Whoever you are- manufacturer, service provider, trader, marketer, or engineer, if you are managing your business in Odoo, then thinking of ways to Import Bulk Products becomes a foremost priority.
Products for manufacturers could be raw materials or components, while for a retailer, it would be ready-made products.
In this blog, we will be guiding you on how to Import Bulk Products in Odoo in two different ways: standard Odoo flow and custom Python script.
How to Upload Mass Products to Odoo through Standard Flow?
Bulk Import Products in Odoo’s default workflow is simpler and often recommended for avoiding custom script development. Here’s how it is achieved:
Steps to Import Bulk Products in Odoo from XLSX or CSV file:
Create records for CSV Import:
- To verify the correct CSV format, it is recommended to export a Sample File wherein we can populate the product’s data to create products.
- >>Go to Products Menu in Inventory >> Products>> Products
- Select products and trigger export action from the action menu.
- In the export dialogue, do the following:
- Ensure “I want to update data (import-compatible export)” is checked.
- Select the below-shown fields.
- In the exported file, the “attribute_line_ids/value_ids” column will have values in a format like– attribute: value, attribute: value. But this is not supported by Odoo, so it needs to be updated.
- The original exported file:
- How it should be: The accepted format for this column is comma-separated values like: value1, value2,…
- The sample file is ready to be populated with data.
- Add required values in other columns and keep the “External id” column unique.
- Now the file is ready to be imported. Go to>> “Import Records” option under the “Favorites” menu.
Update Records for CSV Import
- Follow the same steps as “Create Record” and export the file with the fields in which the changes are required.
- Note: Change fields in which new value needs to be updated in the exported file. Avoid changing the ID column as it will help the system to detect the desired product.
- Once you have changed values against a unique external id and reimport the file, new values will be updated in the records.
When to follow the Standard flow to Import Bulk Products in Odoo?
- If your product structure is simple and contains minimum field values, you should always try avoiding custom script development for your system.
- If your business products don’t require large volumes of data, you can continue with standard Odoo flow to manage bulk import products.
Why opt for the custom Python script to Import Bulk Products in Odoo?
Managing DB/Product Data in another system:
If you are an Odoo user managing your product data in another DB system like Microsoft Access, Oracle Database, QuickBase, etc., becomes difficult if performed manually owing to different file structures and workflows.
So, performing data manipulation through the custom automated wizard to import products in Odoo from X DB system could be considered a convenient option avoiding possible human errors and data inaccuracy.
Highly Complex Product Structure
For manufacturers or sellers who need to manage BOM, routes, and pricelists alongside product variants and attributes, having an automated script perform your import operations becomes necessary due to Odoo’s relative nature.
In Odoo, an object is always related to other objects; e.g., a product is linked to product categories, attributes, vendors, etc.).
To import product data, you need to import the records of the related object, which is difficult to record every time you manually enter data in a CSV file.
So, if you already have your product flow worked out, it is probably easier to get a Python script ready to perform the product import task automatically.
The custom script will go through the product list and add all the product info to the product. template and product. product models in Odoo automatically.
Building a custom Python Script to Import Bulk Products in Odoo would save your product managers the time of manually typing each item into the CSV file, maintaining its format and structure.
At Aktiv, we have created custom Python scripts to help our customers efficiently manage their product import operations.
Contact our Odoo experts to get your custom wizard for Bulk Import Products in Odoo.
