CPQ Guided Selling

Core Concepts

Quote Process and the Guided Selling Wizard

A SBQQ__QuoteProcess__c record is the top-level configuration object for Guided Selling. Setting SBQQ__GuidedProductSelection__c = true on this record activates the wizard mode — without this flag the Quote Process does not show the guided selling wizard when a rep adds a product to a CPQ quote.

The Quote Process is activated for a quote in one of two ways:

1. Org-wide default: Set the Quote Process in CPQ Settings (Setup > Installed Packages > CPQ Settings > Quote section). All new quotes use this wizard unless overridden.
2. Pricebook-specific: Set SBQQ__GuidedSelling__c on a specific Pricebook2 record to a Quote Process Id. Quotes using that pricebook launch the associated wizard.

When a rep clicks "Add Products" on a CPQ quote and a Quote Process is active, the wizard opens and presents the ProcessInput questions in order. The rep's answers are used to filter Product2 records using the configured operator and field mapping.

ProcessInput Records and Field Mapping

Each SBQQ__ProcessInput__c record defines one question in the wizard. Key fields:

The runtime mechanism: when the rep submits their answers, CPQ reads the answer value stored on the ProcessInput record and executes a SOQL filter against Product2 using the SBQQ__SearchField__c API name and SBQQ__Operator__c. The answer value at runtime is held on the ProcessInput record itself — this is why the ProcessInput must have a field with the same API name as the Product2 field being filtered.

Custom Classification Field Mirroring

When a wizard question filters against a custom field on Product2 (e.g., Product_Category__c), CPQ reads the answer value from a field of the same API name on SBQQ__ProcessInput__c. This means:

1. The custom field (e.g., Product_Category__c) must exist on Product2.
2. A field with the identical API name (Product_Category__c) must also exist on SBQQ__ProcessInput__c.
3. Both fields must have compatible data types (text, picklist, number).
4. SBQQ__SearchField__c on the ProcessInput record must be set to the API name (Product_Category__c).

If the mirror field on SBQQ__ProcessInput__c is missing, the wizard appears to work — the question shows and the rep can answer — but the answer silently produces no filter, and CPQ returns all products regardless of the answer. This is the most common guided selling bug reported in production.

Search Types

CPQ Guided Selling supports three search types, set on the SBQQ__QuoteProcess__c record via SBQQ__SearchType__c:

For Custom search, the Apex class must implement the search(SBQQ.ProductSearchContext ctx) method from the SBQQ.ProductSearchPlugin interface and return a List<Id> of matching product IDs. The class name is registered in CPQ Settings under the "Product Search" section.

Auto Select Product

When SBQQ__AutoSelectProduct__c = true on the Quote Process, and the guided selling answers return exactly one matching product, CPQ skips the results list and adds that product directly to the quote. If zero products match, the wizard shows an empty results screen. If two or more products match, the standard product results grid is shown for manual selection.

This feature is useful for high-specificity wizards where the combination of answers is expected to uniquely identify a SKU. It should not be enabled when the answer set is broad enough to return multiple matches, as it can produce confusing behavior where a product appears on the quote without the rep explicitly choosing it.

Common Patterns

Pattern: Standard Guided Selling with Custom Classification Fields

When to use: The product catalog has custom classification fields (e.g., industry, deployment model, service tier) and reps should answer a sequence of dropdown questions to narrow the catalog.

How it works:

1. Create custom fields on Product2 for each classification dimension (e.g., Industry__c as a Picklist, Deployment_Model__c as a Picklist).
2. Create matching custom fields with the identical API names on SBQQ__ProcessInput__c using compatible data types.
3. Populate the classification fields on all Product2 records in the catalog.
4. Create a SBQQ__QuoteProcess__c record: set SBQQ__GuidedProductSelection__c = true, SBQQ__SearchType__c = 'Standard'.
5. Create one SBQQ__ProcessInput__c per question, setting SBQQ__SearchField__c to the API name, SBQQ__Operator__c to equals, SBQQ__InputType__c to Picklist, and SBQQ__Order__c for sequence.
6. Set the Quote Process as the org-wide default in CPQ Settings or attach it to the relevant Pricebook2 record.
7. Test by opening a CPQ quote, clicking "Add Products," and stepping through the wizard.

Why not the alternative: Using Product Families alone for guided selling limits classification to a single field. Custom classification fields on Product2 allow multi-dimensional filtering without modifying the managed package schema.

Pattern: Enhanced Search for Multi-Value Product Eligibility

When to use: A product should appear in results when the rep's answer matches any of several applicable values — for example, a product that applies to both "Healthcare" and "Financial Services" industries.

How it works:

1. Configure the classification field on Product2 and SBQQ__ProcessInput__c as above.
2. Set SBQQ__SearchType__c = 'Enhanced' on the Quote Process.
3. In Enhanced mode, the wizard renders a multi-select input for each question. The rep can select multiple values, and CPQ returns products that match any of the selected values for each question.
4. Ensure the classification field on Product2 stores values that exactly match the picklist values presented in the wizard — case-sensitive text matching is used.

Why not the alternative: Standard search with "contains" operator can partially approximate multi-value matching but is fragile when values share substrings. Enhanced search is the supported, purpose-built mechanism for OR-matching across classification values.

Decision Guidance

Recommended Workflow

Step-by-step instructions for an AI agent or practitioner working on this task:

1. Confirm CPQ installation and identify classification fields. Verify SBQQ__QuoteProcess__c and SBQQ__ProcessInput__c exist. List all Product2 fields the wizard will filter against. For each custom field, flag that a mirror field is required on SBQQ__ProcessInput__c.
2. Create mirror custom fields on SBQQ__ProcessInput__c. For every custom Product2 classification field involved in guided selling, create a field on SBQQ__ProcessInput__c with the identical API name and a compatible data type. This step is a prerequisite — skipping it causes silent filtering failures that are difficult to diagnose after the fact.
3. Populate Product2 classification fields. Ensure all products that should appear in guided selling results have values on the classification fields. Products with null values in a filtered field will not appear when the wizard applies that filter with an equals operator.
4. Create the Quote Process record. Set SBQQ__GuidedProductSelection__c = true. Choose the appropriate SBQQ__SearchType__c (Standard, Enhanced, or Custom). Set SBQQ__AutoSelectProduct__c if single-match auto-add is required.
5. Create ProcessInput records. For each question, create a SBQQ__ProcessInput__c record: set the parent Quote Process, label, order, search field API name, operator, input type, and required flag. Verify that SBQQ__SearchField__c matches the exact API name of the Product2 field (and the mirror field on ProcessInput).
6. Activate the Quote Process. Either set it as the org-wide default in CPQ Settings or link it to the relevant Pricebook2 via SBQQ__GuidedSelling__c. Test by opening a new CPQ quote and clicking "Add Products" to confirm the wizard launches.
7. Test all answer combinations and verify filtering. Test each question with a valid answer that should match products and confirm results are non-empty. Test with an answer that should produce zero matches. Test optional questions by leaving them blank and verify all products pass that filter. If any filter silently returns all products, check the mirror field on SBQQ__ProcessInput__c.

Review Checklist

Run through these before marking work in this area complete:

• SBQQ__GuidedProductSelection__c = true is set on the Quote Process record
• Every custom Product2 classification field used in guided selling has a mirror field with identical API name on SBQQ__ProcessInput__c
• SBQQ__SearchField__c on each ProcessInput matches the exact Product2 field API name (case-sensitive)
• All product records have non-null values on the classification fields they should be filtered by
• Search type (Standard / Enhanced / Custom) is explicitly set on the Quote Process
• ProcessInput records have unique, ordered SBQQ__Order__c values
• Required vs. optional questions are correctly marked with SBQQ__Required__c
• The Quote Process is activated (org-wide default or pricebook-level assignment confirmed)
• Auto Select Product behavior has been tested — if enabled, confirmed the answer set reliably produces a single match
• End-to-end wizard test completed in a sandbox with real CPQ quotes

Salesforce-Specific Gotchas

Non-obvious platform behaviors that cause real production problems:

1. Missing mirror field on SBQQ__ProcessInput__c causes silent all-product return — When a ProcessInput's SBQQ__SearchField__c references a custom field that does not exist on SBQQ__ProcessInput__c, CPQ cannot store the rep's answer at runtime. The wizard accepts the input but applies no filter — every product in the catalog appears in results. There is no error message. The only diagnostic is to check field existence on the ProcessInput object.
2. Products with null classification field values are excluded by equals-operator filters — If SBQQ__Operator__c = 'equals' and a Product2 record has a null value on the filtered field, it will never appear in guided selling results for that question, even if the rep selects a catch-all or leaves the question blank with Required = false. Products must be data-complete on all classification fields used in the wizard.
3. Auto Select Product fires even when the single match is not in the active pricebook — If the Quote Process has SBQQ__AutoSelectProduct__c = true and the one matching product is not in the quote's active pricebook, CPQ will attempt to add it and generate a pricebook entry error at line creation. Always confirm pricebook coverage for products surfaced by guided selling before enabling Auto Select.
4. SBQQ__GuidedProductSelection__c = false deactivates the wizard without deleting the record — A Quote Process with SBQQ__GuidedProductSelection__c = false does not launch the wizard; "Add Products" falls back to the standard product selector. This is an easy configuration mistake when cloning Quote Process records — always verify this flag on newly created or cloned records.

Output Artifacts

Related Skills

• cpq-product-catalog-setup — Use to configure the Product2 catalog and product bundles before setting up guided selling classification fields
• products-and-pricebooks — Use for standard Product2 and pricebook setup that guided selling filters operate against
• cpq-pricing-rules — Use when guided selling results feed into a pricing configuration that uses price rules or discount schedules
• quote-to-cash-requirements — Use during requirements gathering to confirm whether guided selling is the right product selection mechanism