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Rules are the enforcement layer of your deal desk. They automate pricing adjustments, prevent invalid configurations, enforce discount guardrails, and trigger approval workflows — all in real time as reps build quotes. Every rule follows the same pattern: if a condition is met on a quote, then take an action. The condition can evaluate anything from the total deal discount to a specific product’s quantity. The action can display a warning, block the quote from saving, adjust pricing automatically, or route the deal for approval. Rules are configured by admins in the Admin Console > Price Books > Rules and apply automatically during quoting. Reps don’t need to know the rules exist — they see the results as alerts, price adjustments, or approval requirements on their quotes.

Rule kinds

Every rule has a kind that determines where it evaluates and what it can do. There are four kinds:
KindWhere it evaluatesWhat it doesUse case
Quote ValidationThe entire Pricing OptionValidates deal-level conditions and can warn, block, or require approval.”Discount cannot exceed 25% on any option.”
Pricing RuleLine items or the optionAutomatically adjusts pricing based on conditions.”Apply 5% bundle discount when Platform and Analytics are both present.”
Row ValidationIndividual line itemsValidates line-level conditions and can warn, block, or require approval.”Discount on this SKU cannot exceed 10%.”
Formula RuleCustom scopeEvaluates complex logic using the formula engine.”If TCV exceeds $500k and term is less than 2 years, require VP approval.”
Choose the kind based on what you’re trying to enforce. Quote Validation and Row Validation are the most common starting points. Pricing Rules are for automated adjustments. Formula Rules are for complex multi-variable logic.

Creating a rule

Navigate to Admin Console > Price Books > Rules and click Create New Rule.

Rule details

Every rule starts with four fields:
FieldDescription
NameA clear, descriptive name (e.g., “Enterprise Discount Limit”, “Require Shipping on Hardware”).
DescriptionAn explanation of what the rule does and why, for other admins.
StatusActive or Inactive. Only active rules are evaluated during quoting.
KindThe rule type: Quote Validation, Pricing Rule, Row Validation, or Formula Rule.
Click Save to create the rule, then build the logic.

Building rule sets

A rule’s logic is defined through one or more Rule Sets. Each Rule Set is an “if/then” block consisting of a Scope, one or more conditions (Facts + Operators), and an Action. Click New Rule Set to start building.

Scope

The scope determines what the rule is evaluating: the whole Option (deal-level) or a specific Row (line-item-level).

Facts

Facts are the data points available for building conditions. The available facts depend on the scope:
FactWhat it evaluates
Billing FrequencyThe billing cadence selected on the option.
Currency CodeThe currency of the option.
Discount %The overall discount percentage on the option.
Recurring Discount %The discount percentage on recurring items only.
List PriceThe total list price before adjustments.
Final RateThe final rate after all adjustments.
Product CountThe number of distinct products on the option.
Promotion CountThe number of promotions applied.
YearThe year of the commitment (for multi-year deals).
TotalThe total deal value.
Recurring TotalThe total recurring value.
One-time TotalThe total one-time value.

Operators

Compare facts against values using standard operators:
OperatorUsage
Equals / Not EqualsExact match or exclusion.
Is Greater Than or Equal ToNumeric threshold (inclusive).
Is Less ThanNumeric upper bound.
Is In / Is None OfMatch against a list of values (e.g., “SKU is in [PLATFORM-001, ANALYTICS-001]”).

Multiple conditions

You can add multiple conditions to a single Rule Set (all must be true for the action to fire), or create sub-conditions that target the same row for more granular control. Example: A rule that triggers when the discount is greater than 20% and the billing frequency is monthly and the product category is “Enterprise.”

Actions

When a Rule Set’s conditions are met, the system takes an action. Actions have two components: a message and a severity.

Message

A custom text message displayed to the rep on the quote. Write clear, actionable messages that explain what’s wrong and what needs to happen. Good: “Discount exceeds 20% on Enterprise products. Requires VP approval.” Bad: “Rule violated.”

Severity

SeverityBehavior
WarnFlags a warning on the quote. The rep can see the alert but can still save and continue editing. The warning must be resolved (typically through approval) before publishing.
ErrorBlocks the rep from saving or moving forward until the condition is resolved. Use for hard constraints that should never be violated (e.g., selling below cost).
Start with Warn severity for most rules. This lets reps continue building the deal while surfacing the issue. Reserve Error severity for non-negotiable constraints where the deal configuration is fundamentally invalid.

Approval triggers

Rules can require formal approval before the quote can be published.
  1. Toggle Requires Approver on the Rule Set’s action.
  2. Select the Approval Tier from your predefined tiers (configured in Approvals).
When the rule fires, the Publish button on the quote changes to Request Approval, and the deal is routed to the appropriate tier. The quote cannot be published until the approver signs off. Example setup:
RuleConditionSeverityApproval tier
Moderate discountDiscount 10-20%WarnTier 1: Sales Manager
Large discountDiscount > 20%WarnTier 2: VP of Sales
Below-cost pricingNet price < costError(blocks entirely)
Non-standard termsPayment terms > Net-30WarnTier 3: Finance

Common rule patterns

Maximum discount limit

  • Kind: Quote Validation
  • Scope: Option
  • Fact: Discount %
  • Operator: Is Greater Than or Equal To
  • Value: 25
  • Action: Warn, “Deal discount exceeds 25%. Requires Deal Desk approval.”
  • Approval: Tier 2 (Deal Desk)

Product-specific discount cap

  • Kind: Row Validation
  • Scope: Row
  • Condition 1: Product SKU equals PLATFORM-001
  • Condition 2: Row Discount is Greater Than or Equal To 15
  • Action: Warn, “Platform discount exceeds 15%. Requires manager approval.”
  • Approval: Tier 1 (Sales Manager)

Required product bundling

  • Kind: Quote Validation
  • Scope: Option
  • Condition 1: Category “Hardware” product count > 0
  • Condition 2: Category “Shipping” product count equals 0
  • Action: Error, “Hardware products require a Shipping line item.”

Multi-product bundle discount

  • Kind: Pricing Rule
  • Scope: Option
  • Condition: Product Count is Greater Than or Equal To 3
  • Action: Apply 5% automatic discount to all recurring line items.

How rules connect to the rest of the platform

Rules don’t operate in isolation. They reference and interact with multiple parts of the Veles configuration: Product Categories can be used as conditions. Rules can fire based on which product families are present on a quote. Data Sheets can provide the reference values for rule conditions. A discount threshold data sheet keyed by customer segment allows different limits for Enterprise vs. SMB deals. Custom Fields on products and quote lines can be evaluated in rule conditions, enabling rules based on region, vertical, or other metadata. Approval Tiers are the escalation targets when rules require sign-off. The tier system and the org hierarchy determine who reviews the deal. Quote Lines display rule alerts directly on the affected line item, giving reps immediate visibility into which lines triggered which rules.

The workflow at a glance

1

Define the rule

Name it, describe it, set the kind, and activate it.
2

Build the rule set

Choose the scope, select facts, set operators, and define the condition.
3

Configure the action

Write the message, set the severity (Warn or Error), and optionally enable approval routing with a specific tier.
4

Test

Build a test quote that triggers the rule. Verify the alert appears, the message is clear, and the approval routes correctly.

What’s next

Quote Validation Rules

Rules that evaluate the entire Pricing Option.

Pricing Rules

Rules that automatically adjust pricing based on conditions.

Row Validation Rules

Rules that evaluate individual line items.

Formula Rules

Complex multi-variable logic using the formula engine.

Approvals

Configure the approval tiers that rules route to.

Translating SFDC Rules

Migrating from Salesforce CPQ? Map your existing rules to Veles.