Manage Linear Relationships

When a product relies on another product, link them on the quote or order so the dependency stays accurate through ordering, activation, and amendments. For example, a communications provider can define that a Managed Wi-Fi service relies on an active Broadband Internet service. When a rep adds Managed Wi-Fi to a quote, the rep links it to the customer's broadband line. Salesforce carries the relationship from the quote to the order and then to the assets created at activation. If the broadband service is removed or canceled, Salesforce identifies that the Managed Wi-Fi dependency is no longer satisfied.

Required Editions

Available in: Lightning Experience

Available in: Enterprise, Unlimited, and Developer Editions with Communications Cloud Advanced

User Permissions Needed
To link products on a quote or an order:	Revenue Cloud for Communications Features OR CME Sales Features
To unlink products on a quote or an order:	Revenue Cloud for Communications Features OR CME Sales Features
To create an order from a quote:	Create Orders from Quotes AND Revenue Cloud for Communications Features AND CME Sales Features
To amend and renew linked assets:	Revenue Cloud for Communications Features OR CME Sales Features

In the quote line item, each source product shows one of these statuses.

Linked: The product meets all its dependencies.
Missing Links: The product is missing a required link, or has some but not all of the required links. This status blocks the quote or order until you link an eligible related product.
Not linked: An optional related product is available to link. This status doesn't block you.

A product with no Relies On rule shows no status and needs no action.

When you add a product with a Relies On rule to a quote or an order, Salesforce automatically links it to an eligible related product if only one match exists. If multiple products are eligible, Salesforce prompts you to select one. If a required dependency isn't met, Salesforce displays a validation message. The relationship flows from quote to order to asset and persists through amendments, keeping dependencies accurate across the lifecycle.

Automatic Linking

When you add a source product, Salesforce links it automatically to an eligible related product if only one match exists.

Automatic linking follows these rules:

Salesforce links the source product automatically only when exactly one eligible related product is already in the cart for the same recipient.
Salesforce evaluates linking once, when you add the source product (after the save completes), not while you configure the product or each time you edit it.
Salesforce never adds a missing related product for you. It links only to products that are already in the cart.
If two or more related products are eligible, Salesforce doesn't link automatically. Use Manage Links to select the product to link.
Automatic linking also applies to optional relationships when a single eligible candidate exists. You can unlink it if you don't want it, and only the nonblocking indicator remains.
Automatic linking doesn't run again after you unlink and later add another candidate. In that case, use Manage Links.

When automatic linking succeeds, a confirmation appears on the line items table, and the Linked Products column updates for the source product.

For example, a rep adds Home Internet to a quote that already contains one eligible Wi-Fi Gateway within the same quote. Salesforce links the gateway automatically because there is exactly one match. If the quote contains two eligible gateways, such as one for the living room and one for a home office, the rep opens Manage Links and selects the gateway that belongs with Home Internet. This prevents the service from being associated with the wrong device.

Link a Product Manually

Link a source product to its related product on a quote or an order so that the dependency is satisfied.

Find the source product in the quote line items table, and then select Manage Links.
Review the rule details and the list of eligible related products.
Select the products to link.
Save your changes.

The status updates to Linked.

Note If you select more products than the rule's maximum allows, a validation message asks you to deselect a product.

Unlink a Product

Remove a link between a source product and a related product when the dependency no longer applies.

For a new quote or order, you can unlink products that are in the same cart.

Find the source product, and then select Manage Links.
Deselect the products to unlink.
Save your changes.

Note When you unlink a product, the product's status depends on whether the rule is mandatory or optional.

If the rule is mandatory (minimum set to 1 or higher) and unlinking leaves the dependency unmet, the source product shows the Missing Links status, and Salesforce blocks the quote or order until you resolve the dependency.
If the rule is optional (minimum set to 0), the source product shows the Not linked status, which doesn't block the quote or order.

Review Links in the Side Panel

Select a source product to open the side panel, where you can review its Relies On rule and linked related product. The side panel shows the applicable rule and the linked related products, and you can unlink a product without opening the Manage Links window.

Relies On with Grouped Line Items

You can create Relies On links between grouped line items, not just standalone products.

Grouping affects how links are scoped and how splitting works.

Relationship scope stays within a group. A source product links to a related product in the same group. A group can relate to another group or to a standalone line item.
Removing a location or subscriber from a group also removes it from the related products, so the relationship stays consistent.
Deleting a group keeps the relationships. It unassigns its recipients but keeps the Relies On links between the line items.
A group that has a Relies On relationship cannot be split.

Review Relies On Warnings in the Configurator

When you configure a source product that has a mandatory Relies On rule, the configurator warns you if the required related product isn't linked.

The configurator doesn't show Relies On rule details, such as the rule name, related product, or cardinality. It shows only a warning when a source product's mandatory dependency isn't met. To resolve the warning, select Manage Links and link the required related product.

Create Orders from a Quote with Relies On Relationships

Convert a quote that has Relies On relationships into one or more orders while keeping each source product together with the related products it depends on.

When a quote includes linked line items, you create orders in one of two ways: as a single order, or as separate orders based on related products. Other order-splitting options aren't available for these quotes.

Open the quote, and then start order creation.
Choose how to create orders.
- To keep all line items in one order, select Create Single Order. The Relies On relationships from the quote are retained as they are.
- To split line items into separate orders by their related products, select Create Orders By Relies On Relationships.
Confirm the order creation.

Note Salesforce keeps each source product together with its linked related products in the same order and never splits a relationship across orders.

Create Assets from an Order with Linked Products

Activate an order so that its Relies On relationships become relationships between the new assets.

Open the completed order, and then activate it.
Review the results.
When you activate the order, Salesforce creates the assets from the line items and recreates the Relies On relationships between the new assets.
- Salesforce revalidates each relationship: the required number of linked products, any mandatory products, and whether the related product is still active.
- If a relationship breaks its limits, for example, a source product that needs at least one linked product has none, Salesforce blocks the activation and shows an error. Fix the relationship on the order, and then activate the order again.
For example, an order contains Managed Wi-Fi, which requires Broadband Internet. Before activation, the broadband line is removed from the order. Salesforce detects that Managed Wi-Fi would become an asset with no required dependency and blocks activation. The operations user fixes the order by restoring or relinking the broadband service before activating it.

Relies On Relationships Across the Asset Lifecycle

After an order activates, the Relies On relationships become relationships between the new assets and are respected through amend, renew, and cancel.

These are the Relies On statuses across the asset lifecycle.

Amend and renew: Linked relationships carry over unchanged.
Cancel: If canceling a product leaves a mandatory dependency unmet, Salesforce blocks the cancellation with a validation message. Review dependent assets in the asset viewer first.
Order activation: Salesforce creates the assets and rechecks the dependencies. If a cardinality rule isn't satisfied, Salesforce blocks activation with a validation error.

Note For an Amend, Renew, or Cancel action, you can unlink products that are on the same quote or order.

Review Related Assets

On the account, the asset table shows each asset together with its related assets, so you can see the dependency without opening each record. Select an asset to open the side panel, which shows the applicable Relies On rule and the related assets for that asset.

Amend and Renew Related Assets

Change or extend an asset that's part of a Relies On relationship without breaking the link.

From the account, open the asset that you want to change.
Amend or renew the asset.
- To change an active asset, select Amend.
- To extend an asset that's nearing its end date, select Renew.
Review the amend or renew quote.
The quote adds only the asset that you select.
Check the Linked Products column.
During an amendment or renewal, this column is read-only, and the relationship stays intact.
Submit the amendment or renewal.

Note To unlink two assets, add both the source asset and the related asset to the same quote or order. If either asset isn't on the quote or order, the link is read-only.

Cancel an Asset in a Relies On Relationship

Cancel an asset that's part of a Relies On relationship when no other product mandatorily relies on it.

You can't cancel an asset that another product mandatorily relies on, because doing so would leave active assets with a broken required dependency.

Before you cancel, review dependent assets in the Manage Asset Viewer on the account page.
Open the asset, and then select Cancel.

Note If canceling the asset would leave a mandatory dependency unmet, Salesforce blocks the cancellation and shows a validation message. Resolve the dependency first, for example, cancel or relink the dependent source product, and then cancel again.

Considerations for Linear Relationships

Review these considerations before you create and manage Relies On rules.

A source product or classification can have only one active Relies On rule at a time, even if a second rule targets a different related product. A rule on a classification also blocks a separate rule on any product in that classification, and the reverse.
You can't create direct circular dependencies. For example, if Product A relies on Product B, you can't create a rule where Product B relies on Product A. Salesforce blocks the save and shows an error.
You can edit or delete a Relies On rule only when no active asset uses it. Resolve the dependent assets first.
You can link products only within the same quote or order, and only to a related product for the same recipient or recipient group.