, with question marks over what the true source of users should be.

    Since you are going to have to build this hierarchy separately, why not just update AD with the data in the first place?

     

    Possibly not the technical answer that you are looking for, but in my experience, duplicating data and doubling the maintenance overhead is never a good solution.

    L
    • Larry1
    • Author
    • January 9, 2018

    Thanks a lot, Arduk.

     

    I agree with you. To create a separate database table and maintain it will be a headache, when it comes to frequent changes afterwards. But it seems that is the only way we can do, without any hierarchy information in AD. I guess I have to create a smartobject to retrieve manager information from the database table.

     

    Could you please elaborate a little bit the detailed process to connect K2 to the database table?

     

    Thanks very much!

    A
    Forum|alt.badge.img+9
    • arduk
    • January 15, 2018

    Hi Larry,

     

    This blog post has a walkthrough of connecting a smartobject to an SQL instance:

    https://medium.com/markus-blog/create-k2-smartobject-from-any-sql-database-8a811013dc92

     

    It may also be worth reading through this post:

    http://community.k2.com/t5/K2-blackpearl/How-to-query-Sql-databases-via-smartobjects/td-p/67422

    as it discusses using a stored proc rather than connecting directly to tables.

     

     

    Hope this helps

    Sidebar Buttons
    Nintex Community Home Contact Nintex Support Email Nintex Community Check Nintex Status
    Terms & ConditionsCookie SettingsAccessibility statement