Migrate from Lemon Tech to Odoo CRM

Lemon Tech Contact records with name, email, phone, and address fields export cleanly via the Entity export function. We map Lemon Tech contacts to Odoo res.partner records with address fields split into street, city, state, country, and zip using the standard Odoo partner address schema. Any custom contact properties from Lemon Tech custom entities migrate to res.partner custom fields created in Odoo Studio (Enterprise) or as database-level custom fields (Community). Email addresses are used as the primary dedupe key during import to prevent duplicate partner records.

Lemon Tech standard Entities that are not Matters or Contacts but represent organizational records (firms, organizations, or other entity types) map to Odoo res.partner records with the is_company flag set to True. We use the Entity name as the partner name and preserve any associated contact records as child contact records (address contacts) under the parent partner. If the entity has no associated contacts, it becomes a standalone company partner record.

Lemon Tech Matters are the primary case and project container. We map Matters to Odoo Project records, preserving the matter name as project name, Matter status as project stage, linked contacts as followers or task assignees, and Matter dates as project start and end dates. Custom Matter fields migrate as project custom fields. If Odoo Project Management is not active on the destination instance, we map Matters to CRM Opportunities with a matter_reference custom field to maintain context.

Lemon Tech time entries linked to Matters export as structured relational data via the Entity export. We map these to Odoo Project Tasks (linked to the Matter-as-Project) with timesheet records in account.analytic.line, preserving billable amounts, dates, and linked contact references. If Odoo Invoicing is active, we configure the billable flag and map billable amounts to sale.order.line entries. The mapping requires the Odoo Project Management and Timesheets apps to be installed on the destination instance.

Lemon Tech User records with name, email, and role information map to Odoo res.users. We resolve users by email match against the destination Odoo instance's user table. Any Lemon Tech User without a matching Odoo User is placed in a reconciliation queue for the customer's admin to provision before record import resumes. Role and permission context from Lemon Tech maps to Odoo Groups (e.g., user, manager, admin) and is documented for manual assignment post-migration.

Lemon Tech custom entity types are inventoried during discovery, including all field names and data types. Simple custom entities with a flat schema map to custom fields on the closest standard Odoo object (res.partner for contact-related entities, project.project for matter-related entities). Complex custom entities with their own relational structure map to Odoo custom modules with dedicated database tables, created before migration via Odoo Studio (Enterprise) or custom Python module development. The original Lemon Tech entity names are preserved in field help text for auditability.

SQL Wrappers in Lemon Tech combine CRM data with custom SQL or third-party sources for reporting. Simple wrappers exporting flat relational tables map directly to Odoo CSV imports as custom models. Complex wrappers with multi-table joins, computed columns, or external data sources require manual field mapping during discovery — we inventory every SQL Wrapper definition, document its dependencies and join logic, and deliver a mapping specification document rather than attempting to automate SQL translation. Any wrapper referencing external databases is flagged as out of scope for migration and documented for manual rebuild.

File attachments associated with Lemon Tech entities or matters export as binary blobs via the Entity export function. We preserve filenames, file types, and the association to the parent record (Contact, Matter, or custom entity). Attachments are stored as Odoo ir.attachment records linked to the corresponding res.partner, project.project, or custom model record. Binary files over 5 MB are flagged for chunked upload to avoid Odoo attachment size limits. The original attachment folder structure is not preserved; all attachments attach directly to the parent record.

Lemon Tech's relational model links contacts to matters through Entity-level associations. We preserve these relationships in Odoo by adding migrated contacts as followers on the corresponding project (Matter-as-Project) using the mail.followers model, which gives contacts visibility into project-level activity. If the customer uses Odoo CRM pipeline view instead of Projects, linked contacts are stored in a many2many custom field on the Opportunity record. The original relationship type (primary contact, billing contact, referring attorney) is preserved in a custom field on the follower or contact record.

If the Lemon Tech instance uses a deal or opportunity-like entity type alongside Matters, we map those records to Odoo CRM Opportunities (crm.lead records with type=opportunity). The mapping preserves deal value, stage, probability, expected close date, and any linked contacts as partner_id on the opportunity. Stage values are mapped to Odoo CRM stage names configured in the destination instance's pipeline. If the customer uses only Matters (no separate deal entity), we use the Matter-as-Project mapping instead and document any deal-specific fields for manual entry or custom module build.

Lemon Tech tags or category classifications stored on Entities, Contacts, or Matters map to Odoo CRM Tags (crm.tag model). Tags used for legal matter classification (practice area, client type, jurisdiction) migrate as tags on the project.record for Odoo Projects. Tags used for contact classification migrate as tags on res.partner. We deduplicate tag names during import and document any tag hierarchies that will need to be rebuilt as Odoo project categories or custom stage groups.

Lemon Tech entity creation dates, last-modified dates, and matter open dates migrate to Odoo record create_date, write_date, and custom date fields respectively. Activity timestamps from engagement records (if applicable) migrate to mail.message records with message_type=comment and a custom reference to the original Lemon Tech timestamp. We preserve the original timezone context from Lemon Tech and set Odoo's create_date and write_date to match where the Odoo API allows, ensuring the activity timeline reflects the original record history.