When the same invoice arrives twice (email resend, invoice plus receipt, or overlapping uploads), Cortena groups duplicates and picks one master row for export and workflow. Related copies appear linked underneath.
Who this is for: AP teams who want to avoid exporting the same supplier invoice twice or hunting related PDFs manually.
1. How duplicates are detected
Cortena compares invoice date, supplier name, invoice number, and total amount. When all four match, documents join a duplicate group.
The master is usually the most invoice-like document (actual invoice beats receipt or delivery note). Among equals, the oldest import wins master status.
2. List display
In Payables:
- Master rows appear at normal indent with a checkbox for bulk actions.
- Duplicate rows sit indented, greyed, without checkbox. They cannot be bulk-exported.
- Select all skips duplicates automatically.
Use filter Duplicates → Master only to hide related copies. Pulse uses the same preset for queue counts.
3. Receipts and payment status
If a duplicate is a receipt and the master is an unpaid invoice, Cortena may mark the master Paid and link the receipt, saving a manual payment status update.
Review the master's Payment status tooltip to see why it was marked paid.
4. Managing duplicate groups
| Action | Effect |
|---|---|
| Delete duplicate | Removes only the copy · master stays |
| Promote to master | Swaps roles when the wrong file became master |
| Remove duplicate link | Breaks group when files are not actually duplicates |
Open the master detail → Duplicates section for group actions.
Quick reference
| Topic | Behaviour |
|---|---|
| Match keys | Date + supplier + number + total |
| Export | Master only |
| List filter | Duplicates: Master only |
| Receipt duplicate | May auto-mark master Paid |
| Wrong master | Promote to master on detail |