Solution configurations
Summarize
Summary of Solution configurations
Solution configurations allow you to link multiple blueprints into a single, connected configuration session, enabling buyers to configure complex products with multiple independent components seamlessly. A solution configuration consists of a solution root (the initial configurable product) and one or more child configurations, each represented by separate blueprints. This setup provides a consolidated bill of materials (BOM) that aggregates all components configured in the session.
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This feature is ideal for complex products such as platforms combining hardware and software components, where each blueprint can be managed and updated independently. Solution configurations are an environment-level feature and must be enabled by ServiceNow Support.
Key Features
- Configurable product actions: Specialized product actions that link blueprints and support data passing via field mapping.
- Blueprint hierarchy: Supports parent-child relationships up to four levels deep, allowing nested configuration sessions.
- Independent blueprint deployment: Blueprints can be deployed and updated separately, enabling modular management.
- Field mapping: Allows passing of field values from parent to child configurations to maintain data consistency.
- Solution BOM: Provides a unified bill of materials consolidating all configured components across the solution.
- End user flexibility: Users can clone, add, or remove child configurations within the solution without restarting the session.
Benefits for ServiceNow CPQ Customers
- For administrators: Enables modular blueprint management, reduces duplication by reusing blueprints across solutions, and allows different teams to work independently on separate blueprints.
- For end users: Simplifies the buyer experience by connecting multiple configurations into a seamless workflow, improving efficiency and reducing configuration complexity.
When to Use Solution Configurations
Use solution configurations for complex products requiring multiple, independently deployable blueprints that must be configured in a connected session. For simpler use cases, consider alternatives like Sets (for managing many rows within a single blueprint), Product Pickers (for lightly configurable products), or multiple independent configurations (when unlinked outputs are needed).
Solution configurations let you link multiple blueprints together so buyers complete related product configurations in a single, connected session.
A solution configuration combines two or more blueprints into a coordinated configuration session. When a buyer reaches a product that requires additional configurable components, each component opens in its own child configuration — linked to the parent through configurable product actions. The result is a unified session with a consolidated bill of materials (BOM).
Solution configurations suit complex products that span multiple independent blueprints, such as a platform product that includes separately configurable hardware and software components. Each blueprint can be deployed and updated independently, and the same blueprint can participate in multiple solutions.
A configuration becomes a solution when at least one child configuration is added. The product that a buyer starts from is the solution root. From the root, any number of child configurations — and child-of-child configurations — can be created based on rules defined in the admin.
What is solution configuration
Configurable product actions are a specialized type of product action that can be added to rules. They are similar to standard product actions, but have a blueprint defined and can include field mapping to pass data between configurations. Advanced configurable product actions require that the product ID and the blueprint fields are defined outside of the script.
Solution configuration enables you to create interconnected blueprint hierarchies where:
- A solution root is the topmost configurable product that is launched by the end user.
- A parent (source) blueprint includes a rule with a configurable product action for another blueprint.
- A child (target) blueprint is used to create a child configuration when a configurable product action is triggered.
- A solution BOM is the aggregated bill of materials that rolls up across all configurations in the solution.
Benefits of solution configuration
Solution configuration provides distinct advantages for both ServiceNow CPQ administrators and end users.
- For administrators
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- Independent deployment: Each blueprint can be deployed independently, allowing for finer granularity when making changes or updates to a blueprint.
- Separation of concerns: Segment logical components from a configuration and allow different teams to work on blueprints without conflicting.
- Blueprint reusability: Blueprints can be reused as part of a solution, multiple solutions, or as independently configurable products, reducing duplication and maintenance overhead.
- For end users
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- End users can seamlessly work through multiple configurations without needing to relaunch ServiceNow CPQ each time.
- Users can clone valid child configurations in set-based solutions, with cloned nodes being fully independent of the original.
- Users can add blank nodes or remove nodes from the solution navigation sidebar as needed.
Key concepts
- Solution root: the top-level configurable product a buyer launches. All other configurations in the session are descendants of the root.
- Solution hierarchy: the parent-child relationship between configurable products in a session. The hierarchy is independent of the BOM hierarchy and supports a maximum depth of four levels, including the root.
- Solution BOM: the consolidated bill of materials that rolls up all products added across every configuration in the session.
- Field mapping: a mechanism for passing field values from a parent blueprint to a child blueprint when a child configuration is created or when a mapped source field changes.
When to use solution configurations
Solution configurations work well when you need to manage complex products as separate, independently deployable blueprints while keeping the buyer experience connected. For simpler scenarios, consider these alternatives:
- Sets: use when managing large numbers of rows that may have different configurations within the same blueprint.
- Product Pickers: use for lightly configurable products that do not require a separate blueprint.
- Multiple independent configurations: use when downstream systems require separate, unlinked configuration outputs.