methods and apparatus for maintaining businesses rules in a configuration system are disclosed . the presently disclosed system allows systems to be configured using a plurality of rules that are syndicated by a plurality of different manufacturers . each manufacturer syndicates a portion of the overall system attributes and / or configuration rule set for use by others . configuration users , such as the sales channel , may then create additional rules and / or configure products with the most recent version of the component attributes and configuration rules , and no single entity is burdened with maintaining the entire attribute and / or rule set .