Working with Item Creation Records

Item creation records store the information about the items that the configuration may require and that NetSuite CPQ Configurator may need to create when users submit the configuration.

To work with item creation records, follow these steps:

1. Enter the information about the new item. For more information, see Entering Information about the New Item.

2. Set up the item creation record rule. For more information, see Setting Up the Item Creation Record Rule.

3. Define how you want to handle the presence of existing items. For more information, see Handling Existing Items.

4. Set values for item fields. For more information, see Setting Values for Item Fields.

5. Set the price for the items that require it. For more information, see Setting Pricing.

6. After completing all the steps, save the item creation record.

You can work with item creation records and perform these steps by going to CPQ > Configurator > Product Maintenance. Open a product for editing and click the Item Creation subtab.

With NetSuite CPQ Configurator, you can also add components to items that require them and add items to subscription plans. For more information, see Adding Components to Items and Adding Items to Subscription Plans.

To copy or delete item creation records, see Working with Product Building Blocks.

Entering Information about the New Item

On the item creation record, you can manually enter information about the new item to be created. Alternatively, you can copy the information of an existing item. For more information, see Entering Information about the New Item Manually and Entering Information by Copying an Existing Item.

Note:

When users submit the configuration, NetSuite CPQ Configurator creates the item only if questions or answers selected by users on the interface match questions or answers in the rule of the item creation record.

Entering Information about the New Item Manually

To create a new item with NetSuite CPQ Configurator, select an item type on the item creation record and assign a name or number to the new item and a sequence number that determines the order in which items will be created when users submit the configuration.

NetSuite CPQ Configurator creates items with a lower sequence number before items with a higher sequence number. For example, an item related to an item creation record with sequence number 1 will be created before an item related to an item creation record with sequence number 2.

Components of assemblies, kits/groups, packages, or items part of subscription plans must have a lower sequence number than their parent item to be created first. If you enter the sequence numbers incorrectly, NetSuite CPQ Configurator automatically rearranges the order to create child items before their parent items.

To enter information about the new item manually:

1. On the Item Creation subtab, click New CPQC Item Creation.

2. Enter a descriptive name for the item creation record.

3. Provide a sequence number.

4. Select the item type.

   The item types available in the list depend on your account.

5. In the Item ID (SKU) field, enter the item name or number that you want to assign to the item to be created.

   Note:

   You can also obtain the item name or number from questions or answers on the interface by using resolve expressions. For example, {A/1}. NetSuite CPQ replaces question and answer codes with the corresponding answer value.

Entering Information by Copying an Existing Item

With NetSuite CPQ Configurator, you can create an item by copying the information of an existing one, called a template item, on the item creation record. The template item works as a basis for any newly created item. Using NetSuite data, you can set only the fields that you want to change without manually entering data for all record fields.

On the item creation record, you can select the item you want to copy or identify the item from a user selection on the interface with resolve expressions. Then, you add a suffix to the name or number of the copied item or assign a new name or number to the new item.

To copy an existing item:

1. On the Item Creation subtab, click New CPQC Item Creation.

2. Enter a descriptive name for the item creation record.

3. To identify the item you want to copy, two options are available:

   • In the Template Item field, select an existing item.

     To create a unique identifier for the new item, add a suffix to the existing item name or number in the Item ID (SKU) Suffix field. Alternatively, enter a new name or number in the Item ID (SKU) field.

   • In the Template Item from QA field, enter a resolve expression to obtain the item name or number from questions or answers on the interface.

     Use question and answer codes separated by the forward slash character and enclosed in curly braces. For example, {A/1}. NetSuite CPQ replaces question and answer codes with the corresponding answer value.

Setting Up the Item Creation Record Rule

After manually entering the information for the new item or by copying an existing item, you must set up the item creation rule to determine whether NetSuite CPQ Configurator creates the item.

When the user submits the configuration, NetSuite CPQ Configurator creates the item if the questions or answers selected on the user interface match the questions or answers in the rule of the item creation record.

If you assign the item creation record to a material or an additional item (called a breakout item), the user selections on the interface must also match the rule of the material or the additional item.

To set up the item creation rule, go to the Rules subtab with the item creation record opened for editing.

In the Show Rule field, provide the question and answer combination that determines whether NetSuite CPQ Configurator creates the new item.

Enter question and answer codes separated by the forward slash character. For example, A/1. Use operators to combine multiple question and answer sets. For example, A/1&B/2. For more information, see Activating Building Blocks with Rules.

Handling Existing Items

When creating a new item, the item name or number you choose may already be assigned to another item.

If an item with the same name or number exists, NetSuite CPQ Configurator can stop creating the item, update the existing item, or assign a different item name or number to the new item.

To define how NetSuite CPQ Configurator proceeds when finding an existing item, select an option in the Existing Item Handling field on the item creation record:

• Don't create – NetSuite CPQ Configurator does not create a new item when the same name or number exists. This is the default option.

• Update the existing item – NetSuite CPQ Configurator updates the existing item with the new information specified in the item creation record.

• Create item with new SKU – NetSuite CPQ Configurator creates the new item by automatically assigning a five-digit suffix to the name or number of the existing item. A hyphen precedes the suffix.

  Note:

  For example, if the item name or number is AB, the new item is assigned AB-00001 as a unique identifier. If this item name or number exists, the new unique identifier is AB-00002, and so on.

Setting Values for Item Fields

You can set the field values for the item type you selected on the Fields subtab of the item creation record. Based on this information, NetSuite CPQ Configurator fills in the fields of the new item to be created.

If you chose to update the existing item and set values for fields already filled in, NetSuite CPQ Configurator updates the values when creating the new item.

Note:

Take into account the following:

• Sublist data for item records cannot be set or edited, except for sublist data mentioned in the Creating Items Required by the Configuration help topic.

• You must fill in all required fields.

Depending on the item type selected, the basic required fields are automatically displayed and cannot be removed from the Select Fields subtab. Based on the fields you set, NetSuite CPQ Configurator dynamically determines the additional required fields, the fields to be filled in with default values, and the fields to be dimmed.

To set field values on an item creation record:

1. On the item creation record opened for editing, go to the Fields subtab and click the Select Fields subtab.

2. Click Add.

3. Select a field from the dropdown list.

4. To provide a value for the field, two options are available:

   • In the Select Value column, perform the task the field requires, such as selecting an option, entering a value, or checking a box. This column shows the fields in the same way as they are displayed on the corresponding transaction. For example, you can see a dropdown list, click the button, and select an option.

   • In the Value column, enter a resolve expression, such as {A/1}. For more information, see Obtaining Answer Data with Resolve Expressions.

     When using resolve expressions, NetSuite CPQ Configurator cannot predict the value assigned to the field and requires you to set any available value in the Emulated Value column. The value you select in this field does not matter. NetSuite CPQ Configurator only uses this value to determine related fields dynamically.

5. Repeat steps 2 – 4 for each field you want to add.

Setting Pricing

NetSuite CPQ Configurator lets you enter price values on the item creation record to set the price for the potential new item to be created. For more information about pricing in NetSuite, see Setting Up Item Pricing.

Note:

The price must be an available feature for the item type you selected.

If you use multiple prices and currencies, NetSuite CPQ Configurator automatically recognizes and mirrors the price levels and the currencies in your account. On the item creation record, you can set the base price and alternate price levels in multiple currencies for the item that will be created or updated. When NetSuite CPQ Configurator creates the item, the price values, the quantieties, and the currencies entered in the item creation record are reflected in the price matrix on the Sales/Pricing subtab of the item record. For more information about multiple prices and currencies in NetSuite, see Using Multiple Prices or Currencies and Using Multiple Pricing.

NetSuite CPQ Configurator also supports the NetSuite Quantity Pricing feature by applying different prices depending on the number of items sold. For more information, see Using Quantity Pricing.

To set pricing information:

1. Go to the Pricing subtab on the item creation record opened for editing.

2. If you use quantity pricing, enter the number of items required for each quantity-based price break in the Qty fields.

3. Click the currency subtab for which you want to set prices.

4. Enter a value for the base price under the Qty 0 column.

   If you use quantity pricing, also enter a base price for each quantity-based price break under the remaining Qty columns.

5. If you use multiple pricing, enter values for each alternate price level under the Qty 0 column.

   If you use quantity pricing, also fill in the alternative prices for each quantity-based price break under the remaining Qty columns.

6. Repeat steps 4 – 6 for each available currency.

7. Click Save.

Adding Components to Items

If you work with assemblies, groups, or kit/packages on an item creation record, you can add components to those items with NetSuite CPQ Configurator. For more information about these item types, see Groups, Assemblies, and Kit/Packages.

NetSuite CPQ Configurator adds the components for assemblies with advanced BOM to the BOM revision record of the newly created item.

Note:

In the item creation record, the item type or the template item type must be assembly, item group, or kit/package.

As components, you can choose an item from NetSuite, an item creation record, or a material from the product.

When you have a product with many materials, NetSuite CPQ Configurator can add all active materials to the configurable item as components if you check the Use all materials as components box. Active materials are those where the questions or answers selected by users on the interface match questions or answers in the rule of the material. You can find active materials under the Materials in the Audit menu of the user interface.

To add components to an item:

1. On the Item Creation subtab, click Edit next to the item creation record you want to modify.

2. If you work with assemblies with advanced BOM, check the Bill of materials box to view the Components subtab.

3. Click the Components subtab.

   If you want to use as components only items from NetSuite, you can select the items directly in the sublist. Then, enter a quantity, a sequence number, and click Add. Repeat these steps for each component and click Save.

4. Click the New CPQC ITCR Component button to add product materials or item creation records as components.

   If you do not see this button, save the item creation record.

5. Provide a quantity for this component.

6. Enter a sequence number to determine the order of this component compared to the rest of the components.

7. To specify the component, three options are available:

   • In the From Item field, select an item from NetSuite.

   • In the From CPQ Material field, select a material from the product.

     In this field, you can choose a material linked to an item creation record.

   • In the From CPQ Created Item field, select an item creation record to create the component when users submit the configuration.

8. Click Save.

Adding Items to Subscription Plans

If you want to work with subscription plans on item creation records, you can add items to the subscription plan similarly to adding components to assemblies.

Note:

On the item creation record, the item type or the template item type must be subscription plan.

You can choose the item to be added to the subscription plan from NetSuite, from product materials, or from item creation records. After choosing the item to be added to the subscription plan, you can define the additional information for the item on the Select Columns subtab.

This information is the same that you would enter on the Lines subtab of the subscription plan record, such as the item you want to add, the subscription type, and the payment mode. For more information, see Creating Subscription Plans.

Based on the information you enter on the Select Columns subtab, NetSuite CPQ Configurator dynamically determines the required fields, the fields to be dimmed, and the fields to be filled in with default values.

To add items to a subscription plan:

1. On the Item Creation subtab, click Edit next to the item creation record you want to modify.

2. Click the Components subtab.

   If you want to add to the subscription plan only items from NetSuite, you can select the items directly in the sublist. Then, you can enter a quantity, a sequence number, and click Add. Repeat these steps for each component and click Save.

3. Click the New CPQC ITCR Component button to add product materials or item creation records as items part of the subscription plan.

   If you do not see this button, save the item creation record.

4. Enter a sequence number to determine the order of this item compared to the rest of the items part of the subscription plan.

5. To specify the item to be added to the subscription plan, three options are available:

   • In the From Item field, select an item from NetSuite.

   • In the From CPQ Material field, select a material from the product.

     In this field, you can choose a material linked to an item creation record.

   • In the From CPQ Created Item field, select an item creation record.

6. On the Select Columns subtab, set the fields in the same way as you would complete the columns on the Lines subtab of the subscription plan record.

7. To provide values for the fields, two options are available:

   • In the Select Value column, perform the task the field requires, such as selecting an option, entering a value, or checking a box. This column shows the fields in the same way as they are displayed on the corresponding transaction. For example, you can see a dropdown list, click the button, and select an option.

   • In the Value column, enter a resolve expression, such as {A/1}. For more information, see Obtaining Answer Data with Resolve Expressions.

     When using resolve expressions, NetSuite CPQ Configurator cannot predict the value assigned to the field and requires you to set any available value in the Emulate column. The value you select in this field does not matter. NetSuite CPQ Configurator only uses this value to determine related fields dynamically.

8. Click Save.

Related Topics

Creating Items Required by the Configuration

Assigning Item Creation Records to Materials, Additional Items, or Base Items

Working with Assemblies on Item Creation Records

General Notices