What are the Salesforce CPQ Implementation Challenges?

Salesforce CPQ is a popular CPQ solution. But why is Salesforce CPQ so new to test automation for an application with many large-scale implementations?

Read on to learn the primary CPQ implementation challenges in testing and some examples of how Provar has solved these challenges.

What is Salesforce CPQ?

Salesforce CPQ (formerly Steelbrick) is a Configure-Price-Quote solution built on Salesforce Lightning. Salesforce CPQ streamlines configuration & ensures pricing & quoting accuracy, speeding opportunity, quoting, and proposals while removing errors from the workflow.

Salesforce CPQ Testing Approaches

Many organizations that use Salesforce CPQ don’t do automated testing, preferring to test each release manually.

At Provar, we encounter some CPQ implementation challenges and a variety of approaches. Some businesses are new to automation, and others are familiar with traditional solutions and are looking for something more maintainable.

What’s interesting about Salesforce CPQ testing is that fewer organizations already have automation. At Provar, we’ve met many Salesforce CPQ customers who come to us without an existing solution, preferring to test each release manually. So what’s holding them back?

We’ve discovered three main testing challenges in our work on Salesforce CPQ testing.

Challenge #1: Salesforce CPQ Field Locators

In our product development, we’ve found that Salesforce CPQ testing is complicated with traditional automation methods such as Selenium.

Salesforce CPQ pages heavily use Shadow DOM, which can only be accessed using CCS locators, not Field IDs or XPaths. The standards for doing this are still agreeable.

However, one thing is well known: CSS locators don’t allow you to match on text. It makes it especially difficult to locate certain Shadow DOM elements.

Provar Solution #1: Specialized CPQ locators

Provar has specialized CPQ locators which give reliable results, even on Shadow DOM pages. In Provar, the user maps the field, as usual, using the Test Builder, and offering Salesforce CPQ locator type automatically:

It helps to reduce user error and ensures a future-proof locator.

Challenge #2: Salesforce CPQ Tabs and Tables

Another complexity of Salesforce CPQ testing is when pages contain internal tabs which control the table and fields visible under the tab.

These can be difficult to control with Selenium because awareness of the ‘active tab’ is crucial. If the wrong tab is selected, you can’t find the right fields, leading to test failures.

Provar Solution #2: Inbuilt Tab and Table Mapping

Provar maps Salesforce CPQ tabs and tables automatically, removing the risk of error. When mapping a field for the first time, Provar will create a new Page Object for the tab or table if they are new or add a field to an existing Page Object if the tab or using a table.

Handling tab switching automatically, so no input from the user is needed when interacting with fields on a different tab.

The process for mapping tabs and tables in Salesforce CPQ testing is similar to the method for mapping standard Salesforce tabs and tables, for example, in a Service Cloud Console. It makes it easy for new users to learn.

Challenge #3: Quote Line Editor Drawers

As of Salesforce CPQ 28.0, using Quote Line Editor Drawers in the quote line editor to handle a large field set better.

Placing specific fields in a collapsible drawer below each line item, accessible by clicking the arrow at the end of a quote line:

Much like tables and tabs, these can be difficult to handle because the arrow must be at the ‘expand’ setting to access the fields underneath. Not handling the arrow precisely will lead to failures. That is why it is considered a CPQ implementation challenge by most businesses.

Provar Solution #3: Automatic Drawer Handling

In Provar, these drawers are handled automatically by Provar and do not need to be mapped by the user:

All that’s needed is mapping the field as usual, and Provar’s metadata integration will handle the arrow set. It reduces failures by ensuring the right field is visible d during the test.

Want to know more?

Splunk achieved an overall 75% reduction in test effort after three months of using Provar for their Salesforce CPQ testing solution. Click here to read the success story.

Get in touch to see a full demo of Provar’s Salesforce CPQ testing solution.

Further Reading

Visit our Salesforce CPQ testing help page for more information on using Provar’s Salesforce CPQ testing features.