Creating Configuration Rules

Configuration rules in CPQ refer to the set off guidelines or criteria that administrators set to determine how different products or product options can be combined or configured. These rules can be considered as limitations on what certain product features are available to a customer, such as the color of a computer product.

Use these rules to help create accurate quotes by allowing only valid and correct product configurations. The Formula Builder allows non-programmers to create and customize behaviors through rules consisting of tags.

Each configuration rule consists of a condition and an action to build a product configuration rule or limitation. The action determines what must happen if the condition is true.

Using Formula Builder, you can select prepopulated options or tags within the interface. The interface view and options change depending on the type of rule or tag being created.

For example, if you are creating an expression for a rule, the Formula Builder proposes tags, operator selections, and the available parameters to create the condition.

On the other hand, creating an expression related to a quote, such as a quote visibility rule, prompts the Formula Builder to propose variable(s), operator, attribute, and attribute value options to create the condition.

Again, Formula Builder contains a built-in syntax checker to verify the accuracy of the rule/condition.

The Formula Builder provides options to set attributes, which are the building blocks of a product's configuration.

The building blocks are call attribute dependencies. These attributes are rules that are configured to ensure that the product configuration selections are valid. Note that not all combinations of attributes for a configurable product are valid.

Formula rules and simple Rules can be used to create attribute dependencies. Like formula rules, simple rules consists of an IF statement (condition) and a THEN statement (action).

If multiple rules are in place, the rule ranking dictates the order in which the rules are executed. From the Rules and Messages tab, select Setup → Product Catalog → Products to define the ranking of formula rules, simple rules, and product messages.

Let's create disallow attribute and mandatory attribute dependency rules in the following exercises!