Troubleshooting: Budget Exceptions Not Triggering Warnings/Approvals

Problem

A transaction exceeds budget limits or falls outside the budget period, but:

1. No warning banner or icon appears on the document.
2. The expected approval workflow (configured via Sentences based on budget exceptions) does not trigger.

Common Causes

1. Incorrect Sentence Configuration:
   • The Sentence designed to detect the exception has incorrect Conditions (e.g., wrong field like Budget Remaining Amount Local, wrong operator, wrong value).
   • The Sentence Trigger is incorrect (e.g., it runs before budget evaluation completes).
   • The Sentence is Inactive.
   • The Sentence actions (e.g., "Get Approval", "Add Note") are misconfigured.
2. Budget Not Active: The relevant Budget record is not in an Active status. Exceptions are only evaluated against active budgets.
3. Transaction Not Impacting Budget: The transaction isn't correctly linked to the budget line due to coding or date issues. See Transaction Not Impacting Budget Correctly.
4. Incorrect Budget Calculation: Underlying issues with budget calculations (Remaining Amount, Spend Categories) prevent the exception condition from being met correctly. See Incorrect Budget Calculation.
5. Timing/Order of Operations: The budget evaluation might occur after the Sentence trigger event, meaning the exception data isn't available when the Sentence condition is checked. Using triggers like "When a resource is updated" might be necessary, potentially combined with a "Save & Refresh" action.
6. Dedicated Exception Rules Not Configured (Future): If relying on future dedicated exception configuration (outside of Sentences), those rules might be missing or misconfigured.

Troubleshooting Steps

1. Verify Sentence Configuration:
   • Identify the Sentence intended to handle the budget exception. Go to Settings > Automations.
   • Is the Sentence Active?
   • Check the Trigger. Does it run at the appropriate time (e.g., "When resource status has changed" to READY or APPROVAL, or "When resource is updated")?
   • Check the Conditions. Are you using the correct fields (Budget Remaining Amount Local, Budget Exception Type)? Are the operators and values correct (e.g., Less than 0 for over budget)?
   • Check the Actions. Are they configured correctly (e.g., assigning the right approver, setting the right status)?
2. Verify Budget Status: Go to Budgets > Budgets. Is the relevant Budget record Active?
3. Verify Transaction Impact: Use the Budget Card View on the transaction. Does it show the transaction impacting the correct budget line? Does the Remaining Amount reflect the expected exception (e.g., negative for over budget)? If not, troubleshoot why the Transaction Not Impacting Budget Correctly.
4. Check Budget Calculation Method: Verify the budget's Evaluate Budget As setting (Current, Rolling, Total). Ensure the Sentence condition aligns with how the remaining amount is calculated for that method. See Issues with Rolling vs. Current Budget Evaluation.
5. Test Sentence Logic: Simplify the Sentence conditions temporarily (e.g., remove all conditions except the budget check) to see if the budget condition itself is evaluating correctly. Add other conditions back one by one.
6. Consider Timing: If the Sentence trigger occurs very early (e.g., "When resource is created"), budget evaluation might not be complete. Try a later trigger (like status change) or consult support about using "Save & Refresh".

Need Help?

If budget exceptions are still not triggering the expected actions after these steps, contact Zudello support. Provide:

• The Document UUID of the transaction.
• The Name or UUID of the Budget involved.
• Screenshots of the relevant Sentence configuration (Trigger, Conditions, Actions).
• Details of the expected warning or approval workflow.