Supplier qualification automation not updating status after document upload completion

QMS MasterControl Quality Excellence
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1

We’re experiencing a frustrating issue with our supplier qualification automation in MasterControl 2022.2. When suppliers upload their required qualification documents through the supplier portal (certificates, quality manuals, audit reports), the automation that should update their qualification status from ‘Pending Documents’ to ‘Under Review’ is not triggering.

I can see the documents are successfully uploaded and attached to the supplier record, but the status field remains unchanged. This is causing significant onboarding delays as we don’t get notified when suppliers have completed their document submissions, and suppliers are stuck waiting for manual review.

The automation rule is supposed to check if all required document types are uploaded and then update the status accordingly. I’m wondering if this could be related to the document type mapping configuration or if there’s an issue with how the supplier portal integration triggers the automation. Has anyone successfully implemented automated status updates based on document uploads?

2

Also check your automation rule’s execution context. If it’s set to ‘Run as Current User’ and the portal uploads are submitted by the supplier (external user), the automation might not have permission to update the supplier qualification status. Change it to ‘Run as System’ or create a service account with full supplier management permissions and use that as the execution context.

3

The trigger is set to ‘On Document Attached to Supplier Record’ which seems right. The condition checks if document count equals required document count, but now that I look at it, I’m not sure if the document types from portal uploads are being counted correctly. The required count is 5 but the automation might not be recognizing portal uploads as valid documents.

4

One more thing - verify that your automation rule fires AFTER all document validation is complete. Portal uploads go through virus scanning and validation before being fully attached. If your automation triggers too early in the process, the document count might still be incomplete. Add a small delay (30-60 seconds) or change the trigger to ‘On Document Validation Complete’ instead of ‘On Document Attached’.

5

That’s likely your issue. Documents uploaded through the supplier portal need to be mapped to internal document types for the automation to recognize them. Go to Admin > Supplier Portal > Document Type Mapping and verify that each portal document category (ISO Certificate, Quality Manual, etc.) is mapped to a corresponding internal document type. Without this mapping, portal uploads exist as attachments but aren’t counted as qualified documents.

6

Let me provide a comprehensive solution that addresses all three areas causing your supplier qualification automation failure.

Document Type Mapping Configuration: The core issue is that portal-uploaded documents aren’t being recognized by your automation. Here’s how to fix the mapping:

  1. Navigate to Admin > Supplier Portal Configuration > Document Requirements

  2. Review your required document list for supplier qualification:

    • ISO 9001 Certificate
    • Quality Management Manual
    • Recent Audit Report
    • Certificate of Insurance
    • Business License

  3. For EACH required document, configure the mapping:

    • Go to Admin > Supplier Portal > Document Type Mapping
    • Click ‘Add Mapping Rule’
    • Portal Document Category: Select the category suppliers see (e.g., ‘Certification Documents’)
    • Portal Document Name: Specific name (e.g., ‘ISO 9001 Certificate’)
    • Internal Document Type: Map to your internal document type (e.g., ‘Supplier_ISO_Certificate’)
    • Required: Check this box
    • Validation Rules: Set file type restrictions (PDF only recommended)
    • Expiration Tracking: Enable if documents have validity periods

  4. Critical mapping settings:

    • Enable ‘Auto-classify on upload’ so portal documents are automatically assigned the correct internal type
    • Set ‘Document Owner’ to ‘Supplier Record Owner’ so documents inherit proper permissions
    • Enable ‘Require metadata’ if you need suppliers to enter document expiration dates or other details

  5. Save each mapping and then click ‘Publish Mapping Configuration’ to make it active in the portal

Test the mapping: Have a test supplier upload a document and verify it appears in the supplier record with the correct internal document type assigned.

Automation Trigger Configuration: Your automation rule needs significant refinement to work with portal uploads:

  1. Navigate to Admin > Automation Rules > Supplier Qualification Status Update

  2. Modify the trigger settings:

    • Trigger Event: Change from ‘On Document Attached’ to ‘On Document Validation Complete’
    • This ensures the document has passed virus scanning and type classification before triggering
    • Add 30-second delay: ‘Execute 30 seconds after trigger event’
    • This allows time for all portal processing to complete

  3. Refine the trigger conditions to be more robust:

    
Current condition (problematic):
Document_Count = 5

Better condition:
COUNT(Documents WHERE Type IN ('Supplier_ISO_Certificate', 'Supplier_Quality_Manual', 'Supplier_Audit_Report', 'Supplier_Insurance_Certificate', 'Supplier_Business_License') AND Status = 'Approved') >= 5

  4. This new condition:

    • Counts only documents of the required types (not all attachments)
    • Verifies documents have passed validation (Status = ‘Approved’)
    • Uses >= instead of = to handle cases where suppliers upload multiple versions

  5. Add additional safety conditions:

    • Current_Status = ‘Pending Documents’ (prevents re-triggering if already processed)
    • Supplier_Type = ‘New’ OR Supplier_Type = ‘Re-qualification’ (limits scope)
    • Documents.Uploaded_Date > Supplier.Created_Date - 90 days (ensures recent uploads)

  6. Configure the automation action:

    • Action Type: Update Field
    • Target Field: Supplier_Qualification_Status
    • New Value: ‘Under Review’
    • Secondary Action: Send notification to quality team
    • Tertiary Action: Create review task assigned to supplier quality engineer

Supplier Portal Integration: Ensure the portal is properly integrated with your automation system:

  1. Navigate to Admin > Supplier Portal > Integration Settings

  2. Verify these critical settings:

    • ‘Enable real-time document processing’: Checked
    • ‘Trigger automation on portal uploads’: Checked
    • ‘Document validation timeout’: 120 seconds (allows time for large files)
    • ‘Auto-notify supplier on document approval’: Checked

  3. Configure portal user permissions:

    • Portal users (suppliers) need ‘Upload Documents’ permission
    • Portal users need ‘View Document Status’ permission
    • Portal users should NOT have ‘Delete Documents’ permission (prevent accidental removal)

  4. Set up document upload workflow in the portal:

    • Admin > Supplier Portal > Upload Workflow Configuration
    • Step 1: Supplier uploads document
    • Step 2: Automatic virus scan
    • Step 3: Document type classification (using your mappings)
    • Step 4: Set status to ‘Pending Review’ (temporary)
    • Step 5: Trigger automation rule check
    • Step 6: If all documents present, update to ‘Under Review’ and notify team

  5. Configure portal notifications:

    • When supplier uploads document: Confirm receipt
    • When document is validated: Notify supplier it was accepted
    • When all documents received: Notify supplier qualification is under review
    • If document is rejected: Notify supplier with reason and request reupload

  6. Critical for MC 2022.2: There’s a known issue where portal document uploads don’t immediately sync with the main supplier record. Enable ‘Force immediate sync’ under Admin > Supplier Portal > Advanced Settings > Document Sync Settings. This ensures automation rules see the uploaded documents immediately.

Additional troubleshooting steps:

  1. Enable detailed logging:

    • Admin > System Settings > Logging
    • Set ‘Supplier Portal’ to DEBUG level
    • Set ‘Automation Rules’ to DEBUG level
    • Set ‘Document Management’ to INFO level

  2. Test the complete flow:

    • Create a test supplier record with status ‘Pending Documents’
    • Upload all 5 required documents through the portal
    • Monitor the logs (Admin > System Logs) to track:
      • Document upload events
      • Document type classification
      • Automation rule trigger
      • Status update action

  3. Common issues to watch for in logs:

    • ‘Document type not recognized’ - mapping issue
    • ‘Automation rule condition not met’ - count logic issue
    • ‘Permission denied updating status’ - execution context issue
    • ‘Document still in validation’ - timing issue (increase delay)

  4. Verify automation execution permissions:

    • Go to your automation rule settings
    • Change ‘Run as’ to ‘System Account’ (not ‘Current User’)
    • System account needs these permissions:
      • Supplier Management > Modify Supplier Records
      • Supplier Management > Update Qualification Status
      • Document Management > View Supplier Documents
      • Portal Management > Access Portal Uploads

After implementing these changes, test with a real supplier onboarding scenario. The complete flow should be:

  1. Supplier receives portal invitation
  2. Supplier logs in and sees document requirements
  3. Supplier uploads all 5 required documents
  4. System validates and classifies each document
  5. After last document is validated, automation triggers (30-second delay)
  6. Automation verifies all required document types are present
  7. Status updates from ‘Pending Documents’ to ‘Under Review’
  8. Quality team receives notification with link to supplier record
  9. Review task is created and assigned
  10. Supplier receives confirmation that qualification is under review

This end-to-end automation eliminates manual status updates and ensures suppliers move through qualification without delays.