How to View Your CPI Rebate Estimates
Learn the steps to access and understand your CPI rebate estimates for better financial planning.
Introduction
Once a CPI estimate has been calculated on a quote, PqW surfaces the results in three locations within the quoting workflow: the Quote record page, each individual Quote Item, and the Edit Quote Grid. This ensures you can review rebate values at the level of detail appropriate for your task - whether that is a high-level deal review, a line-by-line audit, or active quote shaping.
Key Terms
Term |
Definition |
|---|---|
Estimated CPI Information |
The section on the Quote record page that displays the summary of CPI rebate estimates, including totals and Business Entity context. |
Cisco 360 Information |
The read-only section on each Quote Item detail page showing line-level CPI calculation results. |
Base Land Rebate |
The primary rebate amount, calculated as Total VAR Cost multiplied by the applicable rebate percentage from the Eligible Offers List. |
Specialization Rebate (Bonus) |
An additional rebate earned when the partner holds specific Cisco specialization certifications that apply to the item's portfolio. |
Total Estimated CPI |
The sum of Base Land Rebate and Specialization Rebate for an item or the entire quote. |
CPI Status |
A field indicating whether the current estimate is valid, invalid, or has never been calculated. |
CPI Exclusion Reason |
An explanation field on the Quote Item that describes why a specific line did not receive a rebate estimate. |
CPI Portfolio |
The Cisco portfolio (e.g., Networking, Collaboration, Security) to which the system assigned the item for rebate calculation purposes. |
Why CPI Rebate Estimate Matters
The Problem It Solves
A rebate estimate is only useful if it is visible at the point of decision. Without embedded visibility, sales engineers and operations teams would need to navigate away from the quote, pull up external tools, or request reports just to understand how much incentive value a deal carries.
Where It Fits in the Cisco 360 LAND Rebate Journey
After the CPI estimate has been calculated (whether automatically or via the Estimate CPI button), the results need to be surfaced directly inside the workflow where pricing decisions, deal reviews, and approvals already happen. PqW embeds the estimated rebate data at three levels:
- The Quote details page gives stakeholders a quick, high-level summary - ideal for deal reviews, approval discussions, and executive reporting. This is where you can see the total estimated rebate value and, at a glance, understand which portfolios are contributing the most.
- The Quote Item detail gives analysts and operations teams a line-by-line audit trail - exactly which portfolio was selected, what rebate percentage was applied, whether the item qualified, and if not, why.
- The Edit Quote Grid gives sales engineers real-time rebate awareness while actively shaping the quote - adjusting pricing, reviewing margins, and making competitive decisions without leaving the grid.
Together, these three views ensure that CPI rebate information is never more than one scroll or one click away from wherever you are already working.
Prerequisites
Before CPI rebate estimate results will appear in the locations described below:
# |
Prerequisite |
Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
1 |
CPI estimate has been calculated |
Results will not display until the Estimate CPI process has been run at least once on the quote (automatically or manually). |
2 |
CPI Effective Date is populated |
If the CPI Effective Date field on the quote is empty, the system cannot calculate or display any estimates. |
3 |
At least one eligible Cisco item exists |
Only items with a Cisco or Meraki manufacturer, a valid Part Number, and a Total VAR Cost greater than zero will produce CPI results. |
4 |
CPI Estimation Status is Valid |
If the status is Invalid (e.g., due to an interrupted calculation or a PVI change), the amounts shown may be outdated. Re-run the Estimate CPI to get current values. |
On the Quote: Estimated CPI Summary Component
What You See
When a CPI estimate has been calculated, a Cisco 360 CPI Breakdown component appears on the Quote record page. This component provides a high-level summary of the estimated LAND rebate for the entire quote.
The component displays:
Element |
Description |
|---|---|
Base Land Rebate |
The total base rebate amount across all eligible items on the quote, shown as a dollar amount. |
Specialization Rebate |
The total specialization bonus amount, shown as a dollar amount. This appears only if the partner has active specializations that apply to items on the quote. |
Total Estimated CPI |
The combined total of Base Land Rebate plus Specialization Rebate. |
Breakdown by Portfolio |
A per-portfolio breakdown showing how much of the total estimate comes from each Cisco portfolio (e.g., Networking, Collaboration, Security, Services). Portfolio rows are sorted by dollar amount, with the most valuable contribution appearing first. |
Where to Find It
The Cisco 360 CPI Breakdown component is located on the Quote record detail page. Scroll down from the quote header fields to find it.
How to Access It
-
Open a quote in your org from Quote List View to display the Quote record page (also called the Quote details page).
-
On the right side of the page, locate the Estimated CPI Breakdown panel, which shows the high-level summary of the estimated LAND rebate. If an estimate has not been run yet, this panel reads “Estimate CPI has not yet been performed.”
-
Scroll down the same page, past the Pricing section, to reach the Estimated CPI Information section described below.
The Estimated CPI Information Section
Below or adjacent to the breakdown component, the Estimated CPI Information section displays:
Field |
Description |
|---|---|
Business Entity |
The BE GEO ID selected for this quote, which determines which PVI scores apply. The user can change this on the quote. |
CPI Effective Date |
The date anchoring the calculation - determines which PVI snapshot and Eligible Offers version were used. |
CPI Estimation Status |
Whether the current estimate is Valid, Invalid, or Not Calculated (see CPI Status section below). |
Estimated CPI Base Land Amount |
Total base rebate dollar amount. |
Estimated CPI Total Accelerator Amount |
Total specialization/accelerator bonus amount. |
Estimated CPI Total Amount |
Grand total estimated rebate. |
Disclaimer: The Cisco CPI displayed in StrataVAR PqW is an estimate based on Cisco's published information accessible to StrataVAR, and the rebates are not guaranteed by Cisco or StrataVAR. It is provided only for informational purposes.
On the Quote Item: Cisco 360 Information Section
What You See
Each individual Quote Item has a read-only Cisco 360 Information section that shows exactly how the system treated that specific line item during the CPI calculation. This is your audit trail for understanding why a particular item received (or did not receive) a rebate estimate.
Fields in the Cisco 360 Information Section
Field |
Description |
|---|---|
CPI Portfolio |
The Cisco portfolio assigned to this item (e.g., Cisco Networking, Cisco Collaboration, Cisco Services). If a SKU belongs to multiple portfolios, this shows the one that was selected based on the best-rebate logic. |
CPI Rebate Percentage |
The rebate percentage applied to this item, sourced from the Eligible Offers List based on your PVI tier for the selected portfolio. |
Base Land Rebate Amount |
The calculated base rebate for this line: Total VAR Cost multiplied by the CPI Rebate Percentage. |
Specialization Bonus Percentage |
The additional percentage earned from specialization certifications that apply to this item's portfolio. Displays 0 or blank if no specialization applies. |
Specialization Bonus Amount |
The dollar amount of the specialization bonus for this line. |
Total Estimated CPI |
The sum of Base Land Rebate Amount and Specialization Bonus Amount for this line item. |
CPI Status |
Whether this item's estimate is Valid, Invalid, or Not Calculated. |
CPI Exclusion Reason |
If the item was skipped during calculation, this field explains why (e.g., "PVI tier not applicable", "Manufacturer is not Cisco", "Part number not found in Eligible Offers"). |
How to Access It
- Open the required quote similar to previous section.
-
Select the Quote Item Actions tab to open the quote item list.
-
Click the hyperlink for an individual quote item to open its Quote Item detail page.
-
Scroll down to the Estimated CPI Information section.
All fields in this section are read-only - they are populated by the system during the CPI estimation process and cannot be manually edited.
CPI Status Values and Their Meaning
The CPI Status field appears both at the quote level (in Estimated CPI Information) and at each Quote Item level (in Cisco 360 Information). It tells you whether the displayed estimate can be trusted.
Status |
Meaning |
What to Do |
|---|---|---|
Not Calculated |
CPI has never been calculated for this quote or item. No rebate amounts are shown. |
Run the Estimate CPI from the quote's action menu. |
Valid |
The calculation completed successfully. The displayed amounts are current and based on the latest inputs. |
No action needed. The estimate can be used for pricing decisions and deal reviews. |
Invalid |
The estimate is outdated or incomplete. This happens when: the calculation was interrupted mid-process (e.g., browser tab closed), or when underlying data has changed since the last calculation (e.g., PVI was updated, Eligible Offers were refreshed, or a key field on the item was modified). |
Re-run the Estimate CPI to get a current, valid result. |
Why Amounts Are Hidden When Status Is Invalid
When the CPI Estimation Status is Invalid, the system may still display partial amounts (e.g., if the calculation completed for some items before being interrupted). However, these amounts cannot be relied upon for decision-making because:
- The calculation may have only processed a portion of the items (e.g., first 300 of 5,000)
- The underlying PVI or Eligible Offers data may have changed since the estimate was run
- The totals shown at the quote level may not reflect all items
The Invalid status serves as a visual flag to the user: the numbers you see here are stale or incomplete. Re-run the estimate before using these values for pricing or reporting.
On the Edit Quote Grid: Summary Lines
What You See
In the Edit Quote Grid (the grid view where you actively edit quote items), two summary-level elements surface the CPI estimate:
Element |
Description |
|---|---|
Estimated CPI |
A summary line showing the total estimated CPI rebate for the quote. This gives you rebate visibility while you are actively pricing and shaping the quote. |
Total Profit plus CPI |
A summary line that replaces the previous "Total Profit plus VIP" line. It adds the estimated CPI rebate to your total profit figure, giving you a combined view of margin plus incentive value. |
How to Access It
-
Open the Quote detail page for the quote you want to work on.
-
Click the action menu (the dropdown arrow at the top-right of the page) and select Edit Quote from the list.
- In the summary section at the top of the Edit Quote Grid, review the CPI figures. The Total Profit plus VIP line is replaced by Total Profit plus CPI, and the Estimated CPI total is shown alongside it.
Hover Tooltip Breakdown
When you hover over the Estimated CPI or Total Profit plus CPI summary line, a tooltip displays a breakdown of the rebate by type and portfolio:
- Base Land Rebate total and per-portfolio amounts
- Specialization Bonus total and per-portfolio amounts
- Total Estimated CPI combining both
This lets you quickly see which portfolios are contributing the most incentive value without leaving the grid or opening individual items.
Note: The hover tooltip breakdown is a planned enhancement. If it is not yet available in your environment, the summary line values (Estimated CPI and Total Profit plus CPI) will still display correctly.
Why This Matters for Quote Shaping
The Edit Quote Grid is where sales engineers spend most of their time adjusting pricing to win competitive deals. Having the CPI estimate visible directly in the grid means:
- You can see your rebate cushion in real time as you adjust margins
- You can make informed decisions about how aggressively to price, knowing what you will recover in rebates
- For government and SEWP deals where margins are razor-thin (0.5% can win or lose a deal), seeing CPI alongside profit is critical to competitive bidding
Who Can See CPI Rebate Estimates
CPI rebate estimate information is visible to all PqW user roles that have access to the quote:
User Role |
Access |
|---|---|
PqW Administrator |
Full visibility of all CPI information on Quote, Quote Item, and Edit Quote Grid. Can also trigger Estimate CPI and configure CPI settings. |
PqW Standard User |
Full visibility of all CPI information on Quote, Quote Item, and Edit Quote Grid. Can trigger Estimate CPI on quotes they have access to. |
PqW Read Only |
Can view CPI information on Quote and Quote Item detail pages. Cannot trigger the Estimate CPI action. |
There are no additional permissions required to view CPI rebate estimates beyond having access to the quote itself. The estimate data is visible to anyone who can open the quote.
Note: The CPI Configuration page (where PVI scores are entered and Business Entities are managed) is restricted to PqW Administrators. Standard and Read-Only users cannot access or modify the configuration, but they can see the results of that configuration on their quotes.
Summary
CPI rebate estimates are visible in three locations within PqW, each serving a different purpose in the quoting workflow. The Quote record page provides a high-level summary and a portfolio breakdown for deal reviews. The Quote Item detail page gives you a full audit trail for each line, including the portfolio selected, rebate percentage applied, and any exclusion reason. The Edit Quote Grid places the estimate directly alongside margin and profit figures, where active pricing decisions are made. All three views are available to PqW Standard, PqW Administrator, and PqW Read Only users, ensuring that everyone involved in the quoting process has visibility into the estimated Cisco 360 LAND rebate value.
What's Next
Now that you know where CPI estimates appear, review your quote's CPI Estimation Status. If any quotes show a status of Invalid, re-run the Estimate CPI to ensure the values are current before using them for pricing decisions or sharing with stakeholders. If the status shows Not Calculated, the estimate has never been run on that quote - use the Estimate CPI button from the quote's action menu to generate the first estimate.
In this article
- Introduction
- Key Terms
- Why CPI Rebate Estimate Matters
- The Problem It Solves
- Where It Fits in the Cisco 360 LAND Rebate Journey
- Prerequisites
- On the Quote: Estimated CPI Summary Component
- What You See
- Where to Find It
- How to Access It
- The Estimated CPI Information Section
- On the Quote Item: Cisco 360 Information Section
- What You See
- Fields in the Cisco 360 Information Section
- How to Access It
- CPI Status Values and Their Meaning
- Why Amounts Are Hidden When Status Is Invalid
- On the Edit Quote Grid: Summary Lines
- What You See
- How to Access It
- Hover Tooltip Breakdown
- Why This Matters for Quote Shaping
- Who Can See CPI Rebate Estimates
- Summary
- What's Next
