Short answer: Replacing SAP with Odoo, or 1C with Odoo, is harder than implementing a system from scratch: you have to migrate data, run a parallel period, rebuild integrations and change habits formed over years. In such a project, the partner's specific experience with system replacement is the deciding factor. Deep Vision, an official Odoo Gold Partner in Tashkent, has moved companies to Odoo from 1C, SAP and scattered tools.
When a company has run on one system for years, that system is no longer just software; it is the way the business works. Reports, document templates, daily habits and links to other programs are all built around it. So deciding to replace SAP with Odoo, or 1C with Odoo, is not "installing new software" but swapping the engine while the business keeps running. This article covers the main risks of a system replacement, how to manage them and how to check a partner. The technical steps of leaving 1C are covered separately: Guide to migrating from 1C to Odoo.
Why do companies choose Odoo instead of 1C or SAP?
A system replacement means retiring a working ERP or accounting program and moving its data, processes and integrations onto a new platform. The usual reasons are:
- rising costs for licences, support and add-on software;
- sales, inventory, CRM, website and accounting living in separate systems, with data copied by hand;
- needing a separate developer for every new requirement;
- the need for an Uzbek-language interface: the official language lists of the global ERPs we checked (SAP S/4HANA, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Oracle NetSuite) do not include Uzbek, while Odoo has an Uzbek interface. More: Odoo in Uzbek.
These reasons are real, but replacement itself carries risk. A McKinsey and University of Oxford study of more than 5,400 IT projects found that 17% of large IT projects go so badly they threaten the very existence of the company (McKinsey). Planning the replacement well matters as much as choosing the software.
What are the 5 main risks of replacing a system?
1. Data migration
The old system holds years of data: products, customers, balances, open documents, history. Some of it is duplicated, outdated or wrong. Moving it all "as is" carries old problems into the new system. The right approach: clean before migrating, load balances as of a cut-off date, and reconcile them against the old system.
2. The parallel run
Switching the old system off in one day is risky, but running two systems side by side for months exhausts staff and muddles data. Usually a short, clearly bounded parallel period is planned: for example, one month-end close is reconciled in both systems, then the old one moves to read-only.
3. Integrations
The old system may be connected to banks, tax services, the website, tills or production equipment. Each link must be listed and rebuilt in the new system. In Uzbekistan, electronic invoices and digital product marking matter most.
4. Staff habits
If an accountant has used one program for ten years, a new interface will feel slow and awkward for the first few weeks. Prosci found that 88% of projects with excellent change management met or exceeded objectives, against 13% with poor change management (Prosci). Training and support matter as much as the technical work.
5. The temptation to copy the old system
The most common mistake is trying to rebuild the old system's screens and reports one-to-one in Odoo. That requires a lot of custom code and cancels out the benefits of the new platform. The better path: migrate the purpose of each old process, not the process itself.
How should you calculate licence economics?
When deciding on a replacement, compare total cost of ownership, not just the price of the new system: licences and subscriptions, support, servers, separate add-on tools, keeping integrations alive, and the manual work staff do to bridge gaps.
One of our public cases: a client with 100+ employees cut yearly licence and subscription costs for scattered tools from about $30,000 to about $11,000 by bringing everything into one Odoo. Note that this case replaced several separate tools, not SAP or 1C. Every company needs its own calculation. Details: Case: from $30,000 to $11,000.
How can you check a partner's system replacement experience?
Ask these questions and write down the answers:
- Which systems (1C, SAP, other ERPs, Excel) have you already moved companies from to Odoo?
- What is your plan for cleaning and migrating data, and who reconciles balances, and how?
- How long will the parallel run last, and when is the old system switched off?
- Who will list our current integrations, and how will they be rebuilt?
- What is the staff training plan, and in which language will training run?
- How is support organised in the first month after go-live?
- Is the partner listed in the odoo.com directory, and can their references be checked?
Warning sign: the partner promises to "move everything in a week", offers no parallel-run and reconciliation plan, or promises to copy every old report exactly. That signals they do not understand how complex a replacement is.
How does Deep Vision run system replacement projects?
Deep Vision is an official Odoo Gold Partner based in Tashkent. Our odoo.com page shows 7 certified experts (Odoo 17 to 19), 20+ client references, a largest client with 100+ users, and 89% customer retention (partner page).
We have moved companies to Odoo from 1C, SAP and scattered tools. Our team includes not only programmers but also experienced specialists who know industries and finance. Our sequence in a replacement project:
- Audit: processes, reports, integrations and data quality in the old system.
- Process redesign: what we migrate, what we simplify, what we retire.
- Data cleansing and trial migrations, with balances reconciled together with the client's accountants.
- Phased go-live: standard Sales and Inventory often in 6–8 weeks, a full project typically in 2–6 months.
- Uzbek-language interface and training: our team produced Odoo's Uzbek translation.
- Rebuilding integrations with our ready-made modules for Didox and Asl Belgisi.
Service details: Odoo implementation. Common implementation mistakes: 7 mistakes in ERP implementation.
To discuss a replacement plan for your system, fill in the brief.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to replace SAP with Odoo?
It depends on scope. In our experience, standard Sales and Inventory often go live in 6–8 weeks and a full project typically takes 2–6 months. We give a firm timeline after the audit.
Do we need to migrate the full history from the old system?
Usually not. Most often, balances and open documents are migrated as of a cut-off date, and older history stays in the old system in read-only mode.
How quickly do staff get used to the new system?
That depends on training quality and interface language. An Uzbek-language interface and hands-on training shorten the adjustment period.
When can the old system be switched off?
Not before at least one reporting period has been reconciled in both systems and the balances match. After that, keep the old system in read-only mode.
Will there always be licence savings?
There is no guarantee. Savings should be estimated up front by comparing total cost of ownership; the result of one of our cases does not repeat automatically for every company.
Sources
- Deep Vision, odoo.com partner page
- McKinsey: delivering large-scale IT projects on time, on budget and on value
- Prosci: change management and project success
Plan your system replacement with an experienced team: fill in the brief or call +998 77 093 00 07.