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Getting Started1 min readUpdated 2026-03-27

Understanding records in Ratio

What leads, contacts, clients, projects, invoices, and documents each represent so your team does not mix them together.

The core record types

  • Lead: an opportunity that may become real work.
  • Contact: a person you communicate with.
  • Client: the business relationship you are actively working with or billing.
  • Project: the delivery container for work once it is sold or approved.
  • Invoice: a request for payment.
  • Proposal or contract: the commercial or legal agreement before or during work.

Common beginner mistakes

  • Using clients and contacts interchangeably
  • Creating projects before the scope is clear
  • Treating the invoice as the only source of truth
  • Keeping proposal status in email instead of inside the system
  • Creating duplicate records because the team is unsure where information belongs

A simple rule that helps

If you are asking “who is this?”, you probably need a contact or client. If you are asking “what work are we doing?”, you probably need a project. If you are asking “what are we charging or collecting?”, you probably need a proposal, contract, or invoice.