Managing Product Links
Once the collection has been set-up and once your products have been defined, you can extend product knowledge by creating product links. Although different kinds of product links can be created, the Designer proposes 7 types by default:
Breakdown links
- A breakdown link between product A and product B indicates that “B is a part of A”.
Up-selling links
- An up-selling link between product A and product B indicates that “B is a better product then A”.
Cross-selling links
- A cross-selling link between product A and product B indicates that “if you buy A, you might want to be interested in B”.
Replacement links
- A replacement link between product A and product B indicates that “A has been replaced by B”.
Spare Parts links
- A Spare Parts link between product A and product B indicates that “B is a spare part of A”.Warning: Spare Parts links cannot be created between a Standard Item (parent) and a Sales Product (child).
computationLink
- A computationLink links a standard item A to a configurable product B. This type of link allows CPQ UI to launch the configurable product B in a silent mode (without any UI rendering), compute a resulting configured product based on the source standard item A and add the result to the quote.
configurationLink
- A configurationLink links a standard item A to a configurable product B. This type of link allows creating pre-configured items. CPQ UI launches the configurable product B (and render the UI dialog) based on the source standard item A.Tip:
A Standard Item linked to a Configuration Process via a 'computationLink' or 'configurationLink' is considered as a Configurable Product by CPQ User Interface.
When launching the configuration engine via the CONFIGURE_AND_ADD/CONFIGURE action, the CPQ UI passes the identifier of the contextual standard item as a setting of the configuration session:
<cam:Param cpe="CPE.Settings.Session.RefSI"value="workspace/SI/mySelectedSI"/>Warning: Beware that you can link a standard item to only 1 configurationLink and/or computationLink.
Moreover, the Designer allows you to create additional types of links. We can easily imagine incompatibility links (expressing that products A and B are incompatible and thus cannot be sold together), implication links (expressing that if you buy A, you need to buy B also), etc. All of these links can be handled by creating custom links.
Reference: In order to create custom links, please refer to Define Link Parameters.
This step will thus allow you to create links between products, but will also allow you to put business property sets on the links, in order to have these links carry additional information.
BUSINESS PROPERTY SETS USE-CASE
For instance, let’s say that a “car” requires “tires”. With the “requires” link between the “car” and the “tires” we could associate a business property set with 2 business properties that dictate the requirements for the tires: the exact tire size (195/65R15, 205/55/R17, etc.) and the minimum speed rating (H, T, etc.)
Reference: For more information, please refer to Define Business Property Sets.
SUPPORTED LINK TYPES
Every product does not support every type of link. The following table shows an overview of the supported links per product:
| LINK TYPE | STANDARD ITEMS OR CONFIGURATION PROCESSES | SALES PRODUCTS |
|---|---|---|
| Breakdown | Standard item | Standard items; Sales products; Configuration Processes |
| Up-selling; Cross-selling | Standard items; Sales products; Configuration Processes | Standard items; Sales products; Configuration Processes |
| Substitution | Standard items; Configuration Processes | Sales products |
| Custom links | Standard items; Sales products; Configuration Processes | Standard items; Sales products; Configuration Processes |
| Spare Parts links | Standard items |
Viewing product links
In order to view at the product links, proceed as follows:
How To:
[Via the ‘Explore Structure’ explorer]
- Select the catalog or a collection in order to view the products of that explorer entry
or
[Via the “Explore Labels” explorer]
- Select the label in order to view the products for that explorer entry [Via the step toolbar]
- Execute the “link” function after having selected the type of link you would like to display
- You now see a read-only table showing all products for the selected explorer entry and all their associated products for the chosen link type.
In order to specifically open one specific product:
How To:
[Once you have opened a set of products]
- Select one or multiple products by ticking the associated checkbox. [Via the “step toolbar”]
- Execute the “Add to selection” function.
- As a result, the selected products are added to the explorer entry “Selection”. [Via the “Selection” explorer]
- Open the product by clicking on its name or description.
- You now see an editable table showing all links for the selected link type for the current product.
Clicking on the Name or Description column header sorts the corresponding column elements either in ascending or descending alphabetical order.
Creating product links
In order to add product links to products, proceed as follows:
How To:
[In the “Explore Structure” explorer]
- Open the catalog or collection of interest by clicking on its name or description or
[In the “Explore Labels” explorer]
- Open the label of interest by clicking on its name or description
[In the menu toolbar]
- Execute the “link” function after by selecting the type of link
[Via the “Filter Objects” explorer]
- Search for a product by expressing
- A workspace
- A type (standard item, Configuration Process, sales product)
- A name
- A description
[Via the “Filter objects” explorer]
- Drag & drop the item from the “Filter Objects” explorer to the parent product to which it has to be associated.Note: each time a child product is dropped, an additional line will be created.
[In the product table]
- Update the quantity for the link. The default quantity is 1.
- Optionally, update the measurement unit associated with the quantity.
[In the menu toolbar]
- Save
In order to add product links to a selected, proceed as follows:
How To:
[In the “Explore Selection” explorer]
- Open the product of interest by clicking on its name or description
[Via the “Filter Objects” explorer]
- Search for a product by expressing
- A workspace
- A type (standard item, Configuration Process, sales product)
- A name
- A description
[Via the “Filter objects” explorer]
- Drag & drop the item from the “Filter Objects” explorer to the product table which shows all child products for the selected product in the explorer
[In the product table]
- Specify the type of link for the parent-child relationship.
- Update the quantity for the link. The default quantity is 1.
- Optionally, update the measurement unit associated with the quantity.
[In the menu toolbar] - Save
Note: The “product links” (the links between product A and its associated products B, C and D) can be ordered by executing the Move up/down function in the menu toolbar.
In order to import product links using csv, proceed as follows after having selected a collection, a label or an individual product:
How To:
[Via the menu toolbar]
- Click on the “import” button.
[In the “popup”]
- Indicate the CSV delimiter used in the import file. Default value = “;”
- Indicate the list delimiter used in the import file. Default value = “~”
- Indicate the decimal separator used in the import file.
- Indicate the import file encoding format.
- Choose the CSV file to be imported.
- Click “ok”.
- The import process starts. This is an asynchronous process and you can continue to model. The Designer will inform you automatically when the process is completed.
[Via the menu toolbar]
- Save.Tip: The import file should have the following heading: Action(U/I/D);Parent Wks;Parent Class;Parent Name;Parent Descr;Link;Child Wks;Child Class; Child Name;Qty;Unit;Seq. Order The “Parent” columns refer to the “source” product; the “Child” columns refer to the “linked” product.Warning: In contrast to the import csv function on other steps, the import csv for product links works in “addition” mode (and not in “replacement” mode).
Deleting product links
Product links can only be deleted on a per link type basis. In order to delete the product links for a given product, proceed as follows:
How To:
[Via the menu toolbar]
- Execute the “link” function after having selected the type of link for which you want to delete associated products. [In the product table]
- Select the product links that you would like to remove.
[In the step toolbar]
- Execute the “delete line” function.
[Via the menu toolbar]
- Save.
Adding characteristics to product links
In order to add a business property set to a set of product links:
How To:
[Via the “Explore structure” explorer]
- Open the catalog or a collection by selecting its name or description or
[Via the “Explore Labels” explorer]
- Open a label by selecting its name or description
[Via the “Filter objects” explorer]
- Search for a business property set by optionally expressing
- A workspace
- A name
- A description
- A user type
[Via the menu toolbar]
- Execute the Search function
[Via the “Filter Objects” explorer]
- Drag & drop the icon of business property set of interest to the map under the product link table
In order to add a business property set to a single product:
How To:
[In the product table]
- Select the product(s) to be opened
[Via the menu toolbar]
- Execute the Add to selection function
[Via the “Selection” explorer]
- Open the product by clicking on its name or description.
[Via the “Filter objects” explorer]
- Search for a business property set by optionally expressing
- A workspace
- A name
- A description
- A user type
[Via the menu toolbar]
- Execute the Search function
[Via the “Filter Objects” explorer]
- Drag & drop the icon of business property set of interest to the map under the product link table.
Opening a business property set
In order to open a business property set for a set of product links or for an individual product:
How To:
[Via the business property set “map”]
- Click on the business property set you would like to “open”
[Via the popup]
- Select “Open business property set”
- A column will be added to the product link table for each business property in the business property set
Editing business properties for products
In order to edit business properties for a set of product links, ensure that the business property set is opened. Once it is opened:
How To:
[Via the table navigator]
- Navigate to the correct page [In the product table]
- Enter values for the necessary business properties.
[Via the menu toolbar] - Save
Warning: Please beware that you will not be able to enter values for the business properties if no child has been assigned to the product.
In order to import all business property values for a business property set for a set of product links:
How To:
[Via the menu toolbar]
- Click on the “import” button.
[In the “popup”]
- Indicate the CSV delimiter used in the import file. Default value = “;”
- Indicate the list delimiter used in the import file. Default value = “~”
- Indicate the decimal separator used in the import file.
- Indicate the import file encoding format.
- Choose the CSV file to be imported.
- Click “ok”.
- The import process starts. This is an asynchronous process and you can continue to model. The Designer will inform you automatically when the process is completed.
[Via the menu toolbar]
- SaveTip: The import file should have the following heading:
Action(U/I/D);Parent Wks;Parent Class;Parent Name;Parent Descr;Link;Child Wks;Child Class; Child Name;Qty;Unit;Seq. Order; bpName1;bpName2;…;bpNameN
The codes “bpNameX” should be replaced by the exact business property names in the order that they reside in the business property set.
Removing business property sets
In order to remove a business property set from a complete set of products or for an individual product:
How To:
[Via the “Explore structure” explorer]
- Choose a collection or a label by selecting its name or description
[Via the “map of business property sets”]
- Click on the business property set you would like to remove
[In the popup]
- Select “Remove business property set”
[In the menu toolbar]
- Save