NetSuite CPQ Configurator Products

NetSuite CPQ Configurator is based on products that represent complex configurable items. A product collects the business logic of the configurable item and is provided with a user interface where users can configure the item according to their preferences. For example, a furniture company may have a desk as a configurable item. This desk is available in various shapes, sizes, colors, and so on. Customers can combine various options and features depending on their needs following the business logic constraints.

Users with an administrator role can create and maintain products. When setting up a product user interface, you can verify that everything looks fine in the preview without launching a product from a transaction. To access the product preview, click the Run Standalone button on the product record opened for editing.

You can also access an internal preview of all configurable products by going to the Select Product page at CPQ > Configurator > Standalone. Users view the Select Product page by clicking the Configure button on a transaction.

A product is formed by several building blocks, such as questions, answers, and images. For more information, see Working with Product Building Blocks.

NetSuite CPQ Configurator requires assigning an item to the product. This base item (called the base generic product) is associated with the configuration and added to the transaction. If you only want to include additional items in the transaction, you do not need to use a base item. For more information about the base item, see Assigning Base Items to Products.

You can set transaction line fields for the base item when added as the main configured item to transactions by selecting mapping records in the Apply Column Mappings field on the product record. For more information about mapping records, see Setting Transaction Body or Line Fields Based on Configuration Data.

NetSuite CPQ Configurator also requires information about the product to launch when users edit a configured item. For more information, see Defining a Product to Edit Configured Items.

Products can be organized into categories, exported, and imported. For more information, see Creating Product Categories and Exporting and Importing Products.

To create a product:

1. Go to CPQ > Configurator > Product Maintenance.

2. Click New CPQC Product.

3. Enter a descriptive name for the product.

   Users view this name on the Select Product page and the product user interface.

4. In the Code field, enter a unique identifier for this product.

   The code must contain only uppercase letters, numbers, and underscore characters. You can use a shortened version of the name as the code.

5. (Optional) In the Description field, enter a brief explanation of this product.

   The description is not displayed to users.

6. In the Sequence field, enter a number to define the order in which the product is displayed on the Select Product page.

   You can enter a negative or positive number—for example, −2 or 5. Products with a lower sequence number are displayed higher on the Select Product page.

   To display the products by sequence number, select the corresponding option in the Sort Products By field at CPQ > Configurator > Settings.

7. To prevent displaying the product on the Select Product page when it is not ready, check the Disable box.

   Clear this box to include the product on the Select Product page when you have completed the setup.

8. To preview the product faster during the setup, check the Disable Cache box. By checking this box, you avoid the cache being frequently deleted and created at every product launch due to the updates.

   Clear this box when the product is ready, and use the cache to load the product faster.

9. (Optional) In the Category field, select a product category. For more information, see Creating Product Categories.

10. Assign a base item (called the base generic product) to the product. For more information, see Assigning Base Items to Products.

    If you want NetSuite CPQ Configurator to add only additional items to the transaction, skip this step.

11. To set transaction line fields for the base item when added as the main configured item to transactions, select the mapping records in the Apply Column Mapping field. For more information, see Setting Transaction Body or Line Fields Based on Configuration Data.

12. On the Appearance subtab, select an image from the File Cabinet to represent the product in the Default Image field. This image is displayed on the Select Product page with the product name.

13. Click Save.

To delete a product, open the product for editing, go to the Actions menu and click Delete. If you use this option, all product subrecords (questions, answers, tabs, and so on) remain available for future reference at Customization > List, Records, & Fields > Record Types. If you want to remove a product and all related subrecords, click the Delete button on the product opened for editing. This option helps you save database space.

Working with Product Building Blocks

NetSuite CPQ Configurator organizes products in building blocks, such as questions, answers, and images. All building blocks (except tables) are rule-based, and you can use them depending on whether the condition expressed in their rule is met. For more information about rules, see Activating Building Blocks with Rules.

Create the user interface with the following building blocks:

• Questions and answers – Gather and display information about the configurable item. For more information, see Gathering Information with Questions and Answers.

• Validation messages – Provide additional information or communicate any inconsistencies or errors in the configuration. For more information, see Displaying Validation Messages on the User Interface.

• Images – Help users visualize the final look and feel of the configurable item. For more information, see Displaying Preview Images of the Configurable Item.

• Tabs and groups – Organize questions to guide users in the configuration process. Organizing Questions in Tabs and Groups.

If you install NetSuite CPQ Manufacturing, you can use the following building blocks to create work orders:

• Materials – Form the configurable item. For more information, see Defining Materials for the Configurable Item.

• Routing steps – Represent the tasks required to build the configurable item. Defining Routing Steps to Build the Configurable Item.

Other building blocks:

• Prices – Create the final price for the configurable item. For more information, see Calculating the Final Pricing for the Configurable Item.

• Additional items – Complete the main configurable item. For more information, see Including Additional Items Related to the Configurable Item.

• Tables – Provide structured data for answers. For more information, see Storing Answer Options in Tables.

• Item creation records – Contain information to create items required by the configuration. For more information, see Creating Items Required by the Configuration.

• Mapping records – Contains information to set transaction body and line fields based on configuration data. For more information, see Setting Transaction Body or Line Fields Based on Configuration Data.

After creating a building block instance, you can copy or deleted it. By copying a building block instance, you can use already entered information and reduce manual work.

To copy a building block:

1. On the building block subtab, click the name of the building block you want to copy.

2. Select Make a Copy in the Actions dropdown menu.

3. Edit the building block name, code, and sequence number if available.

4. On the Rules subtab, edit the rules to match the requirements for this new building block.

5. Apply changes to other fields and subtabs, and enter new data as needed.

6. Click Save.

If you no longer need a building block instance, you can delete it permanently. Open the building block record for editing. In the Actions dropdown menu, select Delete and click OK to confirm that you want to delete the building block.

Assigning Base Items to Products

A base item (called the base generic product) is a NetSuite item used as a placeholder. After users submit the configuration, the base item is added to the transaction as the main configured item, regardless of the specific choices made in the configuration.

The item used as a base item requires only the basic information needed to save the item. The rest of the information belongs to the configuration.

To assign a base item to a product, go to CPQ > Configurator > Product Maintenance. Edit the product that requires a base item. To choose the base item, two options are available:

• In the Base Generic Product field, select an item from NetSuite.

• In the Base Generic Product (Created) field, select an item creation record to create the item when users submit the configuration. For more information, see Assigning Item Creation Records to Materials, Additional Items, or Base Items.

When you are finished, save the product record.

On the Custom or CPQ subtab of the item used as a base item, define whether NetSuite CPQ should use the default product or a specific one to edit the configured item associated with this base item on a transaction. For more information, see Defining a Product to Edit Configured Items.

You can use the following item types as base items:

• inventory items

• assemblies

• kit/packages

• non-inventory items

To create work orders for configured items, select an assembly as a base item. For more information, see Creating Work Orders for Configured Items.

Defining a Product to Edit Configured Items

NetSuite CPQ Configurator requires information about which product to use when users want to edit a configured item from a transaction.

You can define a default product to edit all configured items at the SuiteApp level. To define a default product, go to CPQ > Configurator > Settings and select a product in the Default Configurator field.

If you use a default product, also go to the Custom or CPQ subtab of the item used as a base item and check the Is configurable box. By setting this option, NetSuite CPQ Configurator edits the related configured item with the default product. For more information about base items, see Assigning Base Items to Products.

If you want NetSuite CPQ Configurator to launch a specific product based on the configured item to edit, assign a product to the item used as a base item. To assign a product to the base item, go to the Custom or CPQ subtab of the item record and select a specific product in the CPQC-Product Configurator field. If you set both the default product and a specific product by mistake, NetSuite CPQ Configurator uses the specific product to edit a configured item.

Creating Product Categories

With NetSuite CPQ Configurator, you can create product categories to group, classify, and organize products based on their features and functionality. For example, you can have a product category for office desks and another for home desks.

With product categories, users can launch a filtered version of the Select Product page from eligible transactions. Users can click the arrow next to the Configure button to view product categories on transactions and select the preferred category. NetSuite CPQ Configurator will launch the Select Product page containing only the products belonging to that product category. If only one product is assigned to a product category, users access the product interface without going through the Select Product page.

Additionally, users can filter products by categories on the Select Product page and quickly find the product that best suits their needs.

To create product categories, go to CPQ > Configurator > Product Categories and click New CPQC Product Category. Provide a descriptive name for the product category and save it. After creating the category, use the Category field on the product record to assign a product category to a product.

You can also use product categories to place additional launch buttons on eligible transactions by checking the Display on SO box on the product category record. When users click a product category button, only the products assigned to that category are displayed on the Select Product page.

To modify a product category, click Edit on the product category list. If you want to duplicate the product category, click Make a copy in the Actions menu with the record in view mode. If you no longer need a product category, click Delete in the Actions menu with the record opened for editing.

Exporting and Importing Products

With NetSuite CPQ Configurator, you can export and import your products at CPQ > Configurator > Settings.

By using the import and export options, you can move products from your sandbox account to your production account after testing, or create a duplicate product in your current account to use as a base for a new product.

When exporting a product, NetSuite CPQ Configurator saves a zipped file with the product information on your computer. In the exported file, you can include the resources related to the product, such as images, CSV tables, and CSS styles.

To export a product, select your preferred product in the Export Product field. Then, check the Export product resources box to include product resources, and click Export. If you export the product to another account where those resources may be unavailable, you must check the box unless you want to exclude the resources for testing purposes.

When importing a product, you must consider how to handle the references to other item records, also called links. For example, a reference to an item record is when you select an item from NetSuite as a material. In the NS Links Import Options field, you can choose how you want NetSuite CPQ Configurator to behave when finding references to records during the import process:

• Don't import links – When importing the product, NetSuite CPQ Configurator leaves blank all fields containing a reference to a record. You should choose this option only when importing products for testing purposes into a sandbox account that does not have the records specified in the link fields.

• Import links using same IDs – NetSuite CPQ Configurator assigns references to records based on the internal ID of the item. This is the default option. You can choose this option when importing products within the same account to optimize the import process.

• Import links using search by name – NetSuite CPQ Configurator looks for the item name to find its internal ID and place it in the link field. Choose this option when importing products across different accounts because items with the same name can have different internal IDs.

  When importing record references by name, NetSuite CPQ can automatically create placeholder items to replace materials or additional items (called breakout items) that are linked to the product but do not exist in the target account. Placeholder items have the same ID and item name or number as the original item, and a fixed price of 10 USD. To enable this option when importing products for testing purposes, check the Auto-create missing item box.

To import a product:

1. In NetSuite, go to CPQ > Configurator > Settings.

2. In the Import Product field, select the zipped file containing your product from your computer.

3. In the NS Links Import Options field, select how you want to handle references to records when importing your product.

4. To create placeholder items automatically for materials and additional items missing in the target account, check the Auto-create missing item box.

   Note:

   In the NS links import options field, select the Import links using search by name option to create missing items automatically.

5. Click Import.

You can also update a product by importing a new product version into the previous one. NetSuite CPQ maintains the product ID of the original product and replaces the rest of the data with information from the new product. To use this option, select the product you want to import in the Import Product field. Then select the product where you want to import data in the Target Product field and click the Import button.

Related Topics

NetSuite CPQ Configurator

NetSuite CPQ Configurator Setup

General Notices