Quantity Schedule
A Quantity Schedule in Salesforce defines how the quantity of a Product on an Opportunity is delivered or recognised across time periods.
Definition
A Quantity Schedule in Salesforce defines how the quantity of a Product on an Opportunity is delivered or recognised across time periods. The schedule splits the total quantity into installments, each with its own date, so finance and operations teams can track when each portion of the order is fulfilled. Quantity Schedules are configured on the Product record under Product Schedules and applied automatically when the Product is added to an Opportunity with a quantity above one.
Quantity Schedules sit alongside Revenue Schedules as the two scheduling types Salesforce supports. A Quantity Schedule answers "when is each unit delivered?" A Revenue Schedule answers "when is each dollar earned?" Both can be enabled on the same Product, producing per-installment records that combine quantity and revenue in one schedule. The schedule is generated as a list of OpportunityLineItemSchedule records, one per installment, attached to the parent Opportunity Product.
How Quantity Schedules split a Product's units across time periods
What a Quantity Schedule actually produces
A Quantity Schedule produces a set of OpportunityLineItemSchedule records, one per installment, when a Product is added to an Opportunity. Each record has a Schedule Date, a Quantity, a Type (Quantity or Revenue), and a description. The set of records together describes the delivery timeline for the Product on that deal. The Opportunity Product's total Quantity equals the sum of the schedule records' quantities. Editing the schedule produces new OpportunityLineItemSchedule records; the platform handles the recalculation automatically when the schedule definition or the total quantity changes. The records are queryable like any other Salesforce object, so finance and operations teams can build reports and dashboards that aggregate per-period commitments across every active deal.
Schedule Type, Installment Period, and Installment Type
A Quantity Schedule has three configuration fields. Schedule Type is Default Quantity (uses the Product's standard schedule), Default Revenue (uses the revenue schedule instead), or Custom (manual entry per installment). Installment Period is the frequency: Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, or Yearly. Installment Type is Repeat (every installment is the same quantity) or Divide (the total quantity is divided across installments). The three settings together determine how many records are created and what value each holds for the parent Opportunity Product.
Enabling Quantity Schedules on a Product
Quantity Schedules are not enabled by default. The admin must enable schedules at the org level (Setup, Products, Settings, Enable Schedules) and per Product (the Product detail page, Establish Quantity Schedule button). The org-level toggle exposes the schedule fields on Product records and Opportunity Products. The per-Product setup defines the default schedule for that Product, which applies automatically to new Opportunity Products unless the rep overrides it. Without both toggles, schedules do nothing even if the data model fields exist on the page layout.
Use cases where Quantity Schedules earn their complexity
Quantity Schedules fit businesses that deliver physical products in recurring installments. Subscription-box retailers deliver one box per month. Industrial suppliers deliver bulk materials in scheduled shipments. Pharmaceutical distributors deliver controlled substances in quarterly allotments tied to regulatory approval. In each case, the Opportunity captures the total Quantity sold, and the Quantity Schedule splits that total into the actual delivery timeline. Reports on the OpportunityLineItemSchedule object give finance and operations visibility into per-period delivery commitments without needing custom code or a separate planning system.
Quantity Schedule vs Revenue Schedule
Quantity Schedules split the quantity of a product across time. Revenue Schedules split the dollar amount of a product across time. The distinction matters in two scenarios. The first is ratable revenue recognition: a software subscription sells one license for $1,200 a year but recognises $100 of revenue per month for accounting purposes. The Quantity stays at 1; the Revenue Schedule splits the $1,200 across 12 months. The second is unit-by-unit fulfillment: a bulk order of 12,000 widgets ships 1,000 per month for 12 months. The Revenue stays at the total dollar amount; the Quantity Schedule splits the 12,000 units across 12 months. Many businesses need both schedules running on the same Product.
How schedules interact with Opportunity Stage and forecasting
Schedule records are tied to the parent Opportunity Product and therefore to the Opportunity. When the Opportunity moves to Closed Won, the schedule records are unchanged but their meaning shifts: the schedule now represents the commitment the customer has agreed to, not just a forecast. Revenue Forecasting respects the Revenue Schedule when calculating per-period forecast: a deal closing in Q1 with monthly revenue recognition contributes to Q1, Q2, Q3, and Q4 forecasts proportionally. Quantity Forecasting respects the Quantity Schedule similarly. The schedules align CRM forecast with downstream finance and operations planning.
Editing schedules after creation and the rebuild behaviour
A Quantity Schedule on an Opportunity Product can be edited after creation. The admin clicks Establish Quantity Schedule (or Edit Quantity Schedule) on the line item and changes the period, type, or per-installment quantities. The platform regenerates the OpportunityLineItemSchedule records based on the new settings, replacing the previous installments. The original installments are deleted and not preserved as history; if audit of schedule changes is required, enable Field History Tracking on the relevant fields and a custom record-triggered flow that logs schedule edits to a custom history object for compliance teams.
Enable and configure a Quantity Schedule on a Product
A Quantity Schedule requires two settings: org-level Schedules enablement and per-Product schedule configuration. The steps below cover both halves and the user-side flow for applying the schedule to an Opportunity.
- Enable Schedules at the org level
In Setup, go to Products, Schedule Settings (or Setup, Customize, Products, Schedules). Tick Enable Quantity Scheduling. Optionally also enable Revenue Scheduling if the org needs both schedule types.
- Open the Product and click Establish Quantity Schedule
On the Product detail page, click the Establish Quantity Schedule button (in Lightning, under Product Details). The form asks for Schedule Type, Installment Period, Installment Type, and Number of Installments.
- Configure the schedule parameters
Pick Default Quantity for a standard schedule, Custom for installment-by-installment manual entry. Set Installment Period to the frequency (Monthly is the most common). Set Installment Type to Repeat (same quantity per period) or Divide (total split across periods). Save.
- Add the Product to an Opportunity
Open an Opportunity and add the Product as a line item with the desired total Quantity. The platform applies the default Quantity Schedule and creates OpportunityLineItemSchedule records automatically. The Schedule related list on the line item shows the installments.
- Override or customise per Opportunity
If a specific deal needs a different schedule, click Establish Quantity Schedule on the Opportunity Product to override the default. Custom schedules allow per-installment edits to date and quantity, which is the right path for non-standard delivery timelines.
Standard schedule applied to every Opportunity Product. Set on the Product.
Per-deal override with manual installment editing. Set on the Opportunity Product.
Two parallel schedules on the same Product, useful for ratable revenue recognition combined with installment delivery.
- Quantity Schedules are disabled by default at the org level. Enabling at the org level is a separate step from enabling on each Product; both are required for schedules to function.
- Editing a Quantity Schedule replaces the existing OpportunityLineItemSchedule records. The original installments are deleted, not preserved as history. Audit-sensitive industries should track schedule edits in a custom history object via a record-triggered flow.
- Quantity Schedules and Revenue Schedules are independent. A Product with both enabled produces two sets of schedule records (one per type) on every Opportunity Product, which can confuse new admins reviewing the Schedule related list.
Trust & references
Cross-checked against the following references.
- Schedule ProductsSalesforce Help
- Enable Schedules for ProductsSalesforce Help
- OpportunityLineItemSchedule ObjectSalesforce Developers
- Revenue and Quantity ForecastsSalesforce Help
Straight from the source - Salesforce's reference material on Quantity Schedule.
- Product SchedulesSalesforce Help
- OpportunityLineItemScheduleSalesforce Developers
Hands-on resources to go deeper on Quantity Schedule.
About the Author
Dipojjal Chakrabarti is a B2C Solution Architect with 29 Salesforce certifications and over 13 years in the Salesforce ecosystem. He runs salesforcedictionary.com to help admins, developers, architects, and cert/interview candidates sharpen their fundamentals. More about Dipojjal.
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