Introduction
One of the most common requirements in Salesforce Revenue Cloud implementations is carrying custom field values from your Product catalog down to Quote Line Items. Whether itโs a pricing method, product category, or any other custom attribute, you need these values available on the quote line for reporting, pricing procedures, or downstream processes.
In this guide, Iโll walk you through the complete setup for mapping a custom field from Product to Quote Line Item using Context Definitions and cross-context mappings.
The Challenge
When a user browses your product catalog and adds a product to a quote, how do you ensure custom field values automatically populate on the Quote Line Item?
Revenue Cloud doesnโt automatically transfer custom fields between objects. Instead, it usesย Context Definitionsย as an intermediary layerโa bridge between Salesforce objects and the Revenue Cloud engine.
For our example, weโll use a picklist field calledย Pricing_Method__cย with values:
- Standard
- Cost
- Block
This field exists on the Product object, and we want it to automatically populate on the Quote Line Item when a product is added to a quote.
Prerequisites
Before starting, ensure you have:
- A Revenue Cloud-enabled Salesforce org (Enterprise, Unlimited, or Developer Edition)
- Admin access to modify Context Definitions
- The custom field created on bothย Product2ย andย QuoteLineItemย objects
- An active Product Discovery (Browse Products) context definition
- An active Sales Transaction context definition
Understanding the Architecture
Revenue Cloud uses two key context definitions for this flow:
Product Discovery Context
- Used when users browse and add products to a quote
- Weโll create a customย Productย node here to hold our custom field attributes
Sales Transaction Context
- Used when building and managing the quote
- Contains theย SalesTransactionItemย node that maps to Quote Line Item
The Data Flow
Product (Salesforce Object)
โ Object Mapping
Product Discovery Context (Product Node)
โ Cross-Context Mapping
Sales Transaction Context (SalesTransactionItem Node)
โ Object Mapping
Quote Line Item (Salesforce Object)
Context Definitions act as the bridge between Salesforce objects and the Revenue Cloud engine. Data flows through these contexts via mappings that you configure.
Step-by-Step Guide
Step 1: Create the Custom Fields
If you havenโt already, create your custom field on both objects:
- Navigate toย Setup โ Object Manager โ Product โ Fields & Relationships
- Create a new picklist field calledย
Pricing_Method__cย with values: Standard, Cost, Block - Repeat forย Quote Line Itemย object
Note:ย The field API names should match on both objects to keep things simple, though this isnโt strictly required.
Step 2: Modify the Product Discovery Context Definition
Navigate to your Product Discovery context definition:
- Go toย Setup โ Context Definitions
- Click theย Custom Definitionsย tab
- Find and open your active Product Discovery context definition (e.g., โBrowse Products Context Definitionโ)
- Clickย Edit
Create a New Product Node
- Clickย Nextย to get to the Structure page
- Locate theย Categoryย node in the structure
- Click on the Category node and selectย Add Child Node
- Name the new node:ย
Productย (it will automatically get theย__cย suffix) - Clickย Next
Add the Attribute
- On the Edit Attributes page, select your newย Productย node on the left
- Clickย Add Attribute
- Configure the attribute:
- Name:ย
PriceMethodย (or match your field name) - Type:ย Input/Output
- Data Type:ย Picklist
- Name:ย
- Clickย Next
Add the Tag
- On the Attribute Tags page, expand yourย Productย node
- Find your newย
PriceMethodย attribute - Clickย Add Tag
- Enter the tag value (use the same name as the attribute for simplicity):ย
PriceMethod - Clickย Done
- Clickย Save
Step 3: Configure the Product Discovery Mapping
Now we need to map the Salesforce Product object to our new context node:
- In your Product Discovery context definition, go to theย Map Dataย tab
- Find the activeย Product Discovery Mappingย record
- Click the dropdown arrow and selectย Edit S Object Mapping
- In the popup, clickย Map
Add the Product Object
- On the mapping page, click theย +ย (plus) icon in the top right
- Search for and select theย Productย object
- Clickย Done
Map the Node and Field
- On the left side (Context), select yourย Productย node
- On the right side (Salesforce Objects), select theย Productย object
- This maps the node to the object
- Expand theย Unmapped Fieldsย section on both sides
- Selectย
PriceMethodย on the left - Selectย
Pricing_Method__cย on the right - Clickย Save and Publish
Step 4: Modify the Sales Transaction Context Definition
Navigate to your Sales Transaction context definition:
- Go toย Setup โ Context Definitions
- Click theย Custom Definitionsย tab
- Find and open your active Sales Transaction context definition
- Clickย Edit
Add the Attribute
- Clickย Nextย to skip the standard data page (no changes needed)
- On the Edit Attributes page, selectย SalesTransactionItemย on the left
- Clickย Add Attribute
- Configure the attribute:
- Name:ย
PriceMethod - Type:ย Input/Output
- Data Type:ย Picklist
- Name:ย
- Clickย Next
Add the Tag
- On the Attribute Tags page, expandย SalesTransactionItem
- Find your newย
PriceMethodย attribute - Clickย Add Tag
- Enter the tag value:ย
PriceMethod - Clickย Done
- Clickย Save
Step 5: Configure the Quote Entities Mapping
Map the Sales Transaction context to the Quote Line Item object:
- In your Sales Transaction context definition, go to theย Map Dataย tab
- Find theย Quote Entities Mappingย record
- Click the dropdown arrow and selectย Edit S Object Mapping
- Clickย Map
Map the Field
- On the left side, expandย SalesTransactionItemย and findย
PriceMethodย in the Unmapped section - On the right side, expandย QuoteLineItemย and findย
Pricing_Method__cย in the Unmapped section - Select both fields to create the mapping
- Clickย Save and Publish
Step 6: Configure the Cross-Context Mapping
This is the critical step that links the Product Discovery context to the Sales Transaction context:
- In your Sales Transaction context definition, go to theย Map Dataย tab
- Find theย Product Discovery Context Mappingย record
- Click the dropdown arrow and selectย Edit S Object Mapping
- Clickย Map
Add the Data Source
- On the mapping page, youโll see the Sales Transaction context on the left and nothing on the right
- Clickย Add Data Source
- Selectย Context Definition Objectsย (not Salesforce Objects)
- Choose your active Product Discovery context definition (e.g., โBrowse Products Context Definitionโ)
- Clickย Done
Map the Nodes
- On the left side, selectย SalesTransactionItem
- On the right side, select yourย Productย node
- This maps the nodes together
Map the Fields
- Expand the Unmapped Fields on both sides
- Selectย
PriceMethodย under SalesTransactionItem on the left - Selectย
PriceMethodย under Product on the right - Clickย Save and Publish
Testing the Configuration
Now letโs verify everything works:
- Update a Product recordย with a value forย
Pricing_Method__cย (e.g., โBlockโ) - Create or open a Quote
- Browse the catalogย and add the product you updated
- Save the quote
- View the Quote Line Item recordย โ theย
Pricing_Method__cย field should now display โBlockโ
If the value appears on the Quote Line Item, your mapping is working correctly.
Troubleshooting
If the field value isnโt mapping:
- Verify all mappings are publishedย โ Each mapping must be saved and published
- Check the context definition is activeย โ Only active context definitions are used
- Confirm the field has a value on the Productย โ Blank values wonโt display anything
- Review the cross-context mappingย โ This is the most commonly missed step
- Clear your browser cacheย and refresh the quote page
Whatโs Next
This is part of a series on field mapping in Revenue Cloud:
- Part 1: Quote Line Item โ Order Product
- Part 2: Product โ Quote Line Item (this guide)
- Part 3: Order Product โ Asset Action Source (coming soon)
By implementing all three mappings, you can carry custom field values through the entire quote-to-cash lifecycle.
Summary
Mapping custom fields in Revenue Cloud requires understanding how Context Definitions work as the intermediary layer between Salesforce objects. The key steps are:
- Create fields on both source and target objects
- Add a custom node (for Product Discovery) or use existing nodes (for Sales Transaction)
- Add attributes and tags to the context definitions
- Configure object mappings for each context
- Create the cross-context mapping to link the two contexts
Once configured, your custom field values will automatically flow from Product to Quote Line Item whenever users add products to quotes.
Have questions about Revenue Cloud context definitions? Drop a comment below or reach out on LinkedIn.