Overview
This guide helps you accurately match your ERP vendors and expenses in Tropic so your data is complete, reliable, and aligned with contracts. Cleaning up unmatched entries supports better reporting, allows you to track shadow spend, and ensures everything flows correctly into Variance Analysis so you have visibility.
Step-by-Step: How to Match Your Data
1. Start by Matching or Ignoring Unmatched Suppliers
- Go to Integrations → Data Matching → Suppliers
-
Apply the filter: Supplier Expense greater than 0 to focus on vendors with recorded spend.
- Pro Tip: sort by high to low $ so you can prioritize high spend vendors
Tab Definitions:
Unmatched: Vendors not yet linked to a Tropic supplier. These need your review.
Matched: Vendors already mapped to a Tropic supplier. No action needed. Note: Tropic AI automatically matches vendors so you only match what’s missing.
Ignored: Vendors you’ve chosen not to map, such as low spend or irrelevant records.
- Confirm or adjust any medium- and low-confidence matches as needed using the Unmatched tab.
2. After You’ve Matched Suppliers, Match or Ignore All Unmatched Expenses
- Go to Integrations → Data Matching → Expenses
- Apply the filter: Actual Spend greater than 5000 to focus on high-impact transactions.
This step ensures that every transaction in your ERP data is linked to a supplier in Tropic. While most will connect automatically through supplier matching, some entries, such as journal entries or transactions with inconsistent vendor names, may not be covered.
- Use the Unmatched tab to review these exceptions.
- Create or confirm mapping rules using the Supplier Name or keywords in the Description field.
For example: If your ERP logs a transaction as "Zoom Video Comm" but your Tropic supplier is named "Zoom," you can create a rule that maps any transaction containing “Zoom Video” to the correct supplier.
- Once confirmed, these rules will apply automatically to future transactions with the same pattern
Now that you have matched suppliers and transactions, you have unlocked the following insights…
3. To Spot Shadow Spend: Review Uncontracted Suppliers
Uncontracted Suppliers are vendors that have recorded spend in Tropic but are not currently linked to a contract. These may represent purchases made outside of your standard procurement process or contracts that haven’t been uploaded yet.
- Go to the Suppliers page
- Apply the filter: Status is No Contract
These suppliers have recorded spend but no contract linked in Tropic. Work with the appropriate stakeholders to identify who made these purchases and upload or link the missing contracts.
4. Review Inactive or Undetermined Contracts
Contracts marked as Inactive or Undetermined in Tropic may represent outdated agreements, contracts that were never finalized, or records that haven’t been reviewed. These statuses can prevent accurate reporting or variance tracking.
- Still on the Suppliers page
- Apply the filters: Status is Inactive or Undetermined
These statuses may indicate an outdated or unconfirmed contract. Reach out to the contract owner to validate the current status and update the record in Tropic if needed.
5. To Identify Overages: Review Suppliers with Spend Above Contract
Overages occur when a supplier’s actual spend exceeds the contracted amount in Tropic. This can happen if transactions were unmatched when the contract was created, if a contract is outdated, or if the spend exceeded expectations.
- Go to the Suppliers page
- Apply the quick filter: Expense Overages
These suppliers have spend that goes beyond their documented contract value. Review the supplier’s matched transactions and the contract record. If needed, update the contract value or follow up with the contract owner to confirm next steps.
Example: You may see a supplier with a $50,000 contract but over $175,000 in recorded expenses. This could indicate that additional spend was not captured in the contract record, or that the original contract value needs to be updated.
Additional Resources
- For more detailed information, visit the Supplier and Transaction Mapping document.
- Explore resources on ERP Integration for advanced setup and troubleshooting tips.