Hello @Jeffrey K ,
thanks for reaching out using MS Learn Q&A.
It seems you want to deploy Azure IoT Edge devices in a layered configuration. These deployments have to be automated on specific requirements.
Azure IoT Central is a mature solution with a lot of features out of the box.
Still, automatic (Azure IoT Edge module) configurations are not featured (yet).
I recommend checking out the Azure PaaS offering based on Azure IoT Hub
There, layered deployments are offered (to roll out modules and settings conditionally).
The portal experience is also available via an API so you can program your own logic around it.
Regarding multiple device templates, a single device is related to a single device template via the modelID. See this blog post how this ModelID is part of Azure IoT Plug&Play.