Import mechanics: external IDs, relations and order

Using the import tool well: field mapping, external IDs, many2one and many2many references, one2many lines and the right load order.

In this lesson

Mapping and external IDs
Referencing related records and lines
Load order and big files

Key points

External ID column makes imports repeatable and referenceable (ir.model.data)
many2one by name, /id (external ID) or /.id (database ID); prefer /id
many2many comma-separated; one2many lines on following rows
Order: config → partners → products → BoMs → stock → open docs → balances

Real-world example

Importing 600 BoMs failed because components were matched by name and 40 names were duplicated. Re-exporting products with external IDs (legacy_prod_XXXX) and referencing them as bom_line_ids/product_id/id fixed every line, and the import became repeatable for the second mock.

Questions and answers

How do you import two tags on a contact?

category_id/id column with 'tag_vip,tag_lagos' (or names, comma-separated).

Where are external IDs stored?

ir.model.data.

Read the full lesson, worked example and quiz