Published at: 2026-09-17
Overview of using product categories
Learn how Product Categories help sales users locate and select Products in business documents.
Business value
Product Category is an independent object in CRM for organizing the Product catalog. When sales users add Products to Opportunities, Quotes, Sales Contracts, or Sales Orders, they can find Products by using the configured category structure instead of searching through the entire Product list.
After Product selection, the business document can return the configured Product Price through a Price Book.
Core concepts
| Concept | Definition | Related scenarios |
|---|---|---|
| Product Category | Hierarchical data used to organize and manage the Product catalog | Product selection and catalog maintenance |
| Tree structure | Displays a category tree on the left and a Product list on the right | Many category levels or step-by-step navigation |
| Flat structure | Displays categories and Products in a flat list | Few category levels or quick browsing |
| Product selection | Selects Product details from a Product list in a business document | Opportunities, Quotes, Sales Contracts, and Sales Orders |
What users can do
Sales users can view categories, expand levels, filter Products, and complete Product selection in the Product selection window of a business document. Product catalog administrators create, edit, delete, and reorganize categories.
How the category structure affects Product selection
- A tree structure is suitable for locating Products level by level.
- A flat structure is suitable for browsing or filtering Products directly.
- After an administrator saves a category display style, related Product selection pages use that style.
- Category changes affect the location and display order of later selections, but do not change Product details already saved in business documents.