CPQ Configurator

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated March 12, 2026
  • 3 minutes to read
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    Summary of CPQ Configurator

    The ServiceNow CPQ Configurator is an attribute-based interface integrated within Sales Customer Relationship Management (CSM) workflows. It streamlines the configuration and pricing of customizable products for opportunities, quotes, orders, and product configuration changes related to sold products and contracts. This tool supports different user roles including product catalog admins, sales and order agents, and customers, enabling them to efficiently manage and configure complex product offerings.

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    Product Catalog Admin Experience

    Product catalog admins use Product Catalog Management to create configurable product offerings. After saving a product, they run a synchronization process to generate a blueprint that contains all product attributes, configuration rules, relationships, and child products. This blueprint governs the product configuration experience and is managed within the ServiceNow CPQ Configurator. Once configuration is finalized, admins publish the offering to the product catalog, deploying the blueprint for agent and customer use.

    Agent and Customer Experience

    • Agents: When selecting configurable products during sales transactions, the CPQ Configurator interface opens, displaying configurable options and dynamically updating selections with associated pricing.
    • Customers: Using the Business Portal for self-service transactions, customers launch the CPQ Configurator to customize products with real-time updates of selected options and pricing, ensuring accurate and transparent configuration.

    Users and Roles

    • Product Catalog Admins: Create configurable product offerings and generate blueprints containing attributes, rules, and relationships that ensure valid configurations.
    • Sales and Order Agents: Add configurable products to transactions such as opportunities, quotes, and orders within Sales Customer Relationship Management.
    • Customers: Configure products for self-service transactions through the Business Portal.

    Workflow

    The typical workflow involves several key steps:

    • System admin enables the CPQ Configurator if upgrading from a pre-Zurich release.
    • Product catalog admin creates and saves a configurable product and generates its blueprint.
    • Admin publishes the product offering and blueprint to the product catalog.
    • Agents or customers initiate transactions and select configurable products.
    • Users configure products via the CPQ Configurator interface and save configurations.
    • The configured product is added as a line item to the transaction.

    Benefits

    • For Product Catalog Admins: Simplifies creation and maintenance of blueprints containing configuration logic for complex products.
    • For Sales Agents and Customers: Enables quick and accurate product configuration based on attributes and business rules without needing deep product structure knowledge.
    • Attribute-Based Configuration: Unlike traditional product-based models that require manual product selection and risk errors, the attribute-based model prompts users with feature questions and automatically generates valid configurations with accurate pricing.

    Next Steps

    ServiceNow customers can explore additional resources to set up and optimize the CPQ Configurator, including:

    • Setting up the CPQ Configurator without guided setup
    • Creating configurable product offerings and blueprints
    • Using the CPQ Configurator interface
    • Accessing online help directly within the CPQ Configurator for product catalog admins

    The ServiceNow CPQ Configurator interface streamlines the process of configuring and pricing customizable products that are added to Sales Customer Relationship Management transactions.

    CPQ CPQ Configurator overview

    The ServiceNow CPQ Configurator is an attribute-based interface embedded in Sales Customer Relationship Management workflows for opportunities, quotes, orders, and product configuration changes involving sold products and contracts. Product catalog admins use the Configurator to manage the product configuration experience, while agents and customers use the Configurator interface to configure customizable products.

    Product catalog admin experience
    Product catalog admins create configurable product offerings using Product Catalog Management. After saving a configurable product, they run a synchronization process that generates an associated blueprint for the product. The blueprint contains all the product attribute values (also called fields), product and pricing configuration rules, product relationships, and child products that were defined for the product offering. The blueprint controls the product configuration experience for the product offering and is managed using the ServiceNow CPQ Configurator. When configuration is complete, catalog admins publish the product offering to a product catalog, which also deploys the corresponding blueprint for use.
    Agent experience
    When agents select a configurable product from the product catalog for a Sales Customer Relationship Management transaction, for example when creating an opportunity or quote, the CPQ Configurator opens. The configurator displays the options and features that can be selected. As agents configure the product, a dynamic list of their selections with associated pricing is also displayed.
    Customer experience
    When customers use self-service features, such as placing orders, and select a configurable product from the catalog, the ServiceNow CPQ Configurator launches in the Business Portal. The configurator displays the options and features available for the offering. As customers configure the product, a list of their selections and associated pricing updates dynamically, providing a real-time, accurate view of their customizations.

    ServiceNow CPQ Configurator users

    Table 1. Users
    User Description
    Product catalog admin Create configurable product offerings and generate the associated blueprints that contain the attributes (fields), product characteristics, product and pricing rules, product relationships, and child products, that guide valid product configuration by agents and customers.
    Sales and order agents Add configurable products to opportunities, quotes, orders, and other transactions such as sold products and contracts that involve configurable products in Sales Customer Relationship Management.
    Customers Add configurable products for self-service transactions in the Business Portal.

    ServiceNow CPQ Configurator workflow

    The following workflow describes the tasks involved in configuring and using the ServiceNow CPQ Configurator to configure customizable products.

    Figure 1. ServiceNow CPQ Configurator workflow for generating product blueprints and configuring customizable products
    Workflow that shows the tasks involved in configuring and using the ServiceNow CPQ Configurator, as described in the following steps
    1. If upgrading from a release before Zurich, the system admin enables the system property that runs the CPQ Configurator in Sales Customer Relationship Management applications.
    2. The product catalog admin creates and saves a configurable product offering in Product Catalog Management.
    3. The product catalog admin generates the product offering blueprint.
    4. The product catalog admin publishes the configurable product offering so that it’s available in the product catalog and also deployed as a blueprint.
    5. The agent creates a transaction, such as a quote or order in the CSM Configurable Workspace. Or a customer uses the Business Portal for a self-service transaction, for example, placing an order.
    6. The agent or customer selects a configurable product from the product catalog.
    7. The agent or customer configures the product using the ServiceNow CPQ Configurator.
    8. The agent or customer saves and closes the product offering configuration. The product offering is added as a line item for the transaction, such as a quote line or order line item.

    ServiceNow CPQ Configurator benefits

    Table 2. ServiceNow CPQ Configurator benefits
    Benefit Feature Users
    Generate and maintain blueprints that contain configuration logic (rules, attributes, product relationships) for complex products. Create configurable product offerings and associated blueprints Product catalog admins
    Quickly and accurately configure complex products based on requirements and product attributes, without requiring extensive knowledge of product structure and hierarchies. Using the CPQ Configurator Sales and order agents, customers

    Product-based and attribute-based configuration

    CPQ uses an attribute-based configuration model instead of a traditional product-based one.

    Product-based configuration
    • Requires sales reps to manually select products.
    • Carries a high risk of error due to changing lists and rules.
    Attribute-based configuration
    • Prompts users with questions about desired features.
    • Applies configuration rules to automatically generate valid outputs.
    • Produces results that can be quoted in Salesforce CPQ or purchased directly online.

    What to explore next

    To learn more about configuring and using the ServiceNow CPQ Configurator, see: