Glossary

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated March 12, 2026
  • 6 minutes to read
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    Summary of Glossary for CPQ (Australia Release)

    This glossary provides definitions of key terms and concepts used in Configure, Price, Quote (CPQ) software, specifically tailored for ServiceNow customers leveraging CPQ functionality. Understanding these terms helps you navigate, configure, and optimize your CPQ implementation effectively.

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    Core CPQ Concepts and Features

    • Associated Picklist (AP): Generates predetermined row sets based on picklist selections to streamline configuration options.
    • Blueprint: A collection of CPQ rules and fields that define the configuration experience for a product, linking configurable products to their setup process.
    • Configurable Product: A product tied to a blueprint that launches a tailored configuration experience.
    • Configuration Line Item (CLI): Records representing components of a configuration, grouped by configuration ID for tracking.
    • Rule and Rule Actions: Rules define conditions and corresponding actions (e.g., hiding/showing fields, adding products) to govern configuration logic and user experience.
    • Set and Set Repeater: Group fields that can be multiplied in the user interface, reducing rule complexity when repeating similar fields.
    • Picklist Extension (PLE): Enhances picklist fields with additional product information and filtering options.
    • Product Picker (PP): Displays selectable product options that add items to the bill of materials (BOM), including metadata display capabilities.
    • Bill of Materials (BOM) and BOM Type: Lists the parts needed for a product, organized by categories like sales or manufacturing.
    • External Connections and Enrichments: Methods to retrieve or modify configuration data using external sources or scripts beyond the rules engine.
    • Flightpath: Tracks configuration sessions, recording user inputs and rule engine responses for analysis.

    Environments and Deployment

    • Sandbox/Test Environment: Used for developing and testing CPQ implementations before production deployment.
    • Production Environment: The live CPQ environment used by end users, requiring careful migration and final testing post-development.
    • Migration: The process of moving configurations and customizations between environments.
    • Go-Live: The transition point when CPQ is actively used in production by end users.

    Integrations and APIs

    • API (Application Programming Interface): Enables communication between CPQ and other systems; includes runtime APIs for configuration actions and admin APIs for managing blueprints, fields, and automation.
    • Headless Application: CPQ can operate without a native user interface, allowing integration with other frontends through APIs.
    • Table and Table Lookup: CPQ’s relational database structure supports storing and querying data via SQL-based scripts.
    • Twinning: Synchronizes data fields between Salesforce and CPQ automatically for consistent quoting information.

    User Interfaces and Tools

    • Layout: The customizable visual arrangement of fields, columnsets, and tiers seen by end users during configuration.
    • Field and Field Grid: Various input types (text, number, picklist, etc.) arranged in matrix layouts to collect user data.
    • Quote Line Editor (QLE) and Quote Calculator Plugin (QCP): Salesforce CPQ interfaces and plugins that enable detailed quote modifications and pricing calculations.
    • Matrix Loader: Facilitates bulk data uploads into CPQ, such as CSV files or entire blueprint configurations.

    Quality Assurance and Support

    • System Integration Testing (SIT) and User Acceptance Testing (UAT): Critical testing phases ensuring CPQ works correctly with other systems and meets end-user requirements before going live.
    • Expert Services (ES): Consulting and implementation support from CPQ experts to assist with design and build needs.
    • Service Level Agreement (SLA): Defines expected vendor response times and support standards.

    Familiarity with these terms will help you effectively implement, customize, and maintain your CPQ solution, ensuring a smooth configuration experience for your users and seamless integration with your broader CRM and sales processes.

    A list of terms used in CPQ

    Associated Picklist (AP)
    CPQ functionality that allows a set to be generated with predetermined rows based on the selection of a picklist field.
    API (Application Programming Interface)
    A way for two or more computer programs to communicate with each other. In the context of CPQ, APIs are categorized into runtime APIs (create, update and save configurations) and admin APIs (works with blueprints, fields, rules, configurable products, managed tables, and various automation tasks).
    Bill of materials (BOM)
    A list of parts and components needed to manufacture a product.
    Blueprint
    A collection of associated CPQ rules and fields utilizing a layout that defines a configuration experience. Identifying a product as a configurable product for a blueprint means it will launch the related configuration experience when selected.
    BOM type
    A category in which products in the BOM will be organized under (such as sales or manufacturing).
    Buyside
    Refers to the CPQ experience that the end user sees.
    Configurable product
    A product that is associated with a blueprint that kicks off the CPQ configuration experience. The relationship to the blueprint differs whether CPQ is being used as a headless application or in Salesforce.
    Configuration Line Item (CLI)
    Records that are generated from a configuration and associated with the Configuration Line Item object. A configuration ID lets related configuration line items be grouped together.
    CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote)
    A category of sales software that lets users configure products and services, apply pricing, and generate price quotes.
    CRM (Customer Relationship Management)
    Software that manages all your companyʼs relationships and interactions with customers and prospects. Some examples are Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics, but there are many more.
    Enrichments
    Scripts that run outside of the rules engine that affects configurations in CPQ. Enrichments can run on configure, on reconfigure, on BOM response, or via picklist extension pricing.
    Expert Services (ES)
    Consulting hours purchased from the CPQ Expert Services team to receive design or implementation guidance, request build work to be done, etc.
    External Connections
    Allows for data for a CPQ configuration to be retrieved from outside of CPQ. Called from in an enrichment.
    Field
    Allows input to be gathered from the end user and stores data. There are several types of Fields that can be used to meet various needs, including: text, date, Boolean, number, and picklist.
    Field grid
    A series of fields displayed as a matrixed layout.
    Flightpath
    CPQ feature that allows administrators to record a configuration session tracks end-user inputs and how the CPQ rules engine responds.
    Go-Live
    When your CPQ implementation is moved to a production environment and begins to be used by end users in some capacity.
    Headless application
    An application where the backend (data, logic, and functionality) is decoupled from the frontend (user interface). CPQ is headless in the sense that customers can leverage its powerful functionality via APIs in their desired techstack.
    Layout
    The visual experience that an end user sees when configuring a product in CPQ. Every blueprint in CPQ has a layout that can be customized by the Admin. Beginning at the lowest level, layouts contain fields, which are housed in columnsets. Finally, columnsets are situated in containers called tiers, which can be nested if desired.
    Matrix Loader
    A feature in CPQ that enables the bulk upload of multiple types of data into CPQ, such as data in CSV files or entire CPQ blueprints.
    Migration
    The act of moving your CPQ work from one environment to another. This could be from one test environment to another, or from a test environment to a production environment.
    Picklist extension (PLE)
    CPQ feature for picklist field options that allows product info or additional info to be displayed, as well as filtering options.
    Price Book Entry (PBE)
    Price books associate products with their prices in Salesforce.
    Product
    A product can refer to many things, such as the companyʼs product itself, a configurable product (e.g “Computer”) or product part (e.g. “Motherboard”) in CPQ, and even an entry of the company product in a CRM like Salesforce.
    Product action
    CPQ functionality used in tandem with a rule. The rule would specify the conditions that need to be met, and a product action can be defined to add a product to the BOM accordingly.
    Product ID
    A unique identifier for a product, commonly used to refer to the unique IDs for products in Salesforce. An example of a Product ID is 01tHn00000VB38mIAD.
    Product picker (PP)
    This functionality allows you to display a number of options that represent products. When options are selected, the product will be added to the BOM. Additional columns of new or existing fields can also be appended to surface more metadata along with the ability to aggregate.
    Production environment
    A CPQ Production environment represents your live and active environment currently being utilized, and is the most sensitive. Best practices are to do any implementation work in your test/sandbox CPQ environment, test it, and then migrate the work to your production environment along with some final testing.
    Quote Calculator Plugin (QCP)
    A plugin for Salesforce CPQ that provides extra functionality in the quote line editor by means of custom JavaScript code.
    Quote Line Editor (QLE)
    When using Salesforce CPQ, this interface allows you to add/remove products, apply discounts and markups, and calculate prices for the quote.
    Rule
    Comprising conditions and actions, and associated with a blueprint, rules are the powerhouse that provides the ability to hide/show content, deliver recommendations and messages, add products to a BOM, and more.
    Rule action
    Defined in a rule, rule actions are what will fire when a ruleʼs conditions are met. Action types consist of hiding/showing, excluding/including, Messages, adding products, Determination (populating fields with metadata), and more.
    Sandbox environment
    A type of environment that should be used to build-out new implementations or features of CPQ according to best practices. Once built and tested, the work can be moved into a Production environment and tested again before use in an active workflow. Also known as a test environment.
    Service level agreement (SLA)
    The level of service expected from a vendor. An example of a CPQ SLA could be how quickly customers can expect a support case to be acknowledged after being created.
    Set
    A feature that groups fields so they can be multiply replicated in the end-userʼs UI in a matrix format. Sets reduce the number of fields and rules that need to be defined in scenarios where the same fields are being repeated. Analogous to Configuration Arrays in Oracle.
    Set repeater
    Functionality that allows you to easily create new indices in a set.
    System Integration Testing (SIT)
    A QA process to ensure the compatibility of two or more systems.
    Table
    CPQ has tables (relational databases) that allow data to be stored, which can then be retrieved using able lookups.
    Table lookup
    Utilizing a programming language called SQL (Structured Query Language), tables in CPQ can be queried using scripts to retrieve specific information.
    Test environment
    See Sandbox environment.
    Twinning
    The ability to automatically pull data from a Salesforce quote field into a CPQ field by creating a CPQ quote custom field using the format “<fieldName>LGK” in Salesforce, and a matching “<fieldName>” in CPQ.
    User acceptance testing (UAT)
    Also known as end-user testing, this is a phase near the end of implementation and before going live. A small group of the end-users will run through various scenarios to validate the desired end-user experience and address any issues or bugs before the full launch.