Having an Odoo integration built
An Odoo integration lets orders, stock, relations and invoices flow on their own between Odoo and the software running next to it, such as a web shop, CRM or planning tool.
Short answer
Elusive Innovations, an AI and software company in Oss, Noord-Brabant, builds integrations between Odoo and the other software of mid-sized companies, such as a web shop, CRM or planning system. We use Odoo's official External API (XML-RPC or JSON-RPC), first pin down which data goes in which direction and what happens on an exception, and build in error alerts and safety stops. If an Odoo module already does the job well, we recommend it.
A reply within one working day.
- Company
- Elusive Innovations B.V.
- Office
- Romeinenweg 110-E, Oss
- Service area
- Oss and north-east Brabant, the rest of the Netherlands remotely
- First step
- Free business scan, then a defined Sprint
What does an Odoo integration do?
Odoo is modular: sales, stock, accounting and more in one package. Still, something almost always runs alongside it, such as a web shop on another platform, an in-house planning tool or a supplier who delivers stock in a file. Where those systems do not talk to Odoo, someone retypes.
An integration lets that data flow on its own, in an agreed direction and at an agreed moment. Sometimes the answer is not an integration but an Odoo module you are not using yet. We weigh that first.
When your own integration makes sense, and when a module will do
Makes sense when
- Your web shop, planning or portal runs outside Odoo, and no module connects it well.
- An existing module does connect, but not the way you work.
- A supplier or customer delivers data in their own format, such as a CSV file.
- You want to see what each run passed on, and be warned when something fails.
Does not make sense when
- There is a module, from Odoo itself or the Odoo Apps Store, that does what you need. It is usually faster and cheaper.
- The work can be done in Odoo itself, with a module you are not using yet. Then extending within Odoo is the shortest route.
- It is a handful of records a month. Then the integration costs more than the retyping.
Which data, which direction, how often
A common split. It differs per company, and that is exactly what we pin down at the start.
Sales orders
- Direction
- Web shop or portal to Odoo
- How often
- Per order
Stock and items
- Direction
- Odoo to web shop, or supplier file to Odoo
- How often
- Depending on how fast stock changes
Relations
- Direction
- Both ways, with one source per field
- How often
- On every change
Invoices and payment status
- Direction
- Odoo to CRM or customer portal
- How often
- Once or several times a day
Hours and projects
- Direction
- Planning to Odoo
- How often
- Per week or per period
What happens on exceptions and errors
- An item or relation does not exist in Odoo: the integration creates nothing on a guess, but flags it.
- Odoo is briefly unreachable: the integration retries later and reports it if that fails.
- A run would suddenly change far more than usual: the integration halts itself and reports it, like the safety stops in our Shopify integration.
- Every run writes a log, so you can see what was passed on and what was not.
Maintenance
Odoo releases new versions regularly, and an upgrade can change how the API behaves. So we test the integration on an upgrade, and agree up front who does that and what it costs.
How we build integrations
- Client project · LeidingDeal.nl
Shopify integration
An integration that processes the supplier's stock file into Shopify twice a day, with an alert on errors and safety stops that halt the run themselves. A supplier file into Odoo is built the same way.
View: Shopify integration - Our own product
Elusive CRM
Our own work platform connects email, WhatsApp and calling to the customer record, with execution logs on every automation. Which channels are available depends on the connected accounts.
View: Elusive CRM
What determines the investment?
An integration between Odoo and one other system, with a defined set of data, can be a Sprint. More systems, or an integration that has to grow with new processes, is more likely a partnership.
- Fixed scope
Sprint
One defined deliverable: an integration between two systems, a recurring step that disappears, or an internal screen that does not exist yet. Scope and price are fixed upfront.
- Production-ready
MVP
A first version of your product or platform that real users can use. How long it takes depends on the scope, usually a few weeks.
- Ongoing
Partnership
Fixed build capacity per period, for organisations that keep extending. New parts, integrations and automations delivered to a steady rhythm.
A Sprint starts at 999 euro. For an MVP or a Partnership it depends on scope; we share that figure during the intake.
What moves the price most
- The number of data types and the direction they travel.
- Whether the other system has a usable API, or a file has to be processed.
- How many exceptions the process holds.
- Which Odoo version and modules you use.
Explained in more depth in What does custom software cost?
How we approach it
Process and exceptions
Which data is retyped now, by whom and how often, and what happens when something does not add up?
Module or integration
We first check whether Odoo can do it itself, with an existing module. Only if it cannot do we build an integration.
Build on the official API
Through Odoo's External API, with a dedicated user that holds only the permissions the integration needs.
Trial run and go-live
First alongside the manual work, with log and error alerts, until the outcome is right. Then the retyping stops.
Frequently asked questions
Who builds an Odoo integration in Noord-Brabant?
Elusive Innovations in Oss builds Odoo integrations for companies in Oss and north-east Brabant, including 's-Hertogenbosch, Uden, Veghel and Nijmegen, and the rest of the Netherlands remotely.
Is an existing Odoo module not enough?
Often it is, and then it is the best choice. Your own integration only pays off when no module fits, or when you use a system outside Odoo that nobody has made a module for. We check that in the first conversation.
How do you connect to Odoo?
Through Odoo's official External API, with XML-RPC or JSON-RPC, and a dedicated user holding only the permissions the integration needs.
What happens on an Odoo upgrade?
We test the integration on the new version before it goes live. Who does that and what it costs, we agree up front. An integration that stops reports itself, so it does not go unnoticed for weeks.
What does an Odoo integration cost?
A Sprint starts at 999 euros: one defined result with a fixed scope. Above that it depends on what needs to be built, and we work with an MVP through to production or an ongoing partnership. After the introduction you know which shape your question falls into.
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The next step
Tell us where work gets stuck.
Bring an example from your everyday work. Together we explore what is needed and whether we are the right team to help. Prefer it on paper first? Request the free business scan.