Underlying Agreement is a field on the DPA Cover Page. It identifies the primary commercial agreement - such as a Cloud Software Agreement or Professional Services Agreement - that the DPA is being signed alongside.
How to fill this out
A DPA governs how personal data is processed on behalf of another party, but it doesn't stand alone. It is almost always paired with a separate underlying agreement that describes the actual business relationship - what services are being provided, by whom, and for how long. The Underlying Agreement field tells both parties which agreement the DPA is attached to.
You have two options:
Common Paper agreement - If you already have (or are creating) a Common Paper agreement with this counterparty, select it here. Use the Select an agreement dropdown to choose the relevant agreement from your account.
NOTE: The Select an agreement dropdown only shows CSA agreements. If your underlying agreement is a Design Partner Agreement, PSA, or another non-CSA type, it won't appear here. You can either use Describe the agreement below, or upload the signed document to Common Paper first so it becomes selectable.
Describe the agreement - If the underlying agreement lives outside of Common Paper, use this option to describe it in plain language. Include the agreement type, the date it was signed, and the parties involved. For example: Cloud Software Agreement signed on January 10, 2026 between Acme Corp and DataLily AI.
NOTE: It is unusual to sign a DPA without any underlying commercial agreement to reference. If you don't have one in place yet, consider whether a Cloud Software Agreement, Professional Services Agreement, or similar agreement should be established first.
Default: No default - you must select one of the two options before sending.
Sending a CSA and DPA to the same counterparty
A DPA and a CSA cannot be co-signed as a single agreement - they are always sent and signed separately. The standard workflow is:
Send (or finalize) the CSA with your counterparty as you normally would.
Create a separate DPA agreement in Common Paper.
In the DPA Cover Page, use the Underlying Agreement field to link it to the CSA you just sent.
Send the DPA to the same counterparty. They will sign it separately.
The DPA and CSA don't need to be signed in a specific order - but you'll need the CSA to exist in Common Paper first so it appears in the Select an agreement dropdown. If you want to send both at the same time, create the CSA first and send it, then immediately create and send the DPA referencing that CSA.
DPA limitations
Standalone DPAs do not support file attachments. If you need to include supplemental compliance documents - such as a SOC 2 report or security addendum - attach them to the underlying CSA or SLA instead, using the Additional Terms field on that agreement's cover page. CSAs and SLAs support file attachments; standalone DPAs do not.