Submission eligibility and Submit for Approval
Key Takeaway
To enter a classic approval process, the record must meet the entry criteria of an active process, and the user who submits it must be an allowed submitter.
Submit for Approval is how a record enters a classic approval process. A user submits the record, and Salesforce checks whether both the record and the user are eligible. Admins control eligibility with entry criteria, which decide which records qualify, and an Allowed Submitters list, which decides which users can submit. Admins then add the Submit for Approval button to page layouts so users can submit.
How a record enters the process
A classic approval process starts when a user submits a record, usually by clicking Submit for Approval on the record itself. If a classic approval process applies to the record, Salesforce begins it.
Two separate checks decide eligibility. The record must meet the entry criteria of an active classic approval process, and the user who submits it must be an allowed submitter.
Think of two locks on one door, where the door is the way into the classic approval process. One lock is the entry criteria, and the record's key has to fit it. The other lock is the allowed submitter check, and the user's key has to fit it. Both keys have to fit.
Users can't see which classic approval process is triggered when they click Submit for Approval. Salesforce recommends teaching users the criteria for each classic approval process and what each process does.