In Salesforce Revenue Cloud, Decision Tables are emerging as game-changers for streamlining complex pricing decisions and automating business rules. These tables act as robust tools to handle intricate logic and enable accurate, efficient pricing and product configurations.
What Are Decision Tables?
Decision Tables are complex lookup tables designed to interpret business rules using multiple inputs and return multiple outputs. They are essentially the Business Rules Engine (BRE) equivalent of Vlocity Calculation Matrices.
While Salesforce Industries EPC and CPQ traditionally use Decision Tables for pricing, Revenue Cloud elevates their utility by integrating them into pricing procedures and product selection logic.
How Are Decision Tables Different?
Unlike traditional lookup tables, Decision Tables offer:
- Multi-Input Logic: Handle multiple variables simultaneously for more refined decision-making.
- Multi-Output Capabilities: Return multiple values at once, reducing the need for additional rules or calculations.
- Object Connectivity: Link up to four objects, enabling cross-object lookups.
- Versatility: Apply them not just in pricing but also in product qualification, discounts, and automation workflows.
Why Use Decision Tables?
By acting as a centralized repository for business logic, Decision Tables simplify complex scenarios and enhance system efficiency. Here are a few reasons to adopt them:
- Streamlined Pricing Decisions: They automate pricing adjustments based on multiple conditions, ensuring accuracy and consistency.
- Reduced Complexity: Replace numerous custom objects, fields, and rules with a single, consolidated Decision Table.
- Dynamic Product Selection: Guide users in selecting the right products based on qualification criteria.
- Scalability: Easily adapt to changes in business logic without extensive reconfiguration.
Common Use Cases
1. Dynamic Pricing Adjustments
In Salesforce CPQ and Revenue Cloud, Decision Tables work seamlessly with Price Adjustment Matrix elements to dynamically calculate pricing.
- Example: Adjusting discounts based on volume tiers, regions, or customer types.
2. Product Recommendations
Decision Tables simplify product qualification by applying predefined rules.
- Example: Suggesting additional products or restricting incompatible configurations based on user inputs.
Setting Up a Decision Table
To maximize the potential of Decision Tables, follow these steps:
- Create a Custom Object
- Define a custom object to store the lookup values or conditions.
- Prepare Input and Output Fields
- Add fields to your objects (e.g., Quote Line Item) to capture input values and store outputs.
- Build the Decision Table
- Create and configure the table using Salesforce’s Business Rules Engine. Define inputs, outputs, and logic.
- Integrate with Pricing Recipes
- Add the Decision Table to your default Pricing Recipe to make it operational during pricing calculations.
- Incorporate into Procedures
- Update your Pricing Procedure and Product Discovery Procedure to include Decision Table logic.
- Sync Settings
- Go to Pricing Settings in Setup and sync the updates to ensure the changes are applied.
Decision Tables vs. Lookup Tables
While both serve as tools for applying logic, Decision Tables far exceed traditional lookup tables in functionality:
Conclusion
Decision Tables in Salesforce Revenue Cloud are not just lookup tables—they are a robust framework for automating and streamlining business logic. From managing complex pricing rules to driving intelligent product recommendations, they empower businesses to scale their processes while maintaining accuracy.
If your organization is leveraging Salesforce Revenue Cloud or CPQ, incorporating Decision Tables can unlock a new level of efficiency and flexibility.