MBAs

Modified on Thu, 4 Jun at 5:16 PM

The MBA Record

Everything about the MBA entity in Advvy — how it's generated from campaigns, what it connects to, what it lets you do, its lifecycle, and permissions.

What is an MBA?

An MBA (Media Buying Authorisation) is a formal document generated from a Campaign record in Advvy. It captures the approved budget details from your campaign and is used to authorise media spend with clients and suppliers.

MBAs are not created manually — they are generated from an existing Campaign using the Generate MBA action in Campaign Plan+. The MBA pulls its data from the campaign's flighting and fee flighting records (synced from your Excel media plan via the Advvy Add-in) and captures a snapshot of that data at the point of generation.

Entity name

MBA (a1a_mba)

Created by

Generated from a Campaign record via Campaign Plan+

Location

Campaign → MBA tab (Related Records)

Permissions

Create / Read / Write — No Delete

Can span multiple media types

Yes — an MBA is not restricted to a single media type

Multiple per campaign

Yes — e.g. one per market or period

⚠️

Important: The Campaign must be in a non-Draft status and have required fields populated (Client, Budget, Dates, Product) before you can generate an MBA.

How MBAs Are Generated

MBAs flow from Campaign data — the generation process creates MBA-level records from your campaign's flighting and fee flighting.

Media Plan (Excel)

Planned media activity
synced via Add-in

→

Campaign Record

Campaign Flighting +
Campaign Fee Flighting

→

Campaign Plan+

Filter criteria selects
what to include

→

MBA Generated

MBA Flighting +
MBA Fee Flighting created

When an MBA is generated, Advvy creates MBA Flighting records (from Campaign Flighting) and MBA Fee Flighting records (from Campaign Fee Flighting) based on the Campaign Plan+ filter criteria you selected. These are snapshot records — they capture the campaign data at the point of generation.

The selection criteria (the filter used) is stored on the MBA record under the Selection section. Advvy uses these criteria for matching and automation — if you regenerate an MBA with the same filter, the previous version is automatically retired.

Entity Relationship Map

How the MBA Connects to Other Entities

The MBA is generated from a Campaign. The Campaign is connected to the Client. MBA child records are created from Campaign data at generation time.

Campaign Level

Client Reference

The agency's client — connected to the Campaign, not directly to the MBA.

Read-only

Campaign Parent

The MBA's parent record. The MBA is generated from the Campaign via Campaign Plan+.

CRW— (No Delete)

Campaign Flighting Source

Weekly media activity records synced from Excel. MBA Flighting is created from this data.

CRUD (Full)

Campaign Fee Flighting Source

Time-based fee allocations synced from Excel. MBA Fee Flighting is created from this data.

CRUD (Full)

→

MBA Level

MBA Core

The generated authorisation document — budget, dates, media plan summary, approval status, selection criteria. Can span multiple media types.

CRW— (No Delete)

MBA Flighting Child

Created from Campaign Flighting at generation. Media plan line items captured as a snapshot.

CRW— (No Delete)

MBA Fee Flighting Child

Created from Campaign Fee Flighting at generation. Fee allocations captured as a snapshot.

CRW— (No Delete)

MBA Summary Child

Aggregated financial snapshot — totals calculated from MBA Flighting and MBA Fee Flighting.

CRW— (No Delete)

→

Outputs

MBA Template Template

Word doc / paginated report layout template. Controls which MBA fields are displayed and how, configured per client.

CR—— (Create/Read only)

Client Portal Output

MBA published to the portal for client review and approval once status is "Awaiting Approval".

Paginated Report / Word Doc Output

Formatted document auto-generated using the MBA Template layout. Attached to the Notes tab on the MBA record.

ℹ️

Key relationship: The MBA is connected to the Campaign. The Campaign is connected to the Client. The MBA inherits its client context through the Campaign — it does not link to the Client directly.

What the MBA Record Lets You Do

Capabilities

The MBA isn't just a data snapshot — it unlocks several key platform capabilities.

Authorise Media Spend

The MBA captures approved budget details from the campaign — gross and net amounts, date ranges, flighting and fee data — into a formal authorisation document.

Trigger Client Notifications

Setting status to "Awaiting Approval" automatically emails Contact 1, Agency Contact, Client Contact, and the submitting user — with a direct link to the Client Portal.

Generate Paginated Reports / Word Docs

When status changes to "Awaiting Approval", Advvy auto-generates a formatted MBA document using the MBA Template (which controls the layout and fields displayed per client). The document is attached to the Notes tab.

Client Portal Review & Approval

The MBA becomes visible in the Client Portal once set to "Awaiting Approval". Clients can view media items, dates, costs, fees, download documents, add comments, and formally Approve or Reject.

Automatic Version Management

Regenerating an MBA with the same Campaign Plan+ filter criteria automatically retires the previous version — set to Superseded or Internally Replaced.

Audit Trail

All client actions (approve, reject, comments) and all status changes are recorded against the MBA for tracking, compliance, and audit purposes.

How the MBA Connects Across the System

System Connections

Connected Area	Relationship	What It Means
Campaign	Parent	The MBA is generated from a Campaign. It appears in the Campaign's MBA tab. Each campaign can have multiple MBAs.
Client	Via Campaign	The MBA inherits its client context through the Campaign. The Campaign is connected to the Client — the MBA is not linked to the Client directly.
Campaign Flighting	Creates → MBA Flighting	Campaign Flighting records are the source data. MBA Flighting is created from these at generation time as a snapshot.
Campaign Fee Flighting	Creates → MBA Fee Flighting	Campaign Fee Flighting records are the source data. MBA Fee Flighting is created from these at generation time as a snapshot.
Campaign Plan+	Filter	The filter criteria determines which campaign data is included in the MBA. Stored on the MBA record (Selection section).
MBA Template	Layout	The Word doc / paginated report layout template. Controls which fields are displayed and how the MBA document is structured — configured per client.
Client Portal	Output	MBAs with "Awaiting Approval" status become visible to clients in the portal for review and approval.
Email Notifications	Output	"Awaiting Approval" triggers automated emails to Contact 1, Agency Contact, Client Contact, and the submitting user.
Paginated Report / Word Doc	Output	"Awaiting Approval" auto-generates an MBA document using the MBA Template layout, attached to the Notes tab.
Matching Automation	System	Same filter criteria on a new MBA → older MBA auto-set to Superseded or Internally Replaced.

MBA Lifecycle — Statuses

MBA Statuses Explained

Each status controls what the MBA does in the system — who sees it, what triggers, and how it's treated.

Current

Active internally
not visible to client

→

Awaiting Approval

Triggers emails
+ report + portal

→

Approved

Client approved
visible in portal

Status	Description	Client Visible?	System Behaviour
Current	MBA is active internally but not yet sent to the client.	No	No triggers. MBA is editable.
Awaiting Approval	MBA is ready for client review.	Yes	Triggers: emails to Contact 1, Agency Contact, Client Contact, submitting user. Generates MBA document (using MBA Template layout) attached to Notes tab. MBA appears in Client Portal.
Approved	Client has reviewed and approved the MBA.	Yes	MBA remains visible in portal. Authorisation confirmed.
Partially Approved	Client approved only part of the MBA.	Yes	Follow-up or revised MBA may be required.
Rejected	Client rejected the MBA.	Yes	Corrections required internally before resubmission.
Superseded	Replaced by a newer MBA (same filter criteria). Retained for reference.	No (hidden)	Set automatically by matching automation.
Internally Replaced	Replaced before client ever saw it.	No (hidden)	Set automatically by matching automation.

ℹ️

Key point: "Awaiting Approval" is the critical trigger — it's what sends the MBA to the client, generates the formal document (using the MBA Template), and makes it visible in the portal. Until you set this status, the MBA stays internal.

MBA in the Client Portal

When a client receives the email notification and opens the MBA link, they land in the Advvy Client Portal where they can review all MBA details, access the generated document, provide feedback via comments, and formally Approve or Reject.

What clients can view

Media items, dates, flighting, costs, fees, totals, attached documents

What clients can do

Add comments, Approve, or Reject

What clients cannot do

Edit MBA data — changes must be made internally

Visibility rule

Only "Awaiting Approval" or later statuses

Client actions are immediately reflected in Advvy. When a client approves, the status updates to Approved. When rejected, it updates to Rejected. All actions are recorded for audit.

Matching & Version Management

Advvy includes built-in matching logic to prevent duplicate or conflicting MBAs. When you regenerate an MBA using the same Campaign Plan+ filter criteria as an existing MBA, the older version is automatically retired.

New MBA Generated

Same filter criteria
as existing MBA

→

Match Detected

Advvy checks selection
criteria on existing MBAs

→

Previous MBA Retired

Set to Superseded or
Internally Replaced

Superseded — the previous MBA had already been sent to the client. Retained for reference but hidden from the portal. Internally Replaced — the previous MBA was replaced before the client ever saw it.

Matching is based on how the MBA was selected (the filter criteria), not the underlying data values. View the criteria on any MBA under the Selection section at the bottom of the record.

Tip: Reuse consistent filters when regenerating MBAs. Avoid creating overlapping MBAs with slightly different filters unless intentional — otherwise Advvy won't detect them as duplicates and both will remain active.

Permissions

MBA Entity Family — CRUD Permissions

Standard Team level permissions for the MBA and all related entities.

Entity	Create	Read	Write	Delete	Notes
MBA	●	●	●	—	Generated from Campaign — cannot be deleted by standard users
MBA Flighting	●	●	●	—	Created from Campaign Flighting at generation
MBA Fee Flighting	●	●	●	—	Created from Campaign Fee Flighting at generation
MBA Summary	●	●	●	—	Aggregated financial snapshot — system-managed
MBA Template	●	●	—	—	Word doc / paginated report layout — Create/Read only, locked after creation

Source Entity (Campaign Level)	Create	Read	Write	Delete	Notes
Campaign	●	●	●	—	The parent record MBAs are generated from
Campaign Flighting	●	●	●	●	Full CRUD — source for MBA Flighting
Campaign Fee Flighting	●	●	●	●	Full CRUD — source for MBA Fee Flighting

⚠️

No Delete on any MBA entity. Standard Team users cannot delete the MBA or any of its child records. MBA Templates are further restricted — Create/Read only, no editing after creation. If a record needs removing, contact your admin.

Key Takeaways

MBAs are generated from Campaign records. They're formal authorisation documents. MBA Flighting is created from Campaign Flighting; MBA Fee Flighting is created from Campaign Fee Flighting — both are snapshots captured at generation.

The MBA connects to the Campaign, not the Client directly. The Campaign is connected to the Client. The MBA inherits its client context through the Campaign.

An MBA can span multiple media types. There is no separate MBA media type entity — the MBA captures whatever media types are included via the Campaign Plan+ filter.

"Awaiting Approval" is the key trigger. It sends emails, generates the MBA document (using the MBA Template layout), and makes the MBA visible in the Client Portal.

MBA Templates control the document layout. They define which fields are displayed and how the Word doc / paginated report is structured — configured per client.

Versioning is automatic. Same filter criteria on a new MBA → older MBA auto-set to Superseded or Internally Replaced.

No Delete across the entire MBA family. Standard users can create and edit but never delete. Templates are Create/Read only.