The product configurator is the dialog where you choose which components of a package product a customer gets, and in what quantity, on the deal you are working. You open it from Configure product on a sales opportunity, after the opportunity has a line for the package item. Your choices become real lines on the opportunity, and the quote and order raised from it carry them forward.
Some products are not a single line. A package is an item whose contents are a list of components: standard parts that always come with it, extras it includes by default, and options the customer may add. An administrator defines these components on the item (see Packages and item components). When you add the package to a deal, xMatix adds the standard and default parts for you. The configurator is where you add the options, remove the extras or change their quantities. Separately, from the same opportunity you can book a product demo so the customer can see the product before deciding.
Overview
- Where it runs. On a sales opportunity the button is Configure product. The same dialog opens from Product configurator on sales orders, invoices, purchase orders and requisitions. The shipped quote page has no configurator button, so configure the package on the opportunity before you create the quote.
- What it shows. A Product picker listing the record's package lines, and for the chosen line one tab per option group with a table of components: a tick box, Component, In Hand, Available, Quantity and Unit Price.
- What it changes. Save adds a line under the package line for each newly ticked component, updates the quantity of components that already have a line, and removes the lines of components you untick.
When to use it
Use the configurator when a customer chooses what goes into a package: a tractor with a choice of implements, a machine with optional accessories, a kit with extra consumables. Use it while the deal is still open, before you raise the quote, because the quote copies the opportunity's lines as they are at that moment.
If the product has no options to choose from, you don't need the configurator. Adding the package line is enough, and its standard parts appear automatically.
How xMatix handles it
- Package lines only. The Product picker lists only the lines whose item has Package switched on. Lines for ordinary items are not shown.
- Which components are offered. For the chosen line, the configurator lists the item's components whose Feature Type is Product Configurator, in Sort Order, and leaves out any component that does not fit the document:
- Item SKU: when the line has a SKU, only components for that SKU or for no SKU;
- Applicable For: empty, or the value for this document. On an opportunity this is Service. On orders, invoices and quotes it is Sale, and on purchase orders and requisitions it is Purchase;
- Partner Account and Partner Account Group: empty, or matching the document's Partner Account.
- Grouping. Components are grouped into tabs by the option group in their Product Packages field. Components without one are listed under a tab named after their feature type.
- What is ticked. A component is ticked when it already has a line under the package, or when it is set Is Selected on the item. Mandatory components come first in each tab.
- Locked rows. A mandatory component (Is Mandatory) or a bundled one (Is Bundled) is greyed out. It stays ticked and you cannot change its quantity here.
- Quantity limits. The Quantity box opens with the component's existing line quantity, or its default quantity. It accepts at least 1 or the component's Min Quantity, whichever is higher, and at most its Max Quantity when one is set. Hover over the box to see the range. The box is disabled for a component that is not ticked, or whose Is Quantity Editable is off.
- Price and stock are for guidance. Unit Price comes from the document's price list rule for the component that is in force today: a rule for the component's SKU first, then one for the item. If there is none, it shows 0. In Hand and Available are the component's total stock. They are not limited to the document's branch or warehouse. The lines you save are priced the normal way for that document. See Opportunity lines.
- Saving. Only the rows you changed are sent. A ticked row with a quantity creates a component line, or updates the quantity of the line that already exists. An unticked row removes that component's line. Each added line records its component and its package line, and copies Price Bundled from Is Bundled. On an opportunity, line quantities are whole numbers.
Prerequisites
- The package item exists with Package switched on and its components set up with Feature Type Product Configurator. See Packages and item components.
- The opportunity is saved and has a line for the package item.
- Your security profile allows the configurator actions on the opportunity. See Permissions.
Procedure
Step 1 — Add the package line
Open the sales opportunity and add a line for the package item, with its quantity (see Opportunity lines). When you save the line, xMatix adds a line under it for each component that is mandatory or set Is Selected.
Step 2 — Open the configurator
Choose Configure product in the opportunity's header. The dialog opens on a Product picker. Pick the package line you want to configure if the record has more than one. If the dialog shows No configurable products on this record, the opportunity has no package line yet. Choose Close and add one.
Step 3 — Choose the components
Open each option-group tab. Tick the options the customer wants and untick the ones they don't. The tick box in a table's column header ticks or unticks every row in that tab, except the locked mandatory and bundled rows.
Step 4 — Set the quantities
For each ticked component whose quantity can change, type the quantity in Quantity. A quantity outside the allowed range turns the box red. Hover over it to see the reason, for example Quantity must be at least 2.
Step 5 — Save
Choose Save. xMatix shows Configuration Saved and closes the dialog. The opportunity's lines now include a line under the package for each ticked component, and the lines of unticked components are gone. If you changed nothing, xMatix shows No changes and keeps the dialog open.
Step 6 — Change the configuration later
Open Configure product again at any time. The dialog shows the current state: components that have a line are ticked, with their line quantities. Change what you need and choose Save.
Step 7 — Carry it into the quote
Choose Create quote on the opportunity. The quote copies every line, including the component lines and their link to the package line. It does not add the package's components a second time. On the quote you can still change or delete component lines directly, within the component's rules. See Quote lines.
On other documents
On a sales order, invoice, purchase order or requisition, choose Product configurator in the record's header. The dialog works the same way. Sales orders and invoices offer Sale components, and purchase orders and requisitions offer Purchase components.
Fields
The dialog has no stored fields of its own. It shows, for each component:
| Field | What it means | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Product | The package line you are configuring | Lists the record's lines whose item is a package, by item name. |
| Tab name | The component's option group | From the component's Product Packages field. Components without one are grouped under their feature type. |
| Tick box | Whether the component is included | Locked on for mandatory and bundled components. The header box ticks or unticks every editable row in the tab. |
| Component | The component item's name | Hover over a long name to read it in full. |
| In Hand | Stock of the component on hand | Total across all stock records for the item (or its SKU). For guidance only. |
| Available | Stock of the component available | Total across all stock records for the item (or its SKU). For guidance only. |
| Quantity | Quantity of the component | Starts at the existing line's quantity, else the component's default. Allowed range: at least 1 or Min Quantity, at most Max Quantity when set. Disabled when unticked, locked, or Is Quantity Editable is off. |
| Unit Price | Price of one unit of the component | From the document's price list rule in force today. Shows 0 when there is no rule. The saved line is priced separately. |
The component settings behind these columns (Is Mandatory, Is Selected, Is Bundled, quantities, Applicable For, partner limits) are described in Packages and item components.
Business rules
- Only package lines can be configured. A line whose item does not have Package on is never listed.
- Only Product Configurator components are offered, filtered by SKU, Applicable For and the document's Partner Account (directly or through its account groups).
- Opportunities use Service, not Sale. A component limited to Sale is not offered on an opportunity, though it is offered on sales orders and invoices. A component limited to Service is offered on the opportunity but not on those documents.
- Unticking removes the line. The component's line is removed from the document. A mandatory component cannot be unticked in the dialog, and deleting its line directly is refused with Mandatory package component cannot be removed.
- Line rules still apply. Editing a component line's quantity outside the dialog is checked against the component: Quantity cannot be less than … for this component., Quantity cannot exceed … for this component., Quantity must be greater than zero for mandatory component. and Quantity cannot be changed for this component.
- Changing the package quantity rescales some components. When you change the package line's quantity, every component line whose Package Type is Multiple Of Package is reset to the component quantity × the package quantity. A quantity you chose in the configurator for such a component is overwritten. Components set Independent Of Package keep their quantity.
- Changing the package item starts over. If you change the item on the package line, its component lines are removed, and the new item's mandatory and selected components are added. Configure the package again.
- Deleting the package line deletes its components.
- Conversions keep the structure. A quote created from the opportunity, and an order created from the quote, copy the component lines with their link to the package line. They do not add the components again.
Example
A farm-equipment dealer sells the Compact Tractor 45 as a package. Its components are a Front Loader (mandatory, bundled, quantity 1), a Toolbox (selected by default, quantity 1), a Rotary Tiller and a Trailer Hitch (both optional). All four have Feature Type Product Configurator, Applicable For empty, and the option group Implements.
A sales executive adds one Compact Tractor 45 to a sales opportunity and saves the line. The front loader and the toolbox appear as lines under the tractor. The customer wants the tiller instead of the toolbox. The executive chooses Configure product and picks the tractor in Product. On the Implements tab the front loader is greyed out and ticked. The executive unticks the toolbox, ticks the rotary tiller with quantity 1 and chooses Save. The opportunity now shows the tractor with the front loader and the rotary tiller under it. The executive chooses Create quote, and the quote shows the same three lines.
Training
Practice exercise
In a sandbox, use a package item with at least one mandatory component and one optional component, all with Feature Type Product Configurator and Applicable For empty. Create a sales opportunity, add the package with quantity 1 and save the line. Open Configure product, tick the optional component, set its quantity to 2 and save.
Expected result: the opportunity has the package line, the mandatory component's line and a line for 2 of the optional component. Open the configurator again and untick the optional component, then save: its line disappears. Try to delete the mandatory component's line: xMatix refuses with Mandatory package component cannot be removed.
Quick reference
- Configure on the opportunity (Configure product). The shipped quote page has no configurator button.
- Save the record and add the package line first.
- Mandatory and bundled components are locked on.
- Opportunities offer components with Applicable For empty or Service.
- Save sends only the rows you changed. Unticked components lose their line.
- Changing the package quantity resets Multiple Of Package component quantities.
- Changing the package item removes its configured components.
- Prices and stock in the dialog are for guidance. Lines are priced normally.
Permissions
The configurator needs four actions on the record type: the dialog itself (Configure product on opportunities, Product configurator elsewhere) and three background actions that list the package lines, read a line's components and save the selection (Get configurable items, Get package configuration and Apply package configuration). In the shipped security profiles, Sales Executive, Sales Manager, Standard User and System Admin have all four on opportunities. Adding a package line, and the automatic mandatory and selected components, need only the right to edit the record's lines. Server action permissions are granted under Security profiles.
Configuration
- Package contents. Packages and their components are set up on the item: switch Package on, then add components on the item's Related tab. Feature Type, Is Mandatory, Is Selected, Is Bundled, quantities, Applicable For and partner limits decide what the configurator offers and how it behaves. See Packages and item components.
- Option groups (tabs). The tabs come from item feature records set in each component's Product Packages field. See Item features.
- Applicable For values. The values Sale, Purchase and Service are shipped inactive, so components apply to every document until an administrator activates them. See Packages and item components.
- Prices shown. The Unit Price column reads the document's price list. Maintain component prices in the sale or purchase price list the documents use. See Price lists.
- Where the button appears. The configurator button is placed in the record page header of the shipped sales opportunity, sales order, invoice, purchase order and requisition layouts. An administrator who designs a custom record layout can add or remove it there. See Design a form layout.
Common problems
"No configurable products on this record"
None of the record's lines is for a package item. Add a line for an item with Package switched on, save it and open the configurator again.
"No components for this product"
The item has no component with Feature Type Product Configurator that fits this document. Check each component's Item SKU, Applicable For (opportunities need empty or Service), Partner Account and Partner Account Group against the opportunity. See Packages and item components.
"Please save the record before configuring components."
The record is new and not saved yet. Save it, add the package line, and open the configurator again.
I can't untick a component or change its quantity
The component is mandatory or bundled, or its quantity is not editable. Those settings are on the item's component and are kept on every document. Ask an administrator if the package definition should change.
The quantities I chose changed after I edited the package line
Components with Package Type Multiple Of Package are recalculated from the package quantity whenever it changes. Set the package quantity first, then open the configurator and adjust the components.
The price in the dialog differs from the price on the line
The dialog shows the document price list's rule in force today. The line is priced from its own price list and price date, and bundled components carry no separate price. Trust the line amounts. See Opportunity lines.
Common questions
Why is there no configurator on my quote?
The shipped quote record page does not include a configurator button, although the quote supports the same background actions. Configure the package on the opportunity before choosing Create quote: the quote copies every component line and its link to the package line. On the quote you can still change a component line's quantity within its limits, or delete an optional component's line, from the Lines list. An administrator can add the button to a custom quote layout if your team needs to configure packages on quotes directly.
Why is a component on the sales order that wasn't offered on the opportunity?
Opportunities offer components whose Applicable For is empty or Service, while sales orders and invoices offer components marked Sale. A component limited to Sale is therefore added when the package is entered on an order, but is neither offered nor added on an opportunity. If your package's options should be chosen at the deal stage, leave Applicable For empty on them, or ask your administrator how the components are set up.
Does the configurator reserve stock?
No. In Hand and Available are shown for guidance only, as totals for the component item across all stock records. Saving the configuration only adds, changes or removes lines on the document you are working on. The dialog does not check stock before saving, so a component with no stock can still be chosen. For how component lines behave on stock documents, see Packages and item components.
Can the configurator show a picture for each component?
No. The configurator lists each component by name, with its quantity and price, and shows no pictures. The data model has a Product Configurator Image Detail record that can link an image to an item. It is not part of the shipped product, though: no app or menu lists it, its form asks only for a name and a currency code, and the configurator never reads it. If you want customers to see pictures of the parts, upload images to the catalogue entries, or set up a kit with an assembly picture, as described in catalogue and pricing. The field reference describes the record.
Product demos
On a sales opportunity or a lead, Book product demo opens the New Booking dialog. Pick the branch, then pick a date and time slot from the branch's free places, and save. This creates an Appointment record that holds one place on the slot for that date. A date that is already full is refused. After the demo, record the outcome on the appointment (readings, rating, the customer's comments and remarks) and choose Complete.
Booking, rescheduling, cancelling, every appointment field and the slot-capacity rules are described in Product demos and appointments.