| name | odoo-data |
| description | Shipping data with an Odoo module — XML/CSV data files, seeded records, ir.sequence numbering, and configuration via res.config.settings / ir.config_parameter. Use whenever adding records to data/ or demo/, writing <record>/<field> XML, wiring external IDs (ref/eval/command tuples), setting noupdate, ordering the __manifest__ data list, generating document numbers, or chasing "my edit reverts on -u" / "duplicate seeded record" bugs. Don't guess what's already seeded or whether a record is protected — read ground truth from ir.model.data via odoo-introspect's metadata script first. |
Odoo data, sequences & configuration
Data files are code: records load on -i and, unless protected, are re-asserted from XML on every -u. Two failures dominate — a seeded record's manual edits silently vanish on the next upgrade, or you create a second copy of a record the base already ships. Both come from guessing what exists and how it's flagged.
The rule: before adding or editing shipped data, read what's already seeded and its noupdate flag from ir.model.data — don't guess.
Targets Odoo 17/18, through Odoo 19 (current LTS). For older versions check skills/odoo-introspect/references/version-matrix.md.
Discover first (introspect, don't grep)
Run odoo-introspect's scripts against the live DB before touching data:
MODEL=res.partner odoo-bin shell -d <DB> --no-http < scripts/metadata.py
MODEL=res.partner odoo-bin shell -d <DB> --no-http < scripts/model_brief.py
If metadata.py lists module.xmlid for what you're about to add, reuse it with ref() instead of creating a duplicate.
data/ vs demo/ — when each loads
| Folder / manifest key | Loads on | Loaded on -u | Use for |
|---|
data | every install/update | yes (unless noupdate) | real config: sequences, params, mail templates, ACL data |
demo | only if DB created with demo data | yes, demo DBs only | sample records for dev/tests — never relied on in prod logic |
Demo never loads on a --without-demo=all database; production code must not depend on a demo record existing.
noupdate — the silent reverter
noupdate controls what -u does to an already-created record. Get it wrong and edits disappear or your XML changes never apply.
noupdate | On -i | On -u | Means |
|---|
0 (default) | created | fields re-written from XML | XML is source of truth; UI edits to it revert on -u |
1 | created | untouched | user-editable after install; your later XML edits won't apply either |
- Set per file/block:
<odoo noupdate="1"> or a scoped <data noupdate="1">…</data> inside a default <odoo>.
- Ship config you expect customers to change (sequences,
ir.config_parameter defaults, templates) as noupdate="1".
- To change a record that is already
noupdate="1" on installed DBs, a -u won't do it — write a migration (see odoo-migration).
metadata.py → seeded_data.noupdate_records tells you which records are protected before you try to patch them.
Record & relation syntax
Full XML/CSV syntax, x2many command tuples, and the Command.* equivalents are in references/data-and-sequences.md. The traps:
- Load order matters —
ref('module.xmlid') resolves only if that record's file is listed earlier in the manifest data list. Forward references raise External ID not found.
- A file not in the
data list silently does nothing — no error, just no records.
- CSV — filename = model (
res.partner.csv); header id = external id; many2one by external id uses the field/id column (e.g. parent_id/id).
Sequences & configuration — pick the built-in
| Need | Use | Not |
|---|
| Document number (SO/INV/ref) | ir.sequence + next_by_code('my.code') | string formatting / max(id)+1 |
| Guaranteed gap-free numbering | sequence implementation='no_gap' | standard (Postgres seq, may gap on rollback) |
| Admin-tunable setting | res.config.settings field w/ config_parameter= | hard-coded constant |
| Read a setting in code | ir.config_parameter get_param/set_param (sudo) | a custom singleton model |
| Per-company numbering/config | company_id on the sequence / param | one global value |
Gotchas that fail silently
- Editing a
noupdate="0" record in the UI → reverted on the next module -u. Mark it noupdate="1" or stop hand-editing shipped data.
eval vs ref — <field name="x" ref="m.id"/> sets one m2o; multi/computed values need eval="[Command.set([ref('m.id')])]". Mixing them silently writes the wrong thing.get_param returns a string — 'False', '0', '5' are all truthy; cast before testing.- Translatable field values in XML become the source term; translate via
.po, never by shipping per-language records. Brief i18n notes in the reference.
References & scripts
references/data-and-sequences.md — full XML/CSV syntax, x2many command tuples + Command.*, ir.sequence fields & interpolation, res.config.settings/ir.config_parameter patterns, safe updates to shipped records, i18n note.references/noupdate-and-sequences.md — the noupdate=True lifecycle (loaded once, frozen on -u → migration to change), ir.sequence (next_by_code / per-company / _next), ir.config_parameter vs res.config.settings, Command.* x2many forms, and how odoo-ai metadata <model> surfaces protected noupdate records.- Uses
odoo-introspect scripts: metadata.py (seeded ir.model.data + noupdate), model_brief.py (field inventory).
- Changing already-installed protected data →
odoo-migration. Proving -i/-u both load cleanly → odoo-testing.
