Approval process entry criteria
Key Takeaway
Entry criteria decide which records can enter a classic approval process. If a record doesn't meet them, Salesforce displays an error when a user clicks Submit for Approval.
Without entry criteria, every record can go through a classic approval process. With them, only records that match a filter, or that make a formula return True, can enter. Each approval step can also have its own criteria, so Salesforce can approve, reject, or skip records that don't match.
Two ways to set entry criteria
If every record should go through the classic approval process, you set no criteria and just click Next. If you want to narrow down which records can be part of the process, you set entry criteria in one of two ways.
With "criteria are met", the record must meet filter criteria. A filter can check the submitting user as well as the record.
For example, imagine a classic approval process with the filter "Current User: Office Location Equals Headquarters". An expense report enters the process only if the employee who submitted it is at headquarters.
With "formula evaluates to true", the formula must return True. A formula fits rules that compare values.
For example, the formula Discount_Approval_CutoffDate__c < (CloseDate - 30) lets a record enter only if its discount approval cutoff date is less than 30 days away.
Some formula functions aren't available in classic approval process formulas, so a formula you wrote for another feature may need changes before you can use it as criteria.