Introduction to Odoo Data Cleaning

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Introduction

Keeping your database clean is essential for smooth business operations. Duplicate contacts, outdated leads, or poorly formatted phone numbers can cause confusion and reduce efficiency.

The Odoo Data Cleaning app helps you:

Remove duplicates: Merge or eliminate duplicate entries.
Recycle old data: Archive or delete outdated records.
Format fields: Standardize text, phone numbers, and other data fields.

With customizable rules, Odoo ensures your data stays consistent, professional, and aligned with your company’s standards.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Install the Data Cleaning modules

The Data Cleaning app includes several features, each enabled by specific modules:

Data Recycle (data_recycle) – Available on Odoo Community. Lets you archive or delete outdated records.
Data Cleaning (data_cleaning) – Available on Odoo Enterprise. Enables field formatting across multiple records.
Data Cleaning (merge) (data_merge) – Available on Odoo Enterprise. Detects and merges duplicate records.

Additional app-specific modules can also be installed for more advanced features.

2. Deduplicate records

Go to Data Cleaning app → Deduplication.
Use the Deduplication Dashboard to view groups of similar records based on your rules.
Select a master record to keep, then merge duplicates into it.
If you don’t select a master, Odoo will choose one automatically.
Use the Merge button to confirm.

Tip: Discard groupings you don’t want to merge. They’ll be hidden but can be reviewed later using the Discarded filter.

3. Create Deduplication Rules

Navigate to Data Cleaning app → Configuration → Deduplication.
Create or edit a rule:
- Choose a Model (e.g., Contacts).
- Define a Domain (optional) to filter eligible records.
- Select Merge Mode (Manual or Automatic).
- Add Unique ID Fields and matching conditions (e.g., Exact Match, Case/Accent Insensitive).
Save and activate the rule.

Tip: Rules run daily automatically, but you can also run them manually anytime.

4. Recycle outdated records

Go to Data Cleaning app → Recycle Records.
The Recycle Dashboard shows records flagged for deletion or archiving.
Click Validate to apply the recycle action.

Tip: Create recycle rules (Configuration → Recycle Records) to automatically remove records after a set period. Example: delete leads that were lost more than one year ago.

5. Clean and format fields

Go to Data Cleaning app → Field Cleaning.
Review suggested formatting changes in the dashboard.
Click Validate to apply changes (e.g., standardize phone numbers or name casing).

You can set rules for:

Trimming spaces (e.g., remove extra spaces in names).
Case formatting (e.g., capitalize first letters).
Phone number formatting (convert to international format).
HTML cleanup (convert to plain text).

Tip: Rules can run automatically or require manual approval.

6. Use the Merge Action Manager (advanced)

Enable Developer mode.
Go to Data Cleaning app → Configuration → Merge Action Manager.
Manage which models can use the Merge action from the Actions menu.

Tips

Start with key models like Contacts, Leads, and Companies before expanding to other records.
Schedule automatic rules to keep your database clean without manual effort.
Review discarded records regularly to ensure important data isn’t lost.
Combine with Odoo CRM and Sales apps for the best results in lead and customer management.

Introduction to Odoo Data Cleaning

Introduction