Odoo Upgrade Testing Checklist: What to Check Before Upgrading Production

You requested an Odoo upgrade and received the email "Database ready for testing". Odoo has upgraded a copy of your database to the new version (for example Odoo 18 or Odoo 19) so you can check it before your live system is touched. This is the most important step of the whole upgrade. Problems found now cost minutes to fix; problems found after the production upgrade can stop invoicing, shipping or payroll.

This checklist explains exactly what to test in the upgraded copy, and what to confirm before you click "upgrade production". It is based on the upgrades our team runs for Australian businesses on Odoo Online, Odoo.sh and on-premise.

First, understand what the test database is

• It is a copy, not a sandbox you keep. The test database is a snapshot of production on the day you requested it, upgraded to the new version. Test databases expire, so start testing straight away.
• It is neutralised. Odoo disables outgoing emails, scheduled actions (crons), bank synchronisation and live payment providers in test copies, so nothing you do reaches customers, suppliers or the bank.
• It does not include later changes. Anything created or configured in production after the copy was taken is not in the test database. Keep major changes on hold during testing.

Before you start: set up your test plan

1. Pick a tester from each team: sales, purchasing, warehouse, accounts, production, eCommerce and admin.
2. List the 10 to 20 processes your business runs every week. These become your test scripts.
3. Run key reports in production now (same date range, same filters) so you have numbers to compare against.
4. Create a simple issue log: what you did, what you expected, what happened, screenshot, and priority (blocker, important, minor).
5. Agree a go/no-go date for deciding whether to upgrade production.

1. Test your everyday business flows

Run each flow from start to finish, exactly as your staff do it, using real products, customers and suppliers.

• Sales: quotation, confirmation, delivery, invoice, payment, credit note and returns. Check price lists, discounts, taxes and payment terms.
• Purchasing: request for quotation, purchase order, receipt, vendor bill and payment. Check reordering rules and supplier price lists.
• Inventory: receipts, internal transfers, picking and packing, deliveries, stock adjustments, lots and serial numbers, barcode scanning and quantity on hand.
• Manufacturing: bills of materials, manufacturing orders, work orders, component consumption, by-products and costing.
• Point of Sale: open a session, sell, refund, take card and cash payments, close the session and check the journal entries.
• eCommerce: browse the shop, add to cart, checkout as guest and logged-in customer, shipping methods and order confirmation.
• CRM, Helpdesk, Projects and Timesheets: create, move through stages, assign and close records, and check activities and email templates.
• HR and Payroll: employees, leave, expenses and, if you use it, a test payslip run.

2. Compare accounting and reporting data

Numbers must match production to the cent. Compare the same reports, for the same dates, in both databases.

• Trial balance, profit and loss and balance sheet
• Aged receivables and aged payables
• GST report and BAS figures for the last quarter
• Bank and cash balances and unreconciled items
• Stock valuation report versus the inventory balance sheet account
• Sales and purchase analysis, and any dashboards your managers use every week

If anything differs, record the account, date range and amount in your issue log. Small differences usually point to rounding, tax configuration or stock valuation settings that changed between versions.

3. Check every customisation

Customisations are where most upgrade issues appear. Check each one deliberately.

• Odoo Studio changes: custom fields, views, menus, filters and approval rules.
• Custom modules and third-party apps: confirm each one is installed, upgraded and working in the new version.
• Automated and server actions: trigger each rule and confirm it still does what it should.
• Printed documents: quotations, invoices, delivery slips, labels, POS receipts and purchase orders. Check layout, logo, ABN, bank details and GST wording.
• Email templates: open each template and check fields and wording render correctly.

4. Review your website

• Open every public page, the menu and the footer on desktop and mobile
• Submit each website form and confirm a lead, ticket or record is created
• Check blog posts, images, videos and custom code snippets
• Test the shop checkout, payment page (in test mode) and order confirmation page
• Check page titles, meta descriptions and redirects have been kept

5. Test integrations and connected apps

Because the test copy is neutralised, some integrations will be disconnected by design. Check that each one can be configured, and plan how you will reconnect it in production.

• Accounting and bank feeds (for example Xero connections or bank synchronisation)
• Payment providers such as Stripe, Pin Payments or PayPal
• Shipping carriers and label printing
• Marketplaces and eCommerce platforms such as Shopify, Amazon or eBay
• External API keys, webhooks and scheduled imports or exports

6. General checks

• Log in as users with different access rights and confirm they see the right menus and records
• Open form views for your main records and look for errors or missing fields
• Check scheduled actions are listed and correctly configured (they are disabled in the test copy)
• Open documents and attachments, and check the Discuss app and chatter history
• Note anything that feels slow, such as large reports or list views

Before you upgrade production: go/no-go checklist

1. Every blocker in the issue log is fixed and retested. If Odoo or your partner fixed an issue, request a fresh test upgrade and test again.
2. Each team lead has signed off their processes.
3. Reports in the test database match production.
4. Staff know the upgrade date and that Odoo will be unavailable for a few hours.
5. No major configuration or customisation changes were made in production since the test copy, or they were retested.
6. Integration owners are ready to reconnect services straight after the upgrade.
7. You have a plan for the first morning: who tests what, and how to report problems.

After the production upgrade: first-hour smoke test

• Log in and open the main apps
• Create and confirm one sale, one purchase and one delivery
• Check outgoing and incoming email
• Reconnect bank feeds, payment providers, carriers and marketplaces
• Confirm scheduled actions are running
• Spot-check the trial balance and stock levels against yesterday

A careful test phase is what turns an Odoo upgrade from a risky weekend into a routine update. If your team does not have time to test properly, that is exactly where an Odoo partner adds value.

See also: Odoo upgrade service in Australia, Odoo 19 upgrade guide and Migrate from Odoo 18 to Odoo 19.

Frequently asked questions

How long should we spend testing an Odoo upgrade?

Plan at least one to two weeks for a small database and longer for databases with manufacturing, multiple companies, eCommerce or custom modules. Testing time should be booked in each team member's calendar, not squeezed in between daily work.

Will emails go out to customers from the test database?

No. Odoo neutralises upgraded test databases: outgoing email servers, scheduled actions, bank synchronisation and live payment providers are disabled so the copy cannot affect real customers or bank data.

What if we find a bug in the test upgrade?

Write down the exact steps to reproduce it, take screenshots and report it to Odoo through the upgrade request on odoo.com/help, or to your Odoo partner. Once it is fixed, request a new test upgrade and test again.

Can we keep working in production while we test?

Yes. Production stays on the current version until you request the production upgrade. Avoid big configuration changes or new customisations during testing, because anything changed in production after the test copy was made has not been tested.

What happens on the day of the production upgrade?

Your database is unavailable for a few hours while Odoo upgrades it. Afterwards you run a short smoke test, reconnect integrations and check that emails and scheduled actions are working before staff start normal work.