Published at: 2026-09-17

Order configuration modes

Overview

Choosing the right order configuration mode can significantly reduce the learning cost for sales. When the mode matches the scenario, sales can find products faster, complete configuration more reliably, and switch less often between child-item structures and parameters.
Entry point for product configuration modes in back-office settings.

Before you begin

[!IMPORTANT] - Permissions required: You need permissions to configure product combinations and to place orders on the front end. - Prerequisites: CPQ is enabled, and the target product has completed BOM or attribute configuration. - Dependencies: If you want to use attribute-based ordering, confirm that attribute capability is also enabled.

Step 1: Evaluate the default mode

The default mode is suitable for scenarios where the structure is complex and sales need to understand child-item information clearly before configuring step by step.
In this mode, sales usually:
  1. Find the product through filtered search
  2. Select the product in the result list
  3. If it is a combination product, enter a dedicated Configure page to maintain child-item details
A typical scenario is machinery or equipment. These products often include multi-level subsystems, so sales need to understand not only the main product but also differences in power systems, control systems, or execution modules.

Step 2: Evaluate item-selection ordering

Item-selection ordering is closer to a shopping-cart style flow and is suitable when multiple products are purchased in one scenario. This mode supports completing all of the following within one process:
  • Multi-product selection
  • BOM configuration
  • Quantity editing
  • Result confirmation
It is more suitable for scenarios where one purchase contains many items, including both standard products and combination products, such as servers, storage, and networking equipment bought together.

Step 3: Evaluate attribute-based ordering

Attribute-based ordering emphasizes guided selling more strongly. In this mode, sales do not need to understand the entire BOM structure first. They select sales-facing attributes based on the customer scenario, and the system gradually narrows down sellable results.
This mode is especially suitable when:
  • The product structure is complex
  • The technical threshold is high
  • Sales understand customer scenarios better than the underlying child-item structure
Attribute-based ordering guides complex BOM configuration through sales attributes.

Result check

No single mode is absolutely better than the others. The key is whether it matches the sales scenario:
  • If sales need to review the structure layer by layer, choose the default mode first.
  • If sales often buy many products in one process, choose item-selection ordering first.
  • If sales rely more on scenario guidance, choose attribute-based ordering first.

Usage recommendations

  • Configuration modes do not exist independently of product structures. They depend on earlier product combinations, constraint relationships, and attribute settings.
  • If the business enables both attribute capability and Sales BOM, the user experience differs by mode, but all modes still rely on the same underlying structure and rules.
Combined with the ordering page examples, the modes map to front-end behavior like this:
  • Attribute-based ordering emphasizes choosing scenarios and parameters first, then narrowing results gradually.
  • Default mode is better when users should find the product first and then configure child items in a dedicated page.
  • Item-selection ordering is better when multiple products need to be handled in one process.
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