---
schema_version: "1"
id: 142cb4ea7368729799fbffdca0251cb1f76dde759b3a6f05fefb6672959a55a0
title: Key Steps in the Vehicle Inventory Search Workflow
collection: admin
version: current
locale: en-us
portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/admin/current/en-us/ind/264-0-0/auto_inventory_objects.md
canonical_url: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=ind.auto_inventory_objects.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5
source_site: help.salesforce.com
content_type: documentation
content_hash: 4772b5bfa69a05c1f1d158199a35150d6c54783dc347cf6c7dd0e01b7e52b461
description: Before you set up a search configuration, understand the vehicle inventory search workflow in Automotive Cloud.
products:
  - Automotive
release: "264"
---
# Key Steps in the Vehicle Inventory Search Workflow

Before you set up a search configuration, understand the vehicle inventory search workflow in Automotive Cloud.

### Required Editions

<table class="slds-table slds-table_bordered slds-max-medium-table_stacked slds-m-bottom_small edition"><colgroup><col></colgroup><tbody><tr class=""><td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;">Available in: <strong>Enterprise</strong>, <strong>Unlimited</strong>, and <strong>Developer</strong> Editions.</td></tr></tbody></table>

## Explore the Vehicle Searchable Field Object

The Vehicle Searchable Field object combines fields from multiple objects and helps users search by using the different fields as criteria. Based on which fields are selected for search criteria and search result display, you must ensure that the source object records are populated with values for those fields.

For example, if Business Brand Name is selected as a search criteria, ensure that the Business Brand field is populated on Product records.

Similarly, if Total Quantity at Location is selected as a search result display field, ensure that the Quantity On Hand field is populated on Product Item records.

Think of the Vehicle Searchable Field object as the dataset that acts as the basis for inventory search. All fields are columns in the dataset and each record is a row. It’s critical to maintain detailed Vehicle, Vehicle Definition, Location, Serialized Product, Account, and Product Item records in your org. The values in the source objects get reflected for each field (column) in the dataset for each searchable record (row).

## Explore the Search Experience

Create a search criteria configuration to specify the following:

- Select which fields users can use as search criteria
- Select which fields are displayed for search results
- Select fields for sorting and aggregating search results
- Specify how the distance is calculated by the search framework to generate results
- Add the types of actions that users can take on the search results

Create a searchable object configuration to specify the following:

- Specify the data synchronization job that creates and updates records in the Vehicle Searchable Field object
- Map the search criteria fields to existing picklist fields on source objects so that users can search by selecting predefined values
- Convert the text-type search result fields into hyperlinks so that users can open a record from the search results

## Explore the Data Processing Engine

The Update Vehicle Searchable Field Values Data Processing Engine definition combines fields from multiple objects and transforms source records to write back data into the Vehicle Searchable Field object. Clone the template and activate the definition to use in your searchable object configuration.

You can also create a scheduled flow to run the definition at regular intervals so that users always search on the latest data and get near real-time inventory visibility.

## Explore the Stages in a Vehicle’s Lifecycle

<table class="slds-table slds-table_bordered slds-max-medium-table_stacked slds-m-bottom_small ">
        <colgroup>
          <col style="width:27.208480565371023%">
          <col style="width:55.12367491166078%">
          <col style="width:17.6678445229682%">
        </colgroup>
        <thead class="slds-text-title_caps ">
          <tr class="">
            <th scope="col" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" id="d122560e140">Stage</th>
            <th scope="col" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" id="d122560e143">Scenario</th>
            <th scope="col" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" id="d122560e146">Considered by Search?</th>
          </tr>
        </thead>
        <tbody>
          <tr class="">
            <td data-label="Stage" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d122560e140 ">When a vehicle isn’t yet at a dealer location but the serial number is
              known.</td>

            <td data-label="Scenario" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d122560e143 ">
              <p>Neo Luxe is a product record that specifies the brand name, make and model name,
                and the model year.</p>
              <p>Neo Luxe CD4 LS is a vehicle definition record that specifies additional
                information about the vehicle model such as transmission type, fuel type, and geo
                country.</p>
              <p style="margin-bottom:0;">Multiple serialized product records are associated with the Neo Luxe product
                depending on how many vehicles of this specific model are manufactured. Each
                serialized product record has a unique serial number.</p>
            </td>

            <td data-label="Considered by Search?" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d122560e146 ">Yes</td>

          </tr>
          <tr class="">
            <td data-label="Stage" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d122560e140 ">When a vehicle is at a dealer location and is tracked as inventory.</td>

            <td data-label="Scenario" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d122560e143 ">
              <p>Dream Dallas Dealers is an account record and Dallas West is an associated
                location record related to this account.</p>
              <p>A new vehicle record is created for Neo Luxe CD4 LS 2022 with a vehicle
                identification number that matches the serial number on the serialized product
                record. The vehicle record also captures key attributes such as color, odometer
                status, and gear box type.</p>
              <p>Each vehicle record in Automotive Cloud is linked to an asset record. The serial
                number on the asset matches the vehicle identification number.</p>
              <p style="margin-bottom:0;">A product item record is created that links the Dallas West location to the
                serialized product record for a vehicle.</p>
            </td>

            <td data-label="Considered by Search?" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d122560e146 ">Yes</td>

          </tr>
          <tr class="">
            <td data-label="Stage" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d122560e140 ">When a vehicle is sold to a customer and is no longer part of
              inventory.</td>

            <td data-label="Scenario" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d122560e143 ">
              <p>The status of the asset and the corresponding vehicle records are set to
                Sold.</p>
              <p style="margin-bottom:0;">The serialized product record is now not related to a product item but to the
                asset.</p>
            </td>

            <td data-label="Considered by Search?" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d122560e146 ">No</td>

          </tr>
          <tr class="">
            <td data-label="Stage" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d122560e140 ">When a used vehicle is returned to a dealer and becomes a part of the inventory
              again.</td>

            <td data-label="Scenario" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d122560e143 ">
              <p>If the vehicle is returned to the same dealer location, the serialized product
                record is updated to link it to the product item and not the asset.</p>
              <p style="margin-bottom:0;">If the vehicle is returned to a different dealer location, a new product item is
                created with the serialized product and the new location.</p>
            </td>

            <td data-label="Considered by Search?" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d122560e146 ">Yes</td>

          </tr>
        </tbody>
      </table>