Predictika · Synology NAS

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

An AI sales agent prepares a Synology NAS quote for a customer: a DS-series host, memory, drives, expansion units, network cards, camera licenses, Virtual DSM licenses and Extended Warranty Plus. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of the configuration rules and returns a verdict, every reason, the figures it computed and, for a quote that can proceed, the line-item quote itself.

Scope: Synology DS925+, DS1525+, DS1825+, DS425+ and DS725+ NAS quotes: memory, drives, M.2, expansion units, network cards, camera and Virtual DSM licenses, Extended Warranty Plus. See everything this validator covers

This validator models quotes for these five Synology Plus-series NAS hosts and the options sold around them — not just the scenarios shown below.

  • Hosts — Synology DS925+, DS1525+, DS1825+, DS425+ and DS725+ NAS systems, including bay counts, memory limits, memory slots, add-in card slot type, expansion-unit limits, camera limits and M.2 slots per model.
  • Memory — D4ES04-4G, D4ES03-8G, D4ES03-16G and D4NS-4G modules: module family by host, identical-module rule, memory maximum, slot count and the per-host compatibility list.
  • Storage — HAT-series drives and third-party drives, SNV-series and third-party M.2 drives (cache or storage pool), DX525 expansion units, raw capacity, bay count and the largest single volume allowed for the installed memory.
  • Networking — E10G and E25G add-in cards, PCIe or mini slot, by host.
  • Surveillance and virtualization — camera counts by resolution against the host limit, camera license packs, and Virtual DSM instance and license counts.
  • Warranty and quote — Extended Warranty Plus region and purchase-window rules, the agent's stated total, raw capacity and memory against the validator's own, the line-item quote, and manager approval above an illustrative dollar threshold.

Any quote for these five hosts that touches their memory, drives, M.2 drives, expansion units, network cards, camera licenses, Virtual DSM licenses or Extended Warranty Plus is in scope — not only the scenarios pictured here. It does not cover other Synology lines (rackmount RackStation, FS-series flash, XS-series), Synology C2 cloud services or surveillance software outside camera licensing. Limits and every price in this model are simplified, illustrative values.

The AI sales agentBuilds the NAS 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 4 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
Memory rules by host: module family, identical modules, maximum, slotsOnly with care
A set of rules per host, and the identical-module rule depends on what is preinstalled. Works, but every new host adds rules to keep in step.		One host table; the checks follow from the host chosen, in any order.
Largest volume allowed for the installed memoryOnly with workarounds
Needs the memory total computed from preinstalled and added modules (or replacement), then a threshold per host. Doable with chained formulas, and easy to break when memory changes.		Computed from the model and checked on every call.
Camera limits by resolution, and license packs neededOnly with care
A limit per host and resolution, plus a pack-size sum with free licenses subtracted. Reliable only if every pack field is always filled in.		One model; the shortfall is computed and reported with the numbers.
Extended Warranty Plus by region and purchase windowEasy
A straightforward validation rule once region and days since purchase are fields.		Same, from the policy table.
The agent’s stated total, capacity and memory against the computed onesOnly with workarounds
The quote total is computed, but comparing it to a figure the agent states needs an extra field and a tolerance rule that someone must remember to add for every figure.		Stated figures are fields; any mismatch blocks the quote with both numbers.
Every problem reported at onceOnly when vigilant and fastidious
Each rule fires on its own; a quote that breaks six rules may show them one screen at a time unless the rule author planned for it.		One answer with every finding, block reasons first.

  

  

    
What this validator catches: findings from the scenarios shown
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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.

    
1Adding D4ES03-16G next to the preinstalled module mixes module types on the DS925+; all modules must be identical, so replace the preinstalled module or add the same part.
2A 150 TB single volume exceeds the DS925+ limit of 108 TB with 20 GB memory; larger volumes need 32 GB.
336 cameras at 4K exceed the DS925+ limit of 30.
436 cameras need 34 paid licenses (2 are free) but the quote covers 32.
53 Virtual DSM instances need 2 paid licenses (1 is free) but the quote has 1.
6Extended Warranty Plus is sold only in North America and Europe, not Asia-Pacific.
7Extended Warranty Plus must be bought within 90 days of the NAS purchase; this order is 116 days after.
8The quote total of $12,309.72 is above the $12,000 a rep may send without a sales manager approval.
9Extended Warranty Plus is priced per model and region in the Synology Account; it is excluded from the computed total.
10M.2 storage pools require Synology-verified SSDs; ThirdParty-NVMe-2T is not verified. Quote SNV3410 or SNV5420 drives, or use the M.2 drives as cache only.
11Stated total does not match: the agent stated $3,769.88; the validator computes $4,019.88.
12Third-party drive ThirdParty-HDD-16T is allowed for storage pools on the 2025 Plus models as long as it is not on the Synology incompatibility list.

  

  

    
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. Memory and volume size: Mixed memory and a 150 TB volume

    
The agent's request. Please quote a DS925+ with one 16 GB D4ES03-16G memory module added, nine 20 TB HAT3320-20T drives and one DX525 expansion unit, for North America, with a planned single volume of 150 TB. The quote totals $5,389.88, with 180 TB raw capacity and 20 GB memory. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Mixed memory modules. Adding D4ES03-16G next to the preinstalled module mixes module types on the DS925+; all modules must be identical, so replace the preinstalled module or add the same part.
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  • Volume too large for the installed memory. A 150 TB single volume exceeds the DS925+ limit of 108 TB with 20 GB memory; larger volumes need 32 GB.
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2. Memory and volume size: Resubmitted with the memory replaced

    
The agent's request. Please quote a DS925+ with its 4 GB module replaced by two 16 GB D4ES03-16G modules, nine 20 TB HAT3320-20T drives and one DX525 expansion unit, for North America, with a planned single volume of 150 TB. The quote totals $5,609.87, with 180 TB raw capacity and 32 GB memory. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
3. Surveillance and licenses: 36 cameras and too few licenses

    
The agent's request. Please quote a DS925+ with four 20 TB HAT5310-20T drives for a 36-camera 4K surveillance site, covered by four 8-camera license packs, plus three Virtual DSM instances with one Virtual DSM license, for North America. The quote totals $5,129.90, with 80 TB raw capacity and 4 GB memory. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Too many cameras for this model. 36 cameras at 4K exceed the DS925+ limit of 30.
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  • Camera licenses short. 36 cameras need 34 paid licenses (2 are free) but the quote covers 32.
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  • Virtual DSM licenses short. 3 Virtual DSM instances need 2 paid licenses (1 is free) but the quote has 1.
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4. Surveillance and licenses: Resubmitted with 28 cameras

    
The agent's request. Please quote a DS925+ with four 20 TB HAT5310-20T drives for a 28-camera 4K surveillance site, covered by three 8-camera license packs and two 1-camera license packs, plus three Virtual DSM instances with two Virtual DSM licenses, for North America. The quote totals $4,859.88, with 80 TB raw capacity and 4 GB memory. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
5. Warranty and approval: Warranty in Asia-Pacific, ordered late

    
The agent's request. Please quote a DS1825+ for Asia-Pacific with its memory replaced by two 16 GB D4ES03-16G modules, eighteen 20 TB HAT3320-20T drives in the unit and two DX525 expansion units, an E25G30-F2 network card, 20 cameras covered by two 8-camera license packs and two 1-camera license packs, and Extended Warranty Plus ordered 116 days after the NAS purchase. The quote totals $12,309.72, with 360 TB raw capacity and 32 GB memory. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Warranty not sold in this region. Extended Warranty Plus is sold only in North America and Europe, not Asia-Pacific.
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  • Warranty ordered too late. Extended Warranty Plus must be bought within 90 days of the NAS purchase; this order is 116 days after.
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  • Needs sales manager approval. The quote total of $12,309.72 is above the $12,000 a rep may send without a sales manager approval.
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  • Warranty price not in the total. Extended Warranty Plus is priced per model and region in the Synology Account; it is excluded from the computed total.
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6. Warranty and approval: Resubmitted for Europe, ordered in time

    
The agent's request. Please quote a DS1825+ for Europe with its memory replaced by two 16 GB D4ES03-16G modules, eighteen 20 TB HAT3320-20T drives in the unit and two DX525 expansion units, an E25G30-F2 network card, 20 cameras covered by two 8-camera license packs and two 1-camera license packs, and Extended Warranty Plus ordered 60 days after the NAS purchase. The quote totals $12,309.72, with 360 TB raw capacity and 32 GB memory. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Needs approval.

    
    
      
  • Needs sales manager approval. The quote total of $12,309.72 is above the $12,000 a rep may send without a sales manager approval.
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  • Warranty price not in the total. Extended Warranty Plus is priced per model and region in the Synology Account; it is excluded from the computed total.
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7. Third-party parts: Unverified M.2 pool and a stale total

    
The agent's request. Please quote a DS1825+ with eight ThirdParty-HDD-16T drives, two ThirdParty-NVMe-2T M.2 drives used as a storage pool and an E25G30-F2 network card, for North America. The quote totals $3,769.88, with 128 TB raw capacity and 8 GB memory. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • M.2 drives not verified for storage pools. M.2 storage pools require Synology-verified SSDs; ThirdParty-NVMe-2T is not verified. Quote SNV3410 or SNV5420 drives, or use the M.2 drives as cache only.
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  • Quoted total does not match. Stated total does not match: the agent stated $3,769.88; the validator computes $4,019.88.
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  • Third-party drives. Third-party drive ThirdParty-HDD-16T is allowed for storage pools on the 2025 Plus models as long as it is not on the Synology incompatibility list.
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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 Synology NAS quote for a customer: a DS-series host, memory, drives, and more. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of the configuration rules and returns a verdict, every reason, the figures it computed and, for a quote that can proceed, the line-item quote itself.
    2. 
      
  2. I will start with the first request by the agent.
    3. 
      
  3. The agent says. Please quote a DS925+ with one 16 GB D4ES03-16G memory module added, nine 20 TB HAT3320-20T drives and one DX525 expansion unit. The quote totals $5,389.88, with 180 TB raw capacity and 20 GB memory. The rest of the request is on screen.
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  4. Before it goes out, the agent calls the validator.
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  5. Blocked, with two findings, all in one answer. Adding D4ES03-16G next to the preinstalled module mixes module types on the DS925+; all modules must be identical, so replace the preinstalled module or add the same part. A 150 TB single volume exceeds the DS925+ limit of 108 TB with 20 GB memory; larger volumes need 32 GB.
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  6. The validator returned two 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 largest volume allowed for the installed memory, a rules-based CPQ can do this only with workarounds.
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  8. Now the agent resubmits.
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  9. The corrected request. It changes the Mem Qty to 2, the Mem Replace Preinstalled to true, the Claim Total to 5,609.87 and the Claim Mem GB to 32.
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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. The validator also returns the line-item quote. It starts with DS925+ and D4ES03-16G; the other two lines are on screen.
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  13. Both earlier findings are cleared, and the validator's total, $5,609.87, matches the quote.
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  14. Two 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.
    15.