Published at: 2026-09-17

Attribute management

Overview

By centrally maintaining standard attributes, non-standard attributes, and attribute groups, the business can help sales find the correct parameters faster on the front end, while reducing inconsistent descriptions and repeated entry.
Attribute capability switches and related feature entry points.

Before you begin

[!IMPORTANT] - Permissions required: You need permission to maintain attribute objects or manage products. - Prerequisites: Your company has purchased CPQ Attribute Edition and confirmed that attribute capability will be enabled formally. - Dependencies: If you plan to use advanced formulas, cascading constraints, or incremental pricing, confirm the pricing engine and incremental pricing switch strategy at the same time.

Step 1: Confirm the attribute capability switches

The back-office switches determine whether the related objects are available later, so confirm the following before you start maintenance:
  • CPQ Attribute Edition has been purchased.
  • The Enable Attribute Configuration switch is on.
  • If you need advanced formulas or cascading constraints, evaluate whether to enable the Quote Engine.
  • If you need attribute surcharges, evaluate whether to enable Incremental Attribute Pricing.
Once Enable Attribute Configuration is turned on, it cannot be turned off. This is a formal activation step rather than a trial switch.

Step 2: Maintain standard attributes

Standard attributes are suitable for parameters whose value sets are relatively stable, such as color, material, or edition. During maintenance, do not stop at the attribute name. You should also define the full value system, including adding values, setting defaults, and arranging sort order.
The page behavior shows that standard attribute maintenance supports bulk operations, so it is better maintained centrally by administrators rather than created one by one by business users.
The standard attribute list page supports create, import, and export operations.
A typical standard attribute maintenance flow is:
  1. Go to CRM Module -> Product Management -> Attributes.
  2. Create a new attribute on the list page.
  3. Enter the attribute name and attribute code.
  4. Add attribute values one by one, or import them from Excel.
  5. Set the default value and sort order, then save.

Step 3: Maintain non-standard attributes

Non-standard attributes are better for scenarios that cannot be fully described by a fixed picklist. The main supported types are numeric and text, such as weight, size, color code, or custom notes.
  • Numeric: suitable for quantifiable parameters such as weight, size, or capacity.
  • Text: suitable for inputs such as color codes or custom notes that cannot be exhaustively listed.
If a parameter must be entered directly by sales instead of selected from preset values, it is usually a better fit for a non-standard attribute.
The page guidance also shows that non-standard attributes support create, import, and export. In practice, you can define the data type, default value, and attribute group at the same time.
The non-standard attribute list page supports create, import, and export.
Non-standard attributes support numeric and text types, plus defaults and grouping.
Non-standard attributes support numeric and text types, plus defaults and grouping.

Step 4: Maintain attribute groups

Attribute groups are optional at first, but they become important once the number of attributes grows. Their value is not just whether they can be created, but whether they help sales find the parameters customers actually care about.
Common grouping approaches include:
  • Appearance-related groups such as color and material
  • SaaS functional groups such as basic features and advanced features
The group sequence number affects display order on the front end, so groups serve both categorization and sorting purposes.
The page behavior makes the purpose clearer: groups are not only for better presentation. They directly determine the hierarchy and order shown during front-end configuration. The lower the sequence number, the earlier the group appears to sales.
The group sequence number determines the front-end display priority.
You can summarize group maintenance as:
  1. Define groups based on sales-facing business language, such as appearance, basic features, and advanced features.
  2. Set a sequence number for each group.
  3. Assign attributes to the relevant groups later when configuring product-linked attributes.

Result check

After finishing attribute management, confirm the following:
  • Standard attributes include complete values, default values, and sort order.
  • Non-standard attributes are correctly classified as numeric or text.
  • Group names and sequence numbers match the way sales search for parameters.

Common notes

  1. Decide first whether a parameter should be a standard attribute or a non-standard attribute, and do not mix the two casually.
  2. If sales need to choose from fixed values directly, use a standard attribute first.
  3. If a parameter requires entering real values or text, use a non-standard attribute first.
  4. Introduce attribute groups when the number of attributes becomes large enough to justify grouping.
  5. When designing groups, prefer business language that sales can understand quickly rather than internal technical terminology.
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