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Example Handling Conditional and Non-Required Attributes:
These limits become less straightforward when a product includes conditional or non-required attributes. In these cases, fewer combinations may be generated than suggested by the formula above.

To calculate combinations for optional attributes, consider this example of a meal with 3 optional courses (attributes):

• Optional Attribute 1: Appetizers (2 options)

  • Garlic Bread

  • Bruschetta

• Optional Attribute 2: Main Course (3 options)

  • Pasta Entree

  • Fish Entree

  • Steak Entree

• Optional Attribute 3: Dessert (2 options)

  • Ice Cream

  • Chocolate Cake

If users can pick any number of courses, you must account for all combinations, from selecting 1 course to all 3 courses.

Calculation:

(2+1)×(3+1)×(2+1)−1=3×4×3−1=36−1=35(2 + 1) \times (3 + 1) \times (2 + 1) - 1 = 3 \times 4 \times 3 - 1 = 36 - 1 = 35(2+1)×(3+1)×(2+1)−1=3×4×3−1=36−1=35

Thus, there are 35 possible meal combinations when considering different options for each course.