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

# Working with deals

> Create deals, move them through your pipeline, and keep the team aligned.

A **deal** represents an opportunity your firm is evaluating, linked to a target company. You create and manage deals from the **Deals** area, and track them visually on the **Active Pipeline**.

## Create a deal

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Deals">
    In the left sidebar, expand the **Records** group and select **Deals**. Click **New Deal** in the top right. (You can also use the **+** on the **Records** group and choose **Add Deal**.)
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select the target company">
    A deal must be linked to a company. In the **Create New Deal** dialog, choose the target company under **Company** (required). If it doesn't exist yet, create it first from **Companies** — see [Working with companies](/help/companies).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Fill in the details and create">
    Give the deal a **Deal Name** (for example, *Acme Corp – Platform*). Optionally set **Status**, **Stage**, **Deal Size**, **Owners**, and other fields. Click **Create Deal**.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  New deals default to the **Active** status and the first stage. Your firm's status and stage labels are configured by an admin — see [Taxonomy](/help/admin/taxonomy).
</Note>

## Track deals on the Active Pipeline

The **Active Pipeline** (in the sidebar) is where you see deals in motion.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Active Pipeline">
    Select **Active Pipeline** in the sidebar. The **Overview** tab shows pipeline dashboards; the **Active Deals** tab lists the deals themselves.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Switch to the board view">
    On the **Active Deals** tab, use the view toggle to switch to the **Kanban board view**. Each column is a deal **stage**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Move a deal between stages">
    Drag a deal card from one stage column to another to advance it. A confirmation appears once the deal moves. (Drag requires edit permission on the deal.)
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Tip>
  Turn on the **My Deals** toggle on the **Active Deals** tab to see only the deals you own.
</Tip>

### Stage vs. status

Metal tracks two separate things about every deal:

| Concept    | What it means                                                               |
| ---------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Stage**  | How far the deal is in your process (the kanban columns).                   |
| **Status** | The deal's overall state — for example **Active**, **Closed**, or **Dead**. |

Both use your firm's own labels, configured by an admin in [Taxonomy](/help/admin/taxonomy).

## Assign owners

Owners are the people responsible for a deal.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the deal">
    Click the deal from the Deals table or the pipeline board.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Edit the deal">
    Open the deal's actions menu and choose **Edit** to open the **Edit Deal** dialog.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add owners">
    In the **Owners** field, add teammates (you can select individual **Users** or whole **Teams**). Save your changes.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Attach documents

Documents live on a deal's **Documents** tab and are shared with the deal's linked company.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the deal's Documents tab">
    Open the deal and select the **Documents** tab. The deal must have a linked company; if it doesn't, link one first.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add files">
    Click **Add File**, or drag files onto the table (you'll see a **Drop files to upload** overlay). Uploaded files are processed and become searchable.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Related

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Working with companies" icon="building" href="/help/companies">
    Manage the target companies your deals link to.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Taxonomy" icon="tags" href="/help/admin/taxonomy">
    How admins configure deal stages and statuses.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>