---
title: "About approvals"
slug: "about-approvals"
description: "Learn about approvals in Zilliant CPQ."
updated: 2025-02-14T17:04:58Z
published: 2025-02-14T17:04:58Z
canonical: "docs.zilliant.com/about-approvals"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.zilliant.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# About approvals

Zilliant CPQ supports [quote](/v1/docs/about-quotes) and [agreement](/v1/docs/about-agreements) approvals based on specific rules. Within the approval workflow, you can define, configure, and maintain approval rules and conditions.

## Approval components

To work successfully with approvals, you should understand the following concepts and components:

- [Approval rule](/v1/docs/about-approvals#approval-rule)
- [Approval condition](/v1/docs/about-approvals#approval-condition)
- [Approval gate](/v1/docs/about-approvals#approval-gate)
- [Approval gate flow](/v1/docs/about-approvals#approval-gate-flow)

### Approval rule

An approval rule is a fundamental part of the approval engine. It comprises one or more conditions and one required approval gate.

![About approvals](https://cdn.document360.io/24f960e8-3c1c-4c18-a2c6-83b6ae4aab84/Images/Documentation/About%20approvals.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-10T17%3A05%3A09Z&se=2026-11-10T18%3A05%3A09Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=aDnJykXVHl4TM8rSUwAVwSHQnQvCIC0QlIEqZmmLDxk%3D)

Approval rules can be active (**RULE_ACTIVE** status) or inactive (**RULE_INACTIVE** status). If the rule status is inactive, the approval rule does not run.

### Approval condition

One or more approval conditions make up each approval rule. Rules run only when all defined conditions are met.

![approval_condition.png](https://cdn.document360.io/24f960e8-3c1c-4c18-a2c6-83b6ae4aab84/Images/Documentation/approval_condition.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-10T17%3A05%3A09Z&se=2026-11-10T18%3A05%3A09Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=aDnJykXVHl4TM8rSUwAVwSHQnQvCIC0QlIEqZmmLDxk%3D)

Approvals appear in the system as equations.

### Approval gate

An approval gate is associated with a user role, such as Sales Manager or Sales VP. That role is responsible for the current step and the next step in the approval flow. Depending on the quote submitter, CPQ finds the next approval gate associated with the role higher in the role hierarchy.

### Approval gate flow

An approval gate flow is the starting point of the approval workflow process. If an approval flow includes more than one approval gate, the approval process concludes only when all gates are closed. This applies to gates defined to run in parallel or in sequence.

## Get started with approvals

Learn how to configure and conduct approvals:

- [Configure approvals](/v1/docs/configure-approval)
- [Status flow](/v1/docs/status-flow)
- [Customize approval process settings](/v1/docs/approval-process)
- [Approval through emails](/v1/docs/approval-via-email)
- [Routing](/v1/docs/routing)

---

#### Valid parameters

The following table lists valid parameters that can be consumed based on approval attribute values.

| Approval Attribute | Format Attribute Name |
| --- | --- |
| Rule | approval.rule |
| Condition | approval.reason |

- If the approval attribute value is not entered, it returns an empty string.
- If several rules and conditions apply, all rules and conditions are listed.
- If localization is configured, approval attributes are localized into the email recipient's language.