> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.mercora.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Walk through a trade

> Follow one sugar trade from its documents to its P&L, then fix a mismatch on an aluminium trade.

Follow one trade from its first documents to its P\&L, to see how the parts of Mercora connect. Each step links to the page with the details.

## The trade

Veltana Commodities SA buys white refined cane sugar from a Thai mill and sells it to a food distributor in Singapore. Trade **VCS-S-2026-0714** is open in Mercora with nothing but its reference.

| | Purchase | Sale |
| - | - | - |
| **Counterparty** | Kanchana Siam Sugar Co., Ltd. | Meridian Foodstuffs Pte. Ltd. |
| **Contract** | VCS-P-2026-0688 | VCS-S-2026-0714 |
| **Price** | USD 528.00/MT FOB Laem Chabang | USD 565.00/MT CIF Singapore |
| **Value** | USD 14,256.00 | USD 15,255.00 |

The cargo is 27 MT in one container on KITI BHUM, B/L RCLLCH2607841, paid under L/C ILC26SG04582.

> [!NOTE]
>
> These screens come from a workspace with every module on. If Shipments, Contracts or P\&L is missing from your sidebar, see [Modules](https://docs.mercora.io/concepts/modules.md).

## From documents to P\&L

**1. Upload the documents**

Upload the trade's twelve documents (contracts, L/C, invoices, packing list, B/L, certificates and insurance), or let them arrive by [email](https://docs.mercora.io/documents/email-ingestion.md). Leave the type on **Auto-detect** and the trade empty. See [Uploading documents](https://docs.mercora.io/documents/uploading.md).

**2. Mercora reads and files them**

Each document lands in the **Inbox** under **Needs you**, tagged with its type, such as **CONTRACT**, **B/L** or **INVOICE · AR**. Eleven cite VCS-S-2026-0714, so they're already on the trade under **Ready to approve**. See [Processing](https://docs.mercora.io/documents/processing.md).

![The Inbox with the sugar trade's twelve documents](https://mintcdn.com/placeholder-f4ffdeec/22McaegbdDRSI41b/images/documents/inbox-overview.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=22McaegbdDRSI41b\&q=85\&s=08a78a63d07bbb6434a97deae54c8349)

The sugar trade's twelve documents: eleven ready to approve, one to match.

**3. Match the odd one out**

The purchase contract carries its own number, VCS-P-2026-0688, so Mercora doesn't link it on its own. It recommends VCS-S-2026-0714 and says why. Click **Match**. See [Matching documents to trades](https://docs.mercora.io/documents/matching.md).

![The Match step recommending trade VCS-S-2026-0714](https://mintcdn.com/placeholder-f4ffdeec/22McaegbdDRSI41b/images/documents/match-step-recommended.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=22McaegbdDRSI41b\&q=85\&s=02a8088829f6d0daa68f1aa1f8624703)

Mercora recommends trade VCS-S-2026-0714 and waits for you to click Match.

**4. Review and approve**

Open each document and check the fields beside the original. Click a field to find it on the page, or double-click to correct it. Approving a contract adds a leg to the trade: the sales contract adds a **Sale** leg of 27 MT at 565 USD, and the purchase contract a purchase leg at 528 USD. Other documents approve with **Approve** or <kbd>Enter</kbd>. See [The Inbox](https://docs.mercora.io/documents/inbox.md).

![The approval step that creates a sale leg](https://mintcdn.com/placeholder-f4ffdeec/22McaegbdDRSI41b/images/documents/approval-create-leg.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=22McaegbdDRSI41b\&q=85\&s=2c2ce8a0387ad37666c98a0271ecf98a)

Approving the sales contract creates the sale leg to Meridian Foodstuffs.

**5. Mercora checks for discrepancies**

Each document is checked against the trade when it's matched, and again as others are approved. The sugar documents agree on weights, container, ports and vessel, so the trade ends with no open discrepancies. See [Discrepancies](https://docs.mercora.io/documents/discrepancies.md).

**6. Open the trade**

On the trade's **Overview** tab, the **P\&L** card shows **Contracted** $999.00 and **Invoiced** $999.00. **Financials** lists the two invoices and is where you record payments. **Documents** shows the expected-documents checklist at **10/10**, and **Shipments** shows KITI BHUM from Laem Chabang to Singapore. See [Trades overview](https://docs.mercora.io/trades/overview.md).

![The trade's P\&L card and legs](https://mintcdn.com/placeholder-f4ffdeec/22McaegbdDRSI41b/images/trades/trade-pnl-card.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=22McaegbdDRSI41b\&q=85\&s=e57dc86e0d795fc19ca724d5e3d23046)

VCS-S-2026-0714: \$999.00 contracted and invoiced, with its sale and purchase legs.

**7. Read the P\&L**

On the **P\&L** page, the trade shows \*\*+$999** realized on its invoices (AR $15,255.00 minus AP \$14,256.00). It's a gross margin: freight and insurance come off once their invoices are filed. See [P\&L](https://docs.mercora.io/finance/pnl.md).

![The P\&L page](https://mintcdn.com/placeholder-f4ffdeec/22McaegbdDRSI41b/images/finance/pnl.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=22McaegbdDRSI41b\&q=85\&s=e788a4ba1146eaac28c5be844bd45782)

The P\&L for FY 2026: +\$999 on VCS-S-2026-0714.

## When something doesn't match

Veltana Metals SA buys 500 MT of aluminium ingots from Altamira Metals DMCC at USD 2,540/MT and sells them to Extrunord Metallwerke GmbH at USD 2,585/MT. No trade exists yet, and two documents disagree.

> [!NOTE]
>
> Creating a contract and deal from a document needs the **Contracts** module. Without it, approval offers **Create a new trade** instead.

**1. Create the trade from the purchase contract**

No trade carries reference ALU-2026-0012, so Mercora recommends **New trade from this contract**. Click **Approve**, keep **Create contract** and **Start a new deal with this contract** selected, and click **Approve document**. Mercora opens trade ALU-2026-0012. See [How trades are created](https://docs.mercora.io/trades/overview.md#how-trades-are-created).

**2. Approve the sale side**

Mercora now matches sales contract S-2026-0517 to ALU-2026-0012. Approving it adds the sale leg, for a contracted margin of **\$22,500.00**.

**3. Resolve the discrepancies**

The trade's **Discrepancies** tab shows two open warnings on a container seal. Click one to open the document. Each card shows both values, here seal GSL7152207 on the weight certificate against GSL7152270. Choose **Approve** to accept the difference, **Decline** if the document must be fixed, or **Note…** to record why. Against a shipment, choose **Keep doc value** or **Keep shipment value**. See [Discrepancies](https://docs.mercora.io/documents/discrepancies.md).

![The review panel for the weight certificate](https://mintcdn.com/placeholder-f4ffdeec/22McaegbdDRSI41b/images/documents/review-panel-seal-discrepancy.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=22McaegbdDRSI41b\&q=85\&s=f73e769218903cb09a6971cdb12ec399)

The weight certificate's seal and discharge port, checked against the shipment and the trade.

## Next steps

* [Mercora by role](https://docs.mercora.io/getting-started/by-role.md): what to read next for your job.
* [The Inbox](https://docs.mercora.io/documents/inbox.md): reviewing, approving and correcting documents.


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