Multiple configurations
Summarize
Summary of Multiple configurations
ServiceNow enables product catalog managers to define configurable product offerings that allow agents to add multiple configurations of a child product offering. This feature empowers agents to manage different quantities and options for each configuration as separate line items within opportunities, quotes, and orders.
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How Multiple Configurations Work
When defining configurable product offerings and child offerings, selecting the Allow multiple configurations option allows agents to create multiple configurations of a child product. If the configurable product has a product specification, this option is automatically enabled and cannot be disabled.
Agents adding configurable products can navigate to a summary page for the selected child offering where they can:
- Change the quantity of the child offering
- Clone existing child offering configurations
- Split child offerings with quantities greater than one into multiple instances with configurable quantities
Each instance created becomes a separate line item with its own configuration options.
Managing Multiple Configurations
On the child offering summary page, agents can access a More options menu next to the quantity field with the following actions:
- Clone: Copies the selected configuration the specified number of times, each clone becoming a new line item with quantity one.
- Split: Divides the total quantity across multiple child offering instances. For example, splitting quantity 5 into 3 results in quantities 2, 2, and 1 distributed among instances.
- Delete: Removes a child offering instance unless doing so violates the minimum quantity rules for that product.
Each new configuration instance is named by appending an incremental number to the child product offering name (e.g., Home Automation Hub 2, Home Automation Hub 3).
Validation and Rules
The system enforces default, minimum, and maximum cardinality rules during configuration creation, providing real-time validation and error messages within the product configurator interface. These rules also dynamically enable or disable actions such as Split and Delete based on the current quantities and constraints.
Limitations
- Multiple configurations are not supported for sales agreement type quotes.
- For quotes and orders with sold products, only the Delete action is supported; Clone and Split are not.
- For product inventory scenarios, multiple configurations are supported but the Split option is not.
Setting Up Multiple Configurations
To enable and create multiple configurations for child offerings, product catalog managers need to define configurable product offerings correctly and select the Allow multiple configurations option. Detailed instructions are available in the Create product offerings and Create multiple configurations sections of the documentation.
Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers
This multiple configurations feature allows agents to flexibly manage complex product bundles and child products, tailoring quantities and configurations per customer needs within a single transaction. It enhances accuracy in ordering, quoting, and opportunity management by reflecting diverse customer requirements as distinct line items. Validation rules ensure compliance with product constraints, reducing errors and improving the customer experience.
As a product catalog manager, when you define a configurable product offering, you can enable agents to add multiple configurations of a child product offering. When agents add multiple configurations, they can change the quantity for each configuration of the offering, define each configuration as a separate line item, and select the appropriate options and characteristics for each configuration.
How multiple configurations work
- Change the quantity of a child offering.
- Clone a child offering.
- Split a child offering that has a quantity greater than 1, to create child offering instances with different quantities.
How multiple configurations are created
When agents review a bundle offering in the product configurator, they identify the child offerings that can have multiple configurations. They navigate to the summary page for the appropriate child offering to create multiple configurations.
In the offering summary page, a message indicates that the offering supports multiple configurations and the aggregated quantity of configurations that can be created. Agents can change the quantity of the child offering on this page.
The More options icon 
displays next to the Quantity. Selecting the icon lists the options available for creating and managing multiple configurations.
- Clone: Create child offering configurations by copying the selected child product offering configuration. The agent is prompted to enter the number of clones to be made.
For example, if the current child offering quantity is 2, and the agent specifies 2 copies, two identical copies of the child product offering are created. Each clone becomes a separate line item and has a quantity of 1.
- Split: Create child offering configurations by splitting the current child offering quantity and distributing the quantity evenly across all the copies. The agent is prompted to enter the number of
splits.
For example, if the child offering quantity is 5, and an agent specifies 3 splits, two child offering instances are created. After the split, there are three child offering instances, where the instances have a quantity of 2, 2, and 1, respectively.
- Delete: Removes the child offering instance. If deleting a child offering instance causes the number of child offers to fall below the minimum quantity defined for the product, the Delete option isn’t available.
When the child offering configurations are created, each offering name reflects the child product offering name followed by an incremental number. For example, Home Automation Hub configurations are named Home Automation Hub 2, Home Automation Hub 3, and so on. Agents can then select the appropriate offering instance to configure it. If the agent changes the Quantity value, the Current Selection pane reflects the new quantity and associated pricing.
Validation during multiple configuration creation
As your agents create multiple configurations, the system uses the default, minimum, and maximum cardinality rules defined for the product offering to validate the configurations. If there are violations, the system displays the appropriate information and error messages in the product configurator UI.
The system also uses the cardinality rules to determine when certain configuration options (Split and Delete) should be enabled or turned off, based on the context. For example, if the minimum child offering quantity is 1 and a child offering has a quantity of 1, the system disables the Delete option in the More options menu.
Limitations for multiple configurations
- Sold products: When creating a modify order, the Delete option for multiple configurations is supported, but the Clone and Split options aren’t supported.
- Product inventory: Multiple configurations are supported. The Split option isn’t supported.