Predictika · Data protection appliance quotes

An AI sales agent's appliance quote, checked before it goes out

An AI sales agent prepares a quote for an Arcserve UDP 9000 Series backup and disaster recovery appliance for a mid-size company: the model, capacity expansion kit, RAM expansion kits, UDP edition and the effective capacity it tells the customer. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of the published Arcserve 9000 Series datasheets and returns a verdict, every reason and the figures it computed.

Scope: Arcserve UDP 9000 Series appliances (9012 to 9504DR): effective capacity, capacity expansion kits, RAM expansion kits and UDP Premium Edition. See everything this validator covers

This validator models quotes for the Arcserve UDP 9000 Series appliances (models 9012, 9024, 9048, 9072DR, 9096DR, 9144DR, 9192DR, 9240DR, 9288DR, 9360DR and 9504DR), as published in the Arcserve 9000 Series datasheet and its Expansion and Upgrade Options datasheet. It handles any quote for these appliances, not just the scenarios shown below.

  • Models and capacity — each model has a published effective capacity from 12 TB (9012) to 504 TB (9504DR) and a usable capacity from 4 TB to 168 TB; the capacity the customer needs and the capacity the agent states must agree with what the quoted configuration gives.
  • Capacity expansion kits — the 9X-48, 9X-96, 9X-144, 9X-192 and 9X-216 kits add 48 to 216 TB of effective capacity; the datasheet lists which kits fit which of the 9072DR to 9360DR models, the 9012, 9024, 9048 and 9504DR take none, and a kit can be installed only once.
  • RAM expansion kits and edition — the larger models (9072DR and up) take up to 3 RAM kits; the RAM kit count on the 9012, 9024 and 9048 is not checked, because the datasheets give 80 GB after two kits in one table and a 176 GB maximum in another; the capacity kit also adds 64 GB of RAM, so a quote that combines it with 3 RAM kits goes to a person. UDP Premium Edition is a paid upgrade on the 9012, 9024 and 9048 and is already included on the larger models.

Any quote for these appliances that touches these rules is in scope — not only the scenarios pictured here. Not covered: prices (Arcserve publishes no appliance list prices, so this validator produces no price build-up or line-item quote), spares kits, network and Fibre Channel card options, the RHA add-on and Cloud Hybrid services, support terms, other Arcserve products and the earlier 8000 Series appliances.

The AI sales agentBuilds the appliance quote from the conversation and says it is ready.
Predictika validatorChecks every rule at once and returns the verdict, each finding, and the computed figures.

7 scenarios in 3 groups · each group runs from the agent’s first attempt to the outcome · click one to switch

What the agent proposes

The AI sales agent says

Illustrative agent statement. The validator receives the structured request below.

Proposing agent: AI sales agent (scripted)

Before sending, the agent must call Recorded run

Predictika validator


      

        
        
        
      

      
Waiting for the call.

      
    

  

  
  

    
Where rules-based CPQ gets it wrong
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Our assessment of what a typical rules-based CPQ (product rules, price rules and validation rules, as in Salesforce CPQ) does with the same cases. It is a judgment about effort and reliability, not a claim that nothing can be built.

    
What the validator caughtTypical rules-based CPQPredictika
A capacity kit that fits only some modelsOnly with care
A compatibility matrix of seven models against five kits, with a different largest kit for each model; it can be built as a rule table, but every new model or kit means editing it and nothing checks the quote saved earlier.		The model and kit arrive in one request and the pairing is checked with every other rule on every call.
The effective capacity the agent statesOnly with care
A stated figure is a free-entry field; a rule can compare it with base capacity plus kit, but someone has to write and maintain that sum for every model.		The stated figure travels with the quote and is compared with the computed figure on every call.
A kit that does not fit the model, so no capacity is addedOnly with workarounds
The capacity check has to know whether the kit was valid before it adds the kit, otherwise it reports a total the customer will never get.		The kit is added only if it fits, so the capacity finding is about the appliance that would really ship.
RAM from the capacity kit plus RAM kits against 24 DIMM slotsOnly with workarounds
The DIMM count has to be derived, and the answer is a person confirming a layout, which means building an approval flow next to the product rules.		The quote comes back as needs approval with the reason, in the same answer as every other finding.

  

  

    
What this validator catches: findings from its test cases
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Every rule is checked on every call, in any order the choices arrive; one problem never hides another. Blocking findings stop the quote; approval findings need a person to sign off; everything else is computed.

    
1The capacity expansion kit adding 48 TB is not a compatible kit for this appliance model; Arcserve lists the compatible models and kits in its expansion table.
2The capacity expansion kit adding 96 TB is not a compatible kit for this appliance model; Arcserve lists the compatible models and kits in its expansion table.
3The capacity expansion kit adding 216 TB is not a compatible kit for this appliance model; Arcserve lists the compatible models and kits in its expansion table.
4An expansion kit can be installed on an appliance only once; the quote has 2 kits.
5The customer needs 200 TB of effective capacity; the quoted appliance gives 168 TB.
6The quote states 144 TB of effective capacity; the quoted configuration gives 168 TB.
7The quote has 4 RAM expansion kits; this model takes at most 3.
8The customer needs UDP Premium Edition features (such as Nutanix AHV agentless backup, tape libraries, UNIX and Oracle protection or Assured Recovery); this model ships with the Advanced Edition and the quote has no Premium Edition upgrade.
9This model already includes UDP Premium Edition; the Premium Edition upgrade should not be on the quote.
10The capacity expansion kit adds 64 GB of RAM (4 DIMMs) and the quote has 3 RAM expansion kits of 4 DIMMs each; together they come to more than the 24 DIMM slots, so a person should confirm the RAM layout with Arcserve.

  

  

    
Scenarios and results
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The recorded result of the validator for each scenario on this page: the request the AI agent sent, the verdict, and every finding, in the order they appear above.

    
1. Branch appliance: A 9048 with a 9X-48 kit for 100 TB with Premium features

    
The agent's request. Please quote one Arcserve UDP Appliance 9048 with the 9X-48 capacity expansion kit and 1 RAM expansion kit. The customer needs 100 TB of effective capacity and wants Nutanix AHV agentless backup and tape library support. The quote gives the customer 96 TB of effective capacity. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Expansion kit not compatible with this model. The capacity expansion kit adding 48 TB is not a compatible kit for this appliance model; Arcserve lists the compatible models and kits in its expansion table.
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  • Capacity needed exceeds the configuration. The customer needs 100 TB of effective capacity; the quoted appliance gives 48 TB.
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  • Stated capacity does not match. The quote states 96 TB of effective capacity; the quoted configuration gives 48 TB.
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  • Premium Edition features need the Premium upgrade. The customer needs UDP Premium Edition features (such as Nutanix AHV agentless backup, tape libraries, UNIX and Oracle protection or Assured Recovery); this model ships with the Advanced Edition and the quote has no Premium Edition upgrade.
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2. Branch appliance: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote one Arcserve UDP Appliance 9096DR with the 9X-48 capacity expansion kit and 1 RAM expansion kit. The customer needs 100 TB of effective capacity and wants Nutanix AHV agentless backup and tape library support. The quote gives the customer 144 TB of effective capacity. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Quote summary. Arcserve UDP Appliance 9096DR with 144 TB of effective capacity (48 TB usable).
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3. Large appliance with expansion kit: A 9240DR with a 9X-96 kit and 3 RAM kits for 330 TB

    
The agent's request. Please quote one Arcserve UDP Appliance 9240DR with the 9X-96 capacity expansion kit and 3 RAM expansion kits. The customer needs 330 TB of effective capacity and wants Nutanix AHV agentless backup and tape library support. The quote gives the customer 336 TB of effective capacity. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Expansion kit not compatible with this model. The capacity expansion kit adding 96 TB is not a compatible kit for this appliance model; Arcserve lists the compatible models and kits in its expansion table.
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  • Capacity needed exceeds the configuration. The customer needs 330 TB of effective capacity; the quoted appliance gives 240 TB.
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  • Stated capacity does not match. The quote states 336 TB of effective capacity; the quoted configuration gives 240 TB.
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4. Large appliance with expansion kit: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote one Arcserve UDP Appliance 9288DR with the 9X-96 capacity expansion kit and 3 RAM expansion kits. The customer needs 330 TB of effective capacity and wants Nutanix AHV agentless backup and tape library support. The quote gives the customer 384 TB of effective capacity. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Needs approval.

    
    
      
  • RAM layout to confirm. The capacity expansion kit adds 64 GB of RAM (4 DIMMs) and the quote has 3 RAM expansion kits of 4 DIMMs each; together they come to more than the 24 DIMM slots, so a person should confirm the RAM layout with Arcserve.
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  • Quote summary. Arcserve UDP Appliance 9288DR with 384 TB of effective capacity (128 TB usable).
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5. Large appliance with expansion kit: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote one Arcserve UDP Appliance 9288DR with the 9X-96 capacity expansion kit and 2 RAM expansion kits. The customer needs 330 TB of effective capacity and wants Nutanix AHV agentless backup and tape library support. The quote gives the customer 384 TB of effective capacity. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Quote summary. Arcserve UDP Appliance 9288DR with 384 TB of effective capacity (128 TB usable).
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6. Data center appliance: A 9360DR with the Premium upgrade for 400 TB

    
The agent's request. Please quote one Arcserve UDP Appliance 9360DR and 2 RAM expansion kits, plus the UDP Premium Edition upgrade. The customer needs 400 TB of effective capacity and wants Nutanix AHV agentless backup and tape library support. The quote gives the customer 408 TB of effective capacity. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Capacity needed exceeds the configuration. The customer needs 400 TB of effective capacity; the quoted appliance gives 360 TB.
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  • Stated capacity does not match. The quote states 408 TB of effective capacity; the quoted configuration gives 360 TB.
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  • Premium upgrade quoted where it is already included. This model already includes UDP Premium Edition; the Premium Edition upgrade should not be on the quote.
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7. Data center appliance: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote one Arcserve UDP Appliance 9360DR with the 9X-48 capacity expansion kit and 2 RAM expansion kits. The customer needs 400 TB of effective capacity and wants Nutanix AHV agentless backup and tape library support. The quote gives the customer 408 TB of effective capacity. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Quote summary. Arcserve UDP Appliance 9360DR with 408 TB of effective capacity (136 TB usable).
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Narration transcript
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The text of the narrated walkthrough, step by step.

    
    
      
  1. Welcome to a demo of Predictika's Validator. An AI sales agent prepares a quote for an Arcserve UDP 9000 Series backup and disaster recovery appliance for a mid-size company: the model, capacity expansion kit, RAM expansion kits, and more. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of the published Arcserve 9000 Series datasheets and returns a verdict, every reason and the figures it computed.
    2. 
      
  2. I will start with the first request by the agent.
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  3. The agent says. Please quote one Arcserve UDP Appliance 9048 with the 9X-48 capacity expansion kit and 1 RAM expansion kit. The customer needs 100 TB of effective capacity and wants Nutanix AHV agentless backup and tape library support. The rest of the request is on screen.
    4. 
      
  4. Before it goes out, the agent calls the validator.
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  5. Blocked, with four findings, all in one answer. The capacity expansion kit adding 48 TB is not a compatible kit for this appliance model; Arcserve lists the compatible models and kits in its expansion table. The customer needs 100 TB of effective capacity; the quoted appliance gives 48 TB. The quote states 96 TB of effective capacity; the quoted configuration gives 48 TB. The other one is on screen.
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  6. The validator returned four blocking findings in one answer. A check that reads one field at a time would pass most of this; it shows only when the choices in the quote are checked against each other.
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  7. What this shows: for a capacity kit that fits only some models, a rules-based CPQ is error-prone for this.
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  8. Now the agent resubmits.
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  9. The corrected request. It changes the model to Arcserve UDP Appliance 9096DR and the stated effective capacity to 144 TB.
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  10. It calls the validator again.
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  11. This time the validator clears it.
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  12. All four earlier findings are cleared, and the validator's figure matches the quote.
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  13. Four problems caught in one call, fixed in one pass, and a clean quote. That is the value of Predictika's validator: catching mistakes before they reach the customer. Now you can try the other scenarios yourself.
    14.