Salesforce CPQ to Salesforce Revenue Cloud Advanced (Formerly RLM): 7 Steps to Ensure a Successful Migration

What’s the secret behind top cloud companies closing deals faster and more efficiently?

87% of them invest in sales enablement—because they know it’s the key to driving sales performance.^[i]

For years, Salesforce CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote) has been the go-to solution for sales teams looking to speed up deal cycles, improve pricing accuracy, and simplify quote management.

With Salesforce CPQ, businesses have achieved:
– 80% faster quote delivery
– Quicker approvals with less manual effort
– Smoother deal execution and bigger wins

Source^[ii]

However, as revenue models evolve—incorporating subscriptions, usage-based pricing, and contract-based billing—organizations need a more holistic approach to revenue management beyond just quoting. 

Moreover, with limited updates to CPQ, businesses are now looking for a more integrated and advanced solution.

That’s when Salesforce Revenue Cloud Advanced (Formerly RLM) gets the spotlight.

It takes CPQ to the next level by bringing quoting, billing, renewals, and revenue recognition into one seamless, automated system.

With this shift, you can manage your entire revenue lifecycle more efficiently. Moreover, you can say goodbye to manual processes and hello to smoother operations. RLM helps you reduce revenue leakage, stay compliant with financial regulations, and keep your revenue flow in check.

This blog post will explore why businesses are moving from Salesforce CPQ to Salesforce Revenue Cloud Advanced (Formerly RLM), how it enhances revenue operations, and key considerations for a successful migration.

Understanding Salesforce Revenue Cloud Advanced (Formerly RLM)

Revenue Lifecycle Management (RLM), now rebranded as Revenue Cloud Advanced (RCA) in Spring ’24 Revenue, is an advanced, AI-powered solution built on the Einstein 1 Platform. It provides a unified framework that integrates your revenue operations with CRM processes, enabling your businesses to manage complex, multi-channel sales and monetization of your models efficiently.

Engineered for scalability, RLM supports omnichannel buying and selling while incorporating automation, AI-driven revenue intelligence, and extensible APIs. These composable APIs allow seamless interoperability with other cloud services, ensuring a flexible and adaptive revenue management ecosystem.

With its rebranding as Revenue Cloud Advanced (RCA), Salesforce has expanded beyond CPQ and billing. It now offers a complete revenue lifecycle solution, covering quoting, pricing, billing, renewals, and revenue recognition with greater automation, accuracy, and compliance.

Key Components of Salesforce Revenue Cloud Advanced (Formerly RLM)

Revenue Lifecycle Management (RLM), now Revenue Cloud Advanced (RCA), is built on the Einstein 1 Platform and provides a modular, AI-driven framework for end-to-end revenue management. Its core components include:

• Configure, Price, Quote (CPQ) – Facilitates product configuration, pricing, and quote generation to streamline sales processes and ensure pricing accuracy.
• Billing & Invoicing – Automates subscription billing, milestone-based invoicing, and usage-based pricing while ensuring compliance with financial regulations.
• Revenue Recognition – Supports automated revenue recognition in alignment with ASC 606 and IFRS 15 compliance standards.
• Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) – Manages contract creation, approvals, renewals, and amendments while maintaining compliance with business policies.
• Renewals & Amendments – Automates subscription renewals, contract modifications, and upsell/cross-sell processes to optimize revenue growth.
• Payments & Collections – Integrates with payment gateways and financial systems for streamlined collections, dunning management, and payment reconciliation.
• Revenue Intelligence & Forecasting – Utilizes Einstein AI to deliver predictive insights, revenue forecasting, and anomaly detection to enhance revenue operations.
• Extensible APIs & Integration Framework – Enables interoperability with ERP, accounting, and other cloud services to ensure seamless data flow across enterprise systems.

With these components, Revenue Cloud Advanced (RCA) provides an integrated and automated approach to managing the entire revenue lifecycle, improving efficiency, compliance, and scalability.

Why Migrate from CPQ to Salesforce Revenue Cloud Advanced (Formerly RLM)?

If your organization relies on Salesforce CPQ for quoting and pricing but faces challenges with evolving revenue models, Revenue Lifecycle Management (RLM) provides a more comprehensive and scalable solution. Migration from CPQ to RLM is beneficial in the following scenarios:

• Advanced Pricing and Billing Requirements
  CPQ is designed for standard pricing and discounting models, but if your business operates on subscription-based, usage-based, or contract-based billing, CPQ lacks the necessary automation. RLM extends beyond quoting by integrating billing, invoicing, and revenue recognition into a unified system.
• Disconnected Sales, Finance, and Operations Workflows
  CPQ focuses on the sales process but does not natively integrate with finance and revenue management workflows. RLM consolidates quoting, billing, renewals, revenue forecasting, and compliance into a single framework, eliminating process fragmentation and data silos.
• Revenue Leakage Due to Manual Adjustments
  Businesses handling contract amendments, renewals, and usage-based adjustments often rely on manual interventions in CPQ, leading to errors and revenue leakage. RLM automates contract modifications, pricing updates, and real-time revenue tracking to improve accuracy and efficiency.
• Regulatory and Compliance Challenges
  CPQ does not provide built-in revenue recognition capabilities, making compliance with ASC 606, IFRS 15, and other financial reporting standards complex. RLM automates revenue recognition processes, ensuring compliance and reducing audit risks.
• Scalability and API-Driven Architecture
  As business models evolve, organizations require flexible and extensible solutions. RLM offers composable APIs that integrate seamlessly with ERP, accounting, and other cloud platforms, enabling a scalable and future-ready revenue management framework.
• AI-Powered Revenue Intelligence
  RLM leverages Einstein AI for predictive revenue forecasting, anomaly detection, and pricing optimization—capabilities that CPQ does not natively support. This allows businesses to make data-driven pricing and revenue decisions proactively.

Migrating from CPQ to RLM provides a technically advanced, fully integrated, and automation-driven approach to revenue operations, enabling greater efficiency, scalability, and compliance.  

7 Simple Steps to Migrate from Salesforce CPQ to Salesforce Revenue Cloud Advanced (Formerly RLM)

Moving from Salesforce CPQ to Revenue Lifecycle Management (RLM) or Revenue Cloud Advanced (RCA) requires a structured plan to ensure a smooth transition. Proper data transfer, process optimization, and automation alignment are key to maximizing the shift.

Here’s a step-by-step breakdown covering configurations, system selections, and UI navigation to help you easily navigate the migration.

Step 1: Assess Existing CPQ Implementation

1. Navigate to Salesforce Setup → Go to Object Manager → Select Products, Price Books, and Quote Templates
2. Export data using Data Loader or SOQL queries from these objects:
   • Product2 (Product Catalog)
   • PricebookEntry (Pricing Rules)
   • SBQQ__QuoteTemplate__c (Quote Templates)
   • SBQQ__Quote__c (Quotes & Approvals)
   • SBQQ__Subscription__c (Recurring Revenue Models)
3. Identify dependencies between CPQ and other systems like ERP, billing, or finance

Step 2: Define Revenue Lifecycle Goals

1. In Salesforce Setup, navigate to Revenue Lifecycle Management Setup
2. Define business objectives
   • If moving to subscription-based billing, enable Usage-Based Billing under Billing Configuration
   • For compliance automation, enable Revenue Recognition Settings and configure ASC 606 / IFRS 15 rules
   • For contract automation, enable Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) in Feature Settings
3. Set KPIs to track improvements in automation, quote accuracy, and revenue forecasting

Step 3: Map Existing CPQ Data to RLM

1. Navigate to Data Import Wizard → Select Custom Objects → Choose RLM Revenue Model and Billing Object
2. Map CPQ fields to RLM objects
   • Product2 → RLM Product Catalog
   • SBQQ__Subscription__c → RLM Subscription Model
   • SBQQ__Quote__c → RLM Quote & Contract
   • SBQQ__Order__c → RLM Billing & Invoicing
3. Perform a sandbox migration using Data Loader, validate field mappings, and check for duplicate records

Step 4: Configure and Customize RLM in Salesforce

1. Set Up Revenue Models
   • Navigate to Revenue Cloud Setup → Revenue Models
   • Select Create New Model and choose
     • Subscription-Based Pricing
     • Usage-Based Pricing
     • Contract-Based Pricing
   • Configure rules for renewals, amendments, and pricing logic
2. Enable Revenue Recognition & Compliance
   • Navigate to Billing Setup → Revenue Recognition
   • Select Enable Compliance Framework → Configure ASC 606 & IFRS 15 parameters
3. Configure Automated Billing & Payments
   • Go to Billing & Invoicing Settings → Select Payment Gateway Integration
   • Choose a provider (Stripe, PayPal, or external ERP connection)
4. Integrate with ERP & Finance Systems
   • Navigate to AppExchange → Install ERP Connector for RLM
   • Configure integration settings for SAP, Oracle, or QuickBooks under Connected Apps

Step 5: Migrate Data and Validate

1. Use Salesforce Data Loader to upload
   • Products, Pricing, and Contracts into RLM objects
   • Existing CPQ customer agreements into the Revenue Lifecycle Contract Object
2. Run SOQL Queries to verify data integrity post-migration
3. Conduct sandbox testing to check workflow automation, billing accuracy, and approval rules
4. Perform user acceptance testing (UAT) with sales, finance, and operations teams

Step 6: Train Users and Optimize Workflows

1. Provide role-based training using Salesforce Trailhead modules for RLM
2. Create custom Lightning pages and dashboards for sales, billing, and finance teams
3. Use Einstein AI-powered revenue insights to monitor pricing trends and customer renewals

Step 7: Deploy and Monitor Performance

1. Deploy RLM in staged rollouts, starting with a pilot team before full implementation
2. Set up Automated Revenue Analytics Dashboards in Salesforce Reports
3. Monitor revenue forecasting, billing efficiency, and compliance adherence post-migration
4. Continuously refine pricing models, revenue intelligence insights, and automation workflows

By following these steps, businesses can efficiently transition from CPQ to RLM, leveraging an integrated and scalable revenue management system built on Einstein 1 Platform.

Key Considerations for a Successful Salesforce CPQ to RLM Migration

• Assess System Dependencies
  • Identify integrations with ERP, billing, and finance systems
  • Evaluate existing CPQ data, including products, pricing, and approvals
• Align Revenue Goals
  • Define pricing models—subscription-based, usage-based, or contract-based
  • Ensure compliance with ASC 606 or IFRS 15 for revenue recognition
• Ensure Data Integrity
  • Map CPQ data to RLM using Data Import Wizard, Data Loader, or APIs
  • Validate data accuracy with test migrations in a sandbox environment
• Configure and Optimize RLM
  • Set up automation for billing, renewals, and revenue recognition
  • Enable seamless integration with financial systems and reporting tools
• Test and Validate
  • Conduct UAT (User Acceptance Testing) for workflows and automation
  • Perform system checks to ensure data consistency and operational efficiency
• Train Users for a Smooth Transition
  • Provide hands-on training for sales, finance, and operations teams
  • Optimize workflows based on user feedback and system performance

Taking a structured approach to migration helps businesses maximize RLM’s capabilities, ensuring efficiency, compliance, and revenue growth.

The Bottom Line

Moving from Salesforce CPQ to Salesforce Revenue Cloud Advanced (Formerly RLM) unlocks smarter revenue operations, streamlined billing, and automated compliance. Migration is just the beginning. To maximize the value of RLM, you need to refine your pricing strategies, enhance automation, and integrate your revenue processes seamlessly.

Grazitti Interactive helps you do more than transition—we ensure your revenue lifecycle is optimized for efficiency and growth. From custom configurations to AI-driven insights, our experts make RLM work for your business.

FAQs on Salesforce CPQ to Salesforce Revenue Cloud Advanced (Formerly RLM) Migration

1. How long does it take to migrate from CPQ to RLM?

The timeline depends on the complexity of your CPQ setup, data volume, and integration requirements. A well-planned migration can take a few weeks to a few months, with proper testing and user training included. Need help streamlining your migration? Write to us at [email protected], and we can assist you.

2. Do businesses need to reconfigure their pricing models when switching to RLM?

Not necessarily, but it’s an opportunity to optimize pricing structures for better alignment with modern revenue models, such as subscription-based or consumption-based pricing. Reviewing and refining pricing strategies can maximize the benefits of RLM.

3. Can businesses run CPQ and RLM together during the transition?

Yes, many organizations use a phased approach where CPQ remains operational while RLM is tested and gradually rolled out. This minimizes disruptions and ensures a smooth transition.

4. What training is required for teams after migration?

Sales, finance, and operations teams should be trained on new workflows, automation, and reporting capabilities in RLM. Hands-on sessions and role-based training ensure users can leverage the full potential of the platform. If you need custom training for your teams, reach out to us at [email protected].

5. Is custom development needed when implementing RLM?

While RLM provides out-of-the-box functionality, custom development may be required for unique business processes, advanced automation, or specific integrations with third-party systems. Looking for tailored RLM solutions? Contact us at [email protected], and we can help.

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