Salesforce has a few different products for managing things like product configuration, pricing, and quoting. Two of the most common are Salesforce CPQ and Revenue Cloud Advanced (RCA), which is part of the Revenue Lifecycle Management (RLM) platform. They can look similar from the outside, but they work differently behind the scenes. This guide explains the key differences and how they affect what you can do in Gearset.
Salesforce CPQ
Salesforce CPQ is the original product for handling product and pricing configuration. It’s a managed package that needs to be installed in your org. Once it’s installed, you’ll see objects with names like SBQQ__Quote__c and SBQQ__Product__c. Find out more about our support for Salesforce CPQ here.
Key things to know:
Uses the
SBQQ__namespace for its objects.Most configuration records in Salesforce CPQ are stored as metadata, which means you can deploy them using Gearset’s metadata deployment.
Gearset has an External ID wizard built to support the deployment of Salesforce CPQ.
It’s a mature product with lots of supporting documentation.
Revenue Cloud Advanced (RCA) / Revenue Lifecycle Management (RLM)
RCA is Salesforce’s newer product for managing the full revenue lifecycle. It’s designed to be more flexible and often doesn’t rely on the CPQ package at all. Instead, it uses standard or custom Salesforce objects like Product2, ProductConfiguration__c, and ExpressionSet__c.
Key things to know:
Doesn’t use the
SBQQpackage or namespace.Most configuration is stored as data, not metadata.
Gearset’s data deployment templates are the best approach for moving this data between environments.
Gearset’s External ID wizard doesn’t currently support RCA, but support is in development. Let us know if you would like to be part of the early access group.
What this means when using Gearset
Depending on which product your org is using, different parts of Gearset apply, here’s how you can check:
If you’re using Salesforce CPQ:
Look for the SBQQ package in your org’s installed packages. You can find this under Setup > Installed Packages. If you see a package called Salesforce CPQ (with objects like SBQQ__Quote__c), you’re using classic CPQ.
The External ID wizard is fully supported.
CPQ metadata can be deployed through the metadata deployment solution in Gearset, and data can be deployed using data deployment templates.
Data deployment can be used optionally for specific needs.
If you’re using Revenue Lifecycle Management (RLM):
Open the App Launcher in Salesforce and search for Revenue Lifecycle Management. If it shows up as an app, your org is using the newer RLM setup — which means configuration data is structured differently.
The External ID wizard won’t detect any CPQ objects.
RCA/RLM metadata can be deployed through the metadata deployment solution in Gearset, and data can be deployed using data deployment templates.
Data deployment is the recommended approach for deploying product configuration.
If you see a message like "can’t find any CPQ objects" when trying to use the External ID wizard, and you're working in an org without the SBQQ package, it's likely that your org is using RCA.
What we're building
We’re actively working on a new version of the External ID setup flow, designed specifically for RCA and RLM. It isn’t available yet, but we plan to launch it under a feature flag soon.
If you'd like early access or support with deploying RCA data in the meantime, let us know — we're happy to help.