Where are the exceptions that led to the final commercial agreement?
Ask it in exactly those words, then map the answer. In most CPQ setups the exceptions sit in at least three record types, each with its own retention behavior. The final quote is clean by design; the negotiation that shaped it is what a replacement project quietly leaves behind.
In Salesforce CPQ with Advanced Approvals, for example, approval rules decide which approvers receive a request, and each approver gets an approval record that tracks its status. On resubmission, approvers are not asked again if the tested field has not changed. That is efficient for sales, and it means the record of why a deal was approved can live in an earlier approval round rather than on the final quote. Field history adds another layer: Salesforce retains it for up to 18 months in the interface and up to 24 months through the API unless Field Audit Trail is in use, and tracking covers only the fields someone chose to track, from the day they turned it on.
SalesforceFor AI training and evaluation, the value is the pairing: a requested exception, the rule it tripped, the decision and the final terms. The deal desk approval process page describes those records as a data type. This page is about catching them at the replacement moment.
Field map: where one discount exception leaves records
Illustrative. A 180-person industrial software reseller is replacing its CPQ. One enterprise renewal with a nonstandard discount leaves this trail:
| Exception element | Where it is usually recorded | Typical replacement treatment |
|---|---|---|
| Rep's discount request and reason | Quote line field or a request note | Final value migrated, reason often dropped |
| Approval rule that fired | Approval rule and approval record | Rules rebuilt in the new tool, history not imported |
| Approver decision and comment | Approval record status and comments | Kept only if the old org stays readable |
| Earlier rejected version of the quote | Prior quote version or cloned quote | Frequently excluded as "superseded" |
| Change to payment terms or term length | Field history on the quote or contract | Subject to the 18 to 24 month window |
| Rep and manager back-and-forth | Email, chat or CRM activity | Rarely linked to the quote at all |
| Final signed order form | Contract or document storage | Migrated |
Only the last row reliably moves. The six above it explain it. If the owner can say which of those rows the company still has, and for how many years, you have a meaningful metadata-level description without seeing a single record.
The opening conversation
Keep it to the project you are already running. Three questions after a design session are enough:
- Where are the exceptions that led to the final commercial agreement: approval records, field history, email, or somewhere else?
- Will the old CPQ stay readable after cutover, and who decides how long?
- Who owns pricing and approval history, and are there customer contract terms that limit how it can be used?
If the answer to the first question is "everywhere, and nobody has looked", note that and stop. That is still a useful finding for the project, and the archive plan can pick it up.
Why is nonstandard approval context easy to overlook?
Because a replacement project is scoped around what the new tool needs to quote tomorrow: products, price books, rules and open quotes. The exception trail is history, it is spread across several record types, and no single team owns it. Reps move on, approvers change roles, and the comments that explain a hard-won discount stop being anyone's concern once the deal is signed.
The vendor timeline rarely forces the question either. Salesforce describes its CPQ as end of sale rather than end of life: existing customers can keep using it, add users, renew and receive support, and Salesforce names Revenue Cloud Advanced as the successor. So a replacement is usually a planned project, and whatever urgency exists comes from the company's own cutover and archive plan, not from the vendor. A field history window that has already passed is a finding, not an emergency: if only the last 24 months of field changes survive, say so. The field history retention explainer covers the Salesforce limits in more depth, and advisors running a broader quote-to-cash program can use the ERP replacement guide for the wider timeline.
How do you disclose the reward and get the owner's permission?
Ask permission before you mention SourceX at all. When you do, say plainly that SourceX licenses approved business data directly from companies for AI training and evaluation, that you are a SourceX referral partner, and that a qualifying completed and paid license may lead to a reward which SourceX pays separately and which never reduces the company's compensation.
If the owner wants to explore it, introduce the CEO, who can authorize a licensing discussion, along with the person who owns pricing and approval history, usually the CRO or CFO. Describe the record types and the years they cover, and state that you have not exported or reviewed any records. Sign the Channel Partner Agreement before submitting the introduction.
Does the company qualify, and who can authorize a licensing discussion?
Check fit before you raise licensing. The company needs 50+ full-time employees at peak (contractors excluded), a documented operating history, rights to license the records, and an authorized contact. Companies in the U.S., Canada and the EU qualify, as do companies in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, India, Singapore, South Africa, Latin America, the UAE and Saudi Arabia when at least 90% of the data is in English.
| Question | What a RevOps consultant can usually confirm | What stays unknown until SourceX reviews |
|---|---|---|
| Which records exist? | Approval records, quote versions, tracked field history | Whether buyers need that record type |
| Who owns them? | The company, subject to customer contract terms | The rights review result |
| Who can authorize? | CEO, often the owner | Dataset scope and preparation |
| How much and how long? | Rough deal count and years covered | The company's offer and any reward |
Customer names and pricing in quote history are sensitive, which is one more reason partners stay at the level of what, how much, how long, which system and who owns it. The RevOps partner page and the first-month plan for RevOps consultants cover how this fits a wider practice; the partner hub lists other roles.
Attribution goes to the first valid introduction within the 90-day window, credited when the company submits a verified application, with one partner credited per company. Illustrative reference only: a $250,000 payment to the company for a qualifying completed handoff would mean a $62,500 default reward. The rewards page sets out every payment condition.
Go deeper on the CPQ replacement
- CPQ replacement archive context checklist: a timing checklist of the access events to confirm before cutover removes approval context.
- CPQ replacement introduction email: a ready-to-edit email for introducing the CEO and the pricing owner to SourceX.
Next step
Refer a company. Earn up to $100,000. Default reward: 25% of Actual Supplier Payout, capped at $100,000 cumulatively per referred company. Eligibility and payment conditions apply, and a signed Schedule A or addendum can differ. A lead, meeting or signature alone does not trigger payment.
If the owner can point to where the approval exceptions live and wants to explore licensing before cutover, register as a partner, confirm fit on who qualifies, and read the program terms before you introduce them.