The Essentials section covers the foundational skills that work the same way in every Odoo application. Once you understand how to search and filter records, build pivot and graph reports, and move data in and out of Odoo, you can apply those skills in Accounting, Sales, Inventory, HR, and anywhere else in the platform. This page consolidates the most important cross-application features so you can get productive quickly, regardless of which modules your organization has installed.Documentation Index
Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/odoo/documentation/llms.txt
Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
Searching, Filtering, and Grouping Records
The search bar sits at the top of every list, kanban, and reporting view. Start typing to search for a specific value, or click the dropdown (▾) icon to the right of the search bar to open the Filters, Group By, and Favorites menus.Search for Values
Type any value into the search bar — a customer name, product reference, salesperson — and Odoo displays matching suggestions in a dropdown. Selecting a suggestion adds it as a search chip that filters the current view. This is equivalent to using the contains operator in a custom filter.If you type a partial value and select a field directly (without expanding the submenu), Odoo returns all records where that field contains the typed characters.
Preconfigured Filters
Click the ▾ dropdown and select one or more options from the Filters section to narrow down the displayed records. Each view provides its own set of contextually relevant filters (for example, My Invoices, Overdue, or Order Date: Last 365 Days).Custom Filters
When the preconfigured filters are not specific enough, build a custom filter:Open the custom filter builder
Click the ▾ dropdown in the search bar, then select Filters → Add Custom Filter.
Configure the matching logic
By default, the popup is set to Match any of the following rules (OR), meaning a record matches if it satisfies any rule. To require all rules to match, switch to Match all of the following rules (AND). At least two rules must be present to switch to Match all.
Add filter rules
Each rule has three parts:
- Field name — the record field to evaluate (use the ▶ submenu icon to reveal nested fields).
- Operator — a conditional such as
is,is not,contains,>,<, etc. Available operators depend on the field’s data type. - Value — the target value, which may be a text input, number, date picker, or dropdown depending on the field.
Group By
Group records by any available field to cluster related data together. Click the ▾ dropdown, then choose a field from the Group By section. You can stack multiple groupings — the first selection is the top-level cluster, and each additional grouping subdivides further.Saving Favorites
Save any combination of search terms, filters, and groups as a Favorite so you can reapply it with a single click.Name and configure the favorite
Enter a Filter name. Optionally, enable Default filter to make this the default view every time you open the page.
Reporting Views
Most Odoo applications include a Reporting menu that provides pre-built analysis reports. These reports support two generic views optimized for data analysis: Graph and Pivot.Graph View
The graph view visualizes your data to help identify patterns and trends. Access it by clicking the graph view button (bar-chart icon) in the top-right corner of the report. Three chart types are available:- Bar Chart
- Line Chart
- Pie Chart
Best for comparing values across categories or showing distribution across a discrete dimension. Supports a stacked option when two or more groups are active, displaying groups on top of one another rather than side by side.
Pivot View
The pivot view aggregates your records into a cross-tabulation table, allowing multidimensional analysis. Access it by clicking the pivot view button (grid icon) in the top-right corner. Key pivot actions:| Action | How |
|---|---|
| Add a row group | Click ➕ next to the Total row header |
| Add a column group | Click ➕ next to the Total column header |
| Remove a group | Click ➖ next to the group name |
| Flip rows and columns | Click the ⇄ flip axis button |
| Sort by a measure | Click the measure’s column label to toggle ⏶ / ⏷ |
| Export to Excel | Click the ⭳ download button to get a .xlsx file |
Choosing Measures
In both graph and pivot views, click Measures to select which numerical field(s) to aggregate. The Count option is always available and counts the total number of filtered records. In the pivot view, multiple measures can be active simultaneously.Exporting Data
Odoo allows you to export records from any list view to a.csv or .xlsx file.
Select records
Tick the checkbox next to each record you want to export, or tick the header checkbox to select all records on the page.
Configure export options
In the Export Data dialog:
- Tick I want to update data (import-compatible export) to limit fields to those that can later be re-imported — this also ensures the External ID column is included.
- Choose the output format: CSV (comma-separated) or XLS (Excel with formatting).
- Use the Search bar and ▶ Show sub-fields icons to locate and add specific fields to the Fields to export list.
- Drag the ⇅ (Sort) handle to reorder export columns.
- Save recurring configurations as a named template using the template dropdown.
Importing Data
Data can be imported into any Odoo business object — contacts, products, bank statements, journal entries, orders, and more — using Excel (.xlsx) or CSV (.csv) files.
Navigate to the target object
Open the list view of the records you want to create or update (for example, Contacts or Products).
Download and adapt a template (optional)
Click Import Template on the import page to download a pre-formatted spreadsheet. Open it in any spreadsheet application (Microsoft Office, OpenOffice, Google Sheets) and populate it with your data.When adapting a template:
- Do not remove the External ID (ID) column — it is used to prevent duplicate records on re-import and to link related records.
- Set a unique ID for every row by dragging down the ID sequence.
- Add, remove, or reorder columns to match your data structure.
Upload your file
Click Upload Data File and select your CSV or Excel file. For CSV files, adjust the Formatting options (separator, delimiter, date format) as needed.
Map columns to Odoo fields
Odoo automatically maps columns whose names match Odoo field labels. Manually correct any unmapped columns using the Odoo Field dropdown. Use the Show fields of relation fields option to reveal the full list of available fields.
Updating Existing Records
To update records in bulk, export them first with the I want to update data option checked (which includes the External ID), make your changes in the exported file, then re-import. Odoo matches rows to existing records using the External ID and updates them in place instead of creating duplicates.Working with Relation Fields
When importing records that reference another object (such as a contact’s country), Odoo accepts three formats for the related field:| Format | Example | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Belgium | CSV files created manually |
| Database ID | 21 | Rarely — avoids name collisions |
| External ID | base.be | Migrating data from another application |
Use only one of these formats per relation field in a single import file.
Supported Number Formats
Odoo recognizes numbers with comma/period thousand and decimal separators, parenthetical negatives, and attached currency symbols. Examples of supported formats for 32,000:Date Format
When importing CSV files, verify the Date Format shown in the Formatting section. Use ISO 8601 format (YYYY-MM-DD) to ensure consistent parsing regardless of locale — for example, July 24 1981 should be written as 1981-07-24.
Stages
Stages organize an app’s pipeline and track the progress of records (referred to as cards) through a workflow. Apps such as CRM, Helpdesk, and Project use stages to represent the progression of tickets, leads, or tasks. To view or modify stages, navigate to the desired app and go to Configuration → Stages.Developer mode must be activated to access the Stages configuration menu. Enable it via Settings → General Settings → Developer Tools → Activate the developer mode.
Activities
Activities are follow-up tasks tied to a record in an Odoo database. They help teams track scheduled calls, emails, meetings, document uploads, and other actions directly on any record. The icon displayed for an activity indicates its type:- Clock — the default activity icon.
- Phone — a phone call is scheduled.
- Envelope — an email is scheduled.
- Check — a to-do is scheduled.
- Users — a meeting is scheduled.
- Upload — a document upload is scheduled.
- Signature — a signature request is scheduled.
Contacts
The Contacts application stores information about customers and suppliers the company interacts with. A contact record is a central repository of business information — name, address, email, phone, and more — that is shared across all Odoo apps. Odoo supports two contact types:- Company — an organization.
- Person — an individual, optionally linked to a Company.
In-App Purchases (IAP)
In-app purchases (IAP) are optional, credit-based services that extend Odoo’s functionality without requiring additional software installations. Services include SMS messaging, document digitization with OCR, and partner data enrichment. IAP services do not need to be configured before first use — simply trigger the service from within the relevant app. Each service draws from a prepaid credit balance. When credits run out, new credits must be purchased to continue using the service.Enterprise Odoo users with a valid subscription receive free IAP credits to trial features before purchasing additional credits. This includes demo, training, and one-app-free databases.
- Documents Digitization — digitizes vendor bills, expenses, and resumes using OCR and AI.
- Partner Autocomplete — automatically populates contact records with corporate data.
- SMS — sends SMS text messages to contacts directly from the database.
Additional Essentials Topics
The following cross-application features are also covered in the Odoo Essentials documentation:- Property Fields — custom fields that can be added to any record model without developer mode, allowing teams to capture additional structured data.
- Keyboard Shortcuts — global and view-specific keyboard shortcuts that speed up navigation and data entry throughout the platform.
- Product Catalog — a shared catalog view available in Sales, Purchase, and related apps for quickly browsing and adding products to orders.
- HTML Editor — a rich-text editor used across notes, website pages, email templates, and product descriptions, supporting inline formatting, tables, and embedded media.