How to upgrade from an older Odoo version to the latest: A step-by-step guide

Odoo just announced the dates for Odoo Experience 2021, which will take place on October 6-7.This year's version will be held online due to the continuous difficulties of the pandemic. 

A feature of the annual Odoo festival is the introduction of the new Odoo version, which includes presentations from Odoo as well as clients and partners regarding certifications, success stories, and challenging implementations.This year, we'll learn about Odoo 15 for the first time. 

Are you currently using Odoo14 or an older version and unsure whether or not you should upgrade? 

Why should you upgrade to the most recent version? 

There are a variety of reasons why businesses choose to upgrade to a new version of Odoo.

Let's have a look at the three key reasons: 

New features, functions, modules, and integrations have been added. 

The most recently updated and enhanced modules, features, and integrations are undoubtedly one of the most significant benefits that the new version of Odoo delivers every year. 

Odoo keeps up with the times and releases two to four new modules per year, each with a far more user-friendly interface and interfaces with other applications (e.g. Outlook integration for CRM in version 15).If you're interested in learning more about the additional features of Odoo 15 compared to its predecessor, check out our post on the subject. 

System that is faster, slicker, and more user-friendly 

Odoo improves its speed in both the front-end and back-end with each new release.On average, Odoo 13's back-end is about 5 times faster than prior versions! The front-end of Odoo 14 is almost 3.5 times faster than version 13!Page speed is one of the most significant criteria for better search engine optimization (SEO) of your website, so this enhancement is greatly appreciated by all marketers. 

Odoo provides bug fixes and functional support. 

Odoo only supports the three most recent versions of its clients.Your system will not be upgraded with any updates, bug patches, or functional support if you are using Odoo Enterprise 11 or older. 

Process of Odoo Migration 

Once you've decided to migrate from an earlier version of Odoo to a newer one, you'll need to answer the following questions to establish the best migration strategy.

• Do you have any custom or third-party Odoo modules?

• What kind of server hosting service do you use?

• What version of your system do you have?

• Which is more important: business or community?

What is the difference between your system's original and target versions? 

The answers to these questions will assist you in determining the best migration approach and scheduling the work required for your Odoo migration.In any case, you should determine which actions from the list below are required for your system. 

Examine the new system, its modifications, and its rigorous features. 

Odoo evolves and improves with each new release.It introduces new functionality, and it's critical to understand how these changes affect the system and current features.If you're using an older version, chances are you'll have to customize it in your system because some features aren't available.

However, this functionality may have been introduced to the latest version as a result of customer input. 

During each migration, it's critical to compare your custom modules and what they add/change in the system to the new Odoo capabilities.It aids in the removal of stiff modules that are no longer required in your system.This technique can save you money (since you won't have to upgrade the customized modules) and make your users' lives easier (because they won't see redundant information and fields, for example). 

It may be necessary to tweak your company's process from time to time, but the less you modify your system, the better. 

Customization and third-party modules should be upgraded. 

It's time to update the code once you've determined which custom modules need to be changed in the newer old version.Some modules can be used nearly immediately (with only minor changes to the manifest file), while others may require more extensive modifications. 

It always depends on the Odoo version you're using and which modules you're upgrading.As an example, we can look at the accounting and invoicing functionalities in Odoo 12 and Odoo 13.

Odoo rewrote the logic of invoices and journal entries in version 13 and combined the two models/documents into one.It made significant enhancements, such as allowing users to review drought journal entries before posting them.

All modules that dealt with bills or journal entries, on the other hand, had to be entirely rebuilt.

Because some modifications are minor and others are more complex, it is necessary to do technical analysis to establish which group they belong to. 

If you're using an Odoo store-purchased 3rd party module, you'll need to repurchase it because you require it for a newer version. 

Your Odoo database need be upgraded. 

You should be ready to upgrade your database once you've verified that your customization have been upgraded, you've decided not to use them anymore, or you don't have any custom modules installed in your database.Depending on the hosting solution you're using, the upgrade process may differ. 

Please note that only Odoo Enterprise databases (which are included in the Odoo license) can be migrated, and you can choose to migrate only to presently support versions (the 3 most recent versions).However, upgrading to the most recent version is usually the best option. 

On-premise, in your own cloud, or with your Odoo partner's hosting 

If you're handling your Odoo hosting on your own, you have two options: 

Use the Odoo migration script to migrate your data. 

To launch the migration script, simply type this script into your server's console.The migrated database will be generated on your server if the migration is successful. You will receive an error log if there are any issues with the script, which are usually due to the characteristics of your database (usually caused by custom modules), and you will need to file a ticket to Odoo to solve and improve the migration script. 

Upload your database dump to the Odoo website. 

If you find the first approach too technical, you may always upload a database dump to the Odoo website.Odoo will perform the migration script on their end, troubleshoot any issues, and send you an improved database for testing. 

Odoo hosting on Odoo.sh

If you're utilizing Odoo.sh as your hosting service, you'll need to upload a database dump to the Odoo website.Odoo will perform the migration script and provide you with a migrated database that you may use as a staging environment.The entire procedure is covered in the official Odoo.sh migration documentation. 

Odoo hosting on Odoo SAAS/Odoo Cloud

If you're a customer of Odoo SAAS, this indicates that: 

• You don't have any third-party modules or customization in your system (Odoo Studio customization and "technical settings" don't count because they're stored directly in the database and don't affect the code).

• You have access to free web hosting. 

The upgrading process is rather simple because external modules do not add any complexity to your system.

What is the time frame to migrate to a new Odoo version? 

The answer to this question may vary depending on a variety of factors, including:

• What is your Odoo version right now?

• What is the version to which you want to upgrade?

• When do you want the migration to happen?

• How many and how complicated are the customizations in your system? 

For minor to larger installations, we recommend planning at least 1-2 months ahead of time.

You have some time to complete your study and prepare the migration because the migration script normally matures between 4-6 months of its release.It's not a good idea to start using a new version of Odoo right away after it's been released. 

The migration procedure is normally a stand-alone project for larger implementations, and it can take 3-4 months to complete. 

What is the best time to migrate to a new version? 

Upgrading to a newer version of Odoo is always a trade-off between costs and benefits.To ensure that you are always utilizing a supported version of Odoo, we recommend upgrading at least once every three years (as mentioned above, Odoo supports only the latest 3 versions of the system). 

However, upgrading Odoo more frequently may be beneficial, particularly in the following situations: 

There are no custom modules or third-party programmed installed (or you have a very limited amount of them with low complexity)A new feature has been added that will greatly simplify your procedure or automate operations that are now done manually.You're having problems with your computer's performance.

 

While utilizing Odoo Community, upgrading to a new version is possible. 

The free system upgrade is only available to Odoo Enterprise users.You won't get any help or a script to upgrade your database if you use Odoo Community. Despite the upgrade of your database can be handled in a variety of ways, the process with the first two steps (analysis of the changes, upgrading of the custom modules) of the migration is the same. 

Odoo Enterprise is a better option. 

Before you begin your migration to the current version, the quickest and most painless alternative is to upgrade your Odoo Community to Odoo Enterprise.Because free upgrades are included in the Odoo license, you can save a lot of money and effort, especially if you only have a few internal users.

A multi-year subscription can be less expensive than writing your own Odoo Community migration script. 

Do a clean implementation once more. 

A standalone implementation of the newest version is another alternative, which is generally ideal for smaller systems (smaller in terms of scope - a small number of basic apps or base Odoo) and enterprises who are running very old versions of the system. 

A fresh look at the new features will often reveal that you don't need to migrate a large number of custom modules and that the standard Odoo features can manage additional operations. 

What matters in this technique is figuring out how to establish the best data migration plan. 

Make your own script for migration. 

For larger, more complex, and customized systems that you don't want to upgrade to version Enterprise for various reasons (typically systems with a large number of internal users), the best solution is to write your own database migration script that will transfer and prepare the data for the new version.We recommend contacting a seasoned Odoo partner with at least 3-4 years of Odoo expertise and a track record of successful migrations. 

Do you require assistance with your migration? 

Due to a lack of familiarity with Odoo upgrades, migrating to a new version can be a time-consuming and error-prone operation.Our advisors are available to discuss your situation, conduct an analysis, offer the best migration approach, and assist you in beginning to reap the benefits of the most recent version.

If you're thinking about upgrading to a newer version of Odoo, don't hesitate to contact us! 

Odoo Community Features as available at Geminate Consultancy Services

The Odoo Community edition is free to use Odoo software with capabilities to efficiently manage a moderate level of commercial operations. Better adapted to businesses with less than 50 users, the Community edition Odoo is able to provide distinctive operational tools.This page describes the functions of the Odoo community that are part of each of the modules of the platform.

Sales Management System

 

The Odoo Community Edition sales module is packed with operational capabilities that will provide you with effective tools for your business' sales management operations. Moreover, with direct integration with other company sales aspects such as POS, E-commerce, Subscriptions all aligned modules of Odoo the sales module will be considered as the one centralized management operations for all the sales operations of the company.

• Sales Order Management

• Sales Quotation Management

• Customer Management

• Invoice Management

• Percentage sales Margin

• Smart Date Input

• Upselling Techniques

• Product Management

• Product Variant Management

• Pricelist Management

• Product Variant Management

• Pricelist Management

• Promotion and Coupon Programs

• Managing Discounts

• Sales Analysis

• Product Catalog Management

• Multi UoMs

• Product Packages

• Margin Analysis

• Price Management

• Online Payment Facility

• Online Sale Order Confirmation

• Restrict Sale of Products

• Lock Confirmed Sales

• Invoicing Policy Managing

• Automatic Invoice & Down Payments

• Shipping Management

• Quotation Template Management

CRM

Corporate CRM operations will play a vital role in generating new business opportunities and earning more with existing customers. The CRM module is a page with lead generation and surveillance operations that will help you continue the different leads using the activities described in the platform.In addition, with lead enhancement features, you could win customer contacts from different organized marketing campaigns.

• Pipeline Management

• Pipeline Stage Management

• Quotation Management

• Team Pipelines

• Customer Management

• Lead Generation

• Lead Management

• Lead Scoring

• Lead Mining

• Lead Enrichment

• Predictive Lead Scoring

• Outlook CRM Extension

• Recurring Revenues management

• Sales Team Management

• Activity Scheduling

• Report

Purchase

The purchase management operations of the company will require a sophisticated tool to perform the operations, the Odoo community edition has an efficient purchase module that will be a part of the operations. Furthermore, with the capabilities to generate purchase quotations, purchase agreements, automate the purchase operations, and functional tools to manage all the purchase operations of the company it will be one of the best tools of purchase management.

• Purchase Quotation Management

• Purchase Order Management

• Purchase Agreements

• Vendor Management

• Product Management

• Product Variant Management

• Purchase Analysis

• Purchase Dashboard

• Purchase Order Approval

• Lock Confirmed Orders

• Restrict Product Purchase

• Receipt Remainder

• Bill Control

• Vendor Pricelist Management

• Product Categorising

• Smart Date Input

• Remaining Days Widget

• Priority Widget

• UoM Management

• Drop shipping 

Inventory

The Odoo platform has a centralized inventory management approach to the company operations which will be capable with delicate options and management features of the module. Moreover, with the capability to undergo advanced inventory operations such as drop-shipping, cross-docking and the ability to define the product moves the module will be beneficial for the effective inventory operations of the company.

• Transfer Orders

• Stock Management

• Scrap Management

• Product Replenishment Techniques

• Run Scheduler Tool

• Landed Cost on MO

• Landed Cost on Transfer

• Product Management

• Product Variant Management

• Product Tracking

• Product Expiry Management

• Product Packaging

• Warehouse Management

• Location Management

• Multi Warehouse Environment

• Stock Analysis

• Warehouse Analysis

• Stock Valuation

• Product Demand Forecasting

• Product Movement Analysis

• Restrict Product Purchase

• Picking Policies

• Consignment

• Multi-Step Routing

• Lead Time Allocations

• Security Lead Time Allocation

• Putaway Rules

• Reordering Rules

• Product Category Management

• Replenishment Rule Management

Invoicing

The Invoicing module of the Odoo community edition is embedded with the accounting module of the platform, providing direct access to you to generate invoices on customer purchases and services provided to them directly from the sales module. Moreover, all the operations done on the invoicing aspects of the company are directly depicted in the accounting module of the Odoo platform.

• Accounting Dashboard

• Customer Management

• Invoice Management

• Automatic Cut Off for Journal Entries

• Credit Note Issuing

• Payment Follow-ups

• Bill Management

• Payment Terms

• Refund Processing

• Localisation Specific CoA

• Journal Management

• General Ledger

• Partner Ledger

• Bank to Bank Transfers

• Bank to Cash Transfers

• Payment Reconciliation

• Bank Reconciliation

• General Ledger

• Tax Reports

• Analytic Reports

• Tax Management

• Cash Basis Tax Configuration

• Multi-Currency Support

• Continental Accounting

• Fiscal Period Setting

• Margin Analysis

• Reconciliation Models

• Incoterms

• Bank Account Management

• Tax Mapping Techniques

• Account Mapping Techniques

• Payment Acquirers

• Saved Payment Data

• Product Category Management

• Cash Rounding

• Analytic Accounting

Manufacturing

With the Odoo manufacturing module available in the community edition of the platform you will be able to draft an independent manufacturing process of the company, defining the work centers, operations, the machine uses, bill of materials, and all the related aspects. Additionally, the manufacturing module is in direct integration with the inventory, HR management operations, sales operations of the company, and all the supporting aspects helping in auto manufacturing and other automation and regular process of the module.

• Product Manufacturing

• Work Order Management

• Scrap Management

• Workcenter Management

• Unbuilding Orders

• BoM Management

• Product Management

• Product Variant Management

• Tracking Product Moves

• Subcontracting

• Product Kit Management

• Manufacture Order Analysis

• Work Order Analysis

• Overall Equipment Effectiveness

• By Product Management

• Security Lead Time

• Timer

Maintenance

Let it be preventive maintenance done upon the time of the need or the periodic maintenance conducted on the company equipment at fixed intervals it can be efficiently managed with the Odoo maintenance module. Additionally, in the module you can define the period of maintenance for each piece of equipment, maintenance requests can be generated by the employees to the maintenance teams and the managers can overlook the process of operations.

• Maintenance Dashboard

• Maintenance Request Management

• Corrective Maintenance

• Preventive Maintenance

• Equipment Management

• Maintenance Team Management

• Equipment Category Management

• Maintenance Request Analysis

HR Module

The Human resource management operations of the companies are of vital importance and Odoo has designated HR management modules for all the operations such as Recruitment, Attendance, Payroll, Time off, approval module, and many more to configure and run the HR operations of your company.

• Employee Management

• Employee Contract management

• Employee Challenge management

• Department management

• Employee presence Control

• Employee presence analysis

• Employee Update Rights

• Employee Recruitment

• Job Posting

• Interview application management

• Interview form designing

• Designing survey forms

• Employee attendance management

• Employee leave management

• Employee leave allocation management

• Time off type management

• Employee timesheet management

• Timesheet billing

• Expense management

• Expense Dashboard

• Expense Approvals

• Expense reimburse in Payslip

• Expense product management

• Expense analysis

• Employee Lunch Management

• Lunch overdraft allocation

• Lunch Order Management

• Employee Account management

• Fleet management

• Fleet End Date Contract Alert

Project

Projects in a company should be managed with efficiency without disrupting the steady flow of any operations. In the Odoo project module, you can define various company projects, allocate employees, define tasks and subtasks in operations and perform various managing as well as control functions on the project operations.

• Project management

• Task management

• Sub task management

• Recurring Tasks management

• Customer Rating

• Project Profitability calculation

• Collaborative Pads

• Tracking time spent

Website & Ecommerce

The website module of the Odoo platform is an integrated application that helps you to manage both the company website as well as the e-commerce platform for product sales. Moreover, it has an incorporated excellent website builder to it which helps you to define and describe an attractive website with distinctive themes.

• Website Management

• Website Builders

• Wide snippets and themes

• website order management

• E-shop management

• Abandoned cart management

• Coupon and promotion programs

• E-Commerce product category management

• Buy Now Button

• Product management

• Product variant management

• Pricelist and Discount Management

• Tax Management

• Digital Product Management

• Website Theme Management

• Website Language Management

• User Accounts Management

• Customer Account Management

• Online Product Comparison

• Manage Product Availability

• Price Management

• Multi-Currency Support

• Shipping Methods

• Order Follow Ups

• Invoicing Policy Management

• Web Push Notifications (Social App)

• SEO Tools

• Online Sale Analysis

• Blogs and Forum

• Live Chat Management

Point Of Sale

You can run your retail shop operations for your company or shop with the help of the Odoo POS module which will act as the counter sale application as well. The module is in direct incorporation with the sales module of the platform as well as the inventory and the accounting module. Moreover, you can generate customer invoices and define the operation of a bar or a restaurant with this module.

• Shop and Restaurant/Bar Management

• POS Interface Management

• Floor Management

• Table Management

• Order Management

• Bill Splitting

• Cash Control

• Product Management

• Product Variant Management

• Price Control

• Tax Management

• Discount Management

• Payment Terminals

• Inventory Management

• Pricelist Management

• Cash Rounding

• Order Analysis

Marketing Modules

The marketing operations of a company play a vital role in product and service sales. With Odoo marketing modules, you can define various marketing and promotional campaigns and function with the dedicated modules for Email marketing, Social marketing, and SMS marketing along with various other supporting modules for the digital marketing operations.

• Email Marketing

• Mass Mailing List Management

• Blacklisting

• Dedicated Server for Mailings

• Link Tracker

• SMS Marketing

• Contact List Management

• Blacklisting Contacts

E-Learning

Digitized learning has revolutionized how we study our lessons. With the Odoo e-learning module, you will be able to define various courses, and training programs, conduct certification programs on them, and further evaluate the candidates based on a questionnaire set by you. Moreover, you can create and define a forum of discussion on related courses and award karma points to the candidates based on the performance.

• ELearning Courses

• Certification

• Exams and Evaluation

• Sell On Ecommerce

Calendar

The Odoo calendar module will be an efficient task management tool for the operations in the company as all the tasks and in-house company operations can be well defined in the module based on the date and time. Furthermore, the members involved in the task or the event can be well informed straight from the module as they have dignified user logins to view their calendar module.

• Online Appointments

• Day to Day Activity Scheduling

• Yearly calendar view

• Schedule Meeting

• Recurrent Meeting Scheduling

• Synchronise Calendar with Google

• Synchronise Calendar with Outlook

Discuss

The Odoo discuss module will act as the platform to perform the discuss operation of the various company operations which can be conducted in-house between the employees and the manners of the firm. Moreover, you can share and post information on the various aspects and discuss the ongoing projects of the company as 

it will act as the best communication platform.

• Direct Messaging

• Discussion History

• Group/Channel Messaging

• Inbox Mail Management

• lead generation

Repair

The repair operations management of the establishments can be well performed using the Odoo repair module. Here the repair request can be managed, tasks can be assigned to the employees, manners can monitor the operation, finished products can be sent out to delivery and the customer can be invoiced on the repair charges as well as the product used.

• Repair Order Management

• Repair Analysis

Dashboard

The Dashboard of the Odoo platform is a configurable and customizable one as per your requirement. Moreover, 

the data can be added, modified, and removed based on your requirement, The Google sheets can be configured to define the various content and data that is required.

• Add data to dashboard

• Change dashboard Layout

• Google Spreadsheet

Live Chat

The Odoo live chat for the e-commerce or the company website will act as the functional tool in supporting the customers with the purchase of the products and services from the establishment. In the module you can assign employees, manage the live chat operations and configure it to be running based on your time ranges and specifications.

• Direct Messaging

• Live Chat Operators

• Leads from Live Chat

• Visitor Management

• Customer Rating

• Canned Responses

• Live Chat Welcome Message

Notes

The notes module of the Odoo platform will help you to define the notes, to-do list, and other lists in the operations of the company. Moreover, the users can be provided access to the notes created for them to contribute to the defined contents as well as discuss them in the chat function available in it.

• Managing Notes

• Managing Activities

Contact Module

The contact module of the Odoo platform will help you to define the contact of the companies such as the vendors, customers, and all the people and their contact information. Moreover, you can define them, classify them based on various criteria and can be further modified upon requirement. The module is in direct integration with all other modules of the Odoo platform allowing you to contact a company or person straight from the different modules of the platform.

• Partner Management

• Membership Management

• Multiple Address Management