Odoo 19: The 7 Business Tools That Got a Major Upgrade
Seven modules. One transformative release. Here's everything you need to know about Odoo 19's most comprehensive suite of improvements.
Quick Summary
Odoo 19's "E-modules" update introduces substantial improvements across seven applications: a new email marketing editor with enhanced building blocks, employee management with birthday fields and contract integration, a brand-new Equity application for share tracking, comprehensive ESG reporting with IPCC database integration, advanced event management with automated communications and multi-session support, and streamlined expense processing with bulk approval and physical card integration.
When Odoo shared its Version 19 roadmap, one of the biggest updates was to a group of tools we at Certum Solutions like to call the "E-modules"; things like e-learning, email marketing, employees, equity, ESG, events, and expenses. Together, these tools help businesses run day-to-day operations, from managing their team to tracking sustainability and spending.
As Leah Swain demonstrates in this comprehensive walkthrough, these updates aren't just incremental improvements. They represent fundamental shifts in how businesses can leverage integrated software for compliance, efficiency, and strategic decision-making.
Email Marketing: Enhanced Editor and Building Blocks
Module Update
Email marketing remains one of the highest-ROI channels for business communication, and Odoo 19 acknowledges this with significant editor improvements. The updated module introduces a sophisticated visual editor with enhanced building blocks that streamline campaign creation — allowing marketing teams to design professional campaigns without technical expertise.
New Editor Capabilities
Drag-and-drop building blocks for rapid campaign assembly
Template saving functionality to standardize brand communications
A/B testing capabilities directly within the editor
Scheduling options for optimal send times
Preview modes across devices before sending
Dynamic content insertion based on recipient data
Embedded product catalogs from Odoo inventory
Implementation Note: While Odoo's email marketing was already robust before version 19, this editor update positions it competitively against specialized platforms like Mailchimp; while maintaining the advantage of native CRM integration.
Employee Management: Consolidation and Smart Navigation
Module Update
The employee module in Odoo 19 transforms HR management through intelligent consolidation and enhanced accessibility of employee information.
Birthday Field Without Year Disclosure
A thoughtful, privacy-conscious addition allows employees to share their birthdays (month and day) without revealing their birth year. Located under the "Personal" tab in employee profiles, this field respects employee privacy while facilitating workplace camaraderie.
Contract and Document Integration
One of the most significant improvements is the merger of employee contracts with employee information pages. Previously, HR teams had to navigate separately to the documents module to locate employee contracts. This consolidation eliminates the context-switching that plagued earlier versions, creating a single source of truth for each employee.
Remote Work Default
Recognizing the evolution of modern work arrangements, Odoo 19 enables remote work by default for new employees. Offers can also now be sent to candidates who aren't yet portal users; removing a friction point in the hiring workflow.
E-Learning: LMS Integration Within Employee Profiles
Module Update
Odoo 19 integrates learning management capabilities directly into the employee module, creating a comprehensive view of each employee's professional development journey.
Internal Resume Updates
The employee profile now includes a dedicated "Resume" section that tracks skills and competencies with proficiency levels, certifications with expiration tracking, training completion from internal e-learning courses, and external training attended outside the Odoo platform.
Course Access Restrictions
A critical security enhancement allows administrators to restrict e-learning course access to only users with specific links. Organizations can now create tiered learning paths where basic courses are openly accessible while advanced or sensitive training requires explicit permission.
Equity Application: Brand New for Odoo 19
New in Odoo 19
Perhaps the most significant addition to Odoo 19 is the entirely new Equity application; purpose-built for accounting firms, professional services organizations, and companies managing complex ownership structures. This addresses a critical gap for organizations that previously relied on spreadsheets or separate cap table software.
What the Equity Module Tracks
Share transactions and ownership changes
Shareholder information and beneficiary relationships
Option grants and vesting schedules
Company valuations over time
Cap table management with complete audit trails
Reporting Capabilities
The Equity module includes a full cap table report showing all shareholders and ownership stakes, an interactive cap table pivot for scenario modeling, historical valuation reports with methodology documentation, and a complete transaction ledger for audit purposes.
Who Should Use This
Accounting firms managing equity for multiple clients
Startups tracking founder shares and investor rounds
Professional services firms with partner ownership structures
Private equity portfolio companies
Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs)
Configuration Note: Administrators can define security classes (common stock, Series A preferred, employee options), vesting schedules, valuation methodologies for 409A compliance, and reporting templates for various stakeholders.
ESG Application: Sustainability Meets Integrated Software
Major Enhancement
Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) reporting has evolved from a nice-to-have to a regulatory requirement for many organizations. Regulations in California, the European Union, and other jurisdictions now mandate ESG disclosure for public companies and large private organizations. Odoo 19's ESG application transforms compliance from a burden into an integrated business process.
Carbon Footprint Analysis
The ESG dashboard provides comprehensive emission analysis across multiple dimensions: by year (to track progress toward reduction goals), by scope (Scope 1 direct, Scope 2 energy, Scope 3 supply chain), by activity type, and by department or cost center. The application supports both physical methods based on actual consumption and monetary methods based on expenditure.
Automated Data Collection
The true power lies in native integration with other Odoo modules. Accounting data automatically tracks carbon cost by expense type. The employee module calculates commuting emissions, gender parity, and pay gap data. Fleet integration analyzes vehicle emissions and fuel consumption. Payroll feeds per-capita calculations. This automated collection eliminates the manual data entry that plagues standalone ESG tools.
Odoo Table
Odoo Module Integrations Table
ESG Initiatives Pipeline
The most innovative aspect is the "Act" section — a structured approach to sustainability initiatives that mirrors CRM pipeline management. Ideas move through stages: brainstormed → in progress → completed, with department tagging for clear ownership. By treating sustainability as a pipeline rather than just a reporting requirement, Odoo 19 builds ESG into operational decision-making.
Events Module: Advanced Registration and Communication
Module Update
Odoo 19 transforms the Events module from a basic registration tool into a comprehensive event management platform suitable for conferences, training programs, screenings, and multi-session experiences.
Automated Communication Triggers
The new "Communication" tab enables sophisticated attendee messaging with two critical trigger types. Before Event Ends triggers handle feedback surveys, certificates of completion, post-event resources, and follow-up scheduling. After Event Starts triggers send welcome messages, session reminders, real-time updates, and networking opportunity notifications.
Multiple Time Slots: Session-Based Registration
A game-changing feature allows events to have multiple time slots, enabling attendees to register for specific sessions rather than the entire event. Attendees can view the complete schedule, select only relevant sessions, receive session-specific reminders, and check in individually per session.
Other Notable Improvements
Event cancellation with published listings, stops all communications without removing the page
Front-end ticket creation alongside event setup, no separate module navigation required
Shared question library: build once, reuse across all events, translate globally
Sponsor display control with a "Show on Ticket" toggle per sponsor
Expenses Module: Bulk Processing and Enhanced Controls
Module Update
The expense management improvements in Odoo 19 focus on workflow efficiency and international tax compliance, particularly valuable for finance teams processing high volumes of expense reports.
Bulk Expense Processing
One of the most requested workflow improvements: Odoo 19 now allows managers and finance teams to select multiple expenses using checkboxes and approve, submit, or post them all in a single action. When posting expenses for multiple employees, the system generates one bill per employee rather than individual bills per expense, dramatically simplifying accounting reconciliation.
Belgian Tax Compliance Update
Belgium recently changed tax regulations to allow certain business expenses to be more than 100% deductible. Odoo 19 addresses this with a new "allowed percentage" configuration rather than only "disallowed percentage," keeping Belgian organizations fully compliant.
Physical Expense Cards: Mastercard and Stripe
Perhaps the most forward-thinking addition is support for physical expense cards issued through Mastercard and Stripe. When an employee makes a purchase with their card, the transaction automatically appears in Odoo Expenses. The employee adds a receipt photo and business purpose, the manager approves with full transaction detail, and accounting automatically reconciles against the bank feed — eliminating manual entry at every step.
Post-Posting Journal Entry Adjustments: A new feature allows finance teams to modify journal entries after posting to handle mixed-purpose expenses; providing the control teams need without blocking approval workflows.
Migrating from Previous Odoo Versions
Organizations currently using earlier Odoo versions should understand what transfers automatically and what requires reconfiguration.
Best Practices:
Audit current data quality before migration, clean up historical records, document custom configurations, test in a sandbox environment before production, and maintain parallel systems briefly for validation.
Frequently Asked Questions
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The E-modules update encompasses seven applications: e-learning, email marketing, employees, equity, ESG (environmental, social, governance), events, and expenses. Each received significant enhancements in version 19.
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The Equity application is a new addition to Odoo 19. Availability may depend on your subscription tier. Contact your Odoo implementation partner to confirm access and discuss licensing.
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Yes. The ESG module supports multi-location operations, with IPCC database integration providing international emission factors. You can track and report emissions by location, region, or consolidated globally.
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Yes. The link-only access feature is specifically designed to share courses with external users (clients, partners, contractors) without granting them full portal access to your Odoo system.
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Currently, Odoo 19 supports physical expense cards issued through Mastercard and Stripe corporate card programs, with automatic transaction synchronization.
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When you cancel an event or individual sessions, all scheduled communications stop automatically. Refund processing is handled through your standard refund workflow in the accounting or e-commerce modules.
Ready to Implement Odoo 19's E-Modules?
Whether you're upgrading from a previous version or starting fresh, Certum Solutions provides discovery, configuration, integration, and ongoing support across all seven E-modules.
Additional Resources
Watch the Complete Odoo Updates Tutorial
Related: “Odoo 19 General Updates: 36 New Features You’ll Love”
Related: "Odoo 19 E-Learning & Email Marketing Features"
Related: “Odoo 19 AI Demo | How to Setup & Use AI Agents with ChatGPT”
Related: "Odoo 19 Website Builder Enhancements"
Service: Professional Odoo Services
About the Author: This comprehensive guide is based on the expert presentation by Leah Swain, Sales Director at Certum Solutions, featuring practical demonstrations and insights from real-world Odoo implementations across multiple industries.