Google Workspace + Odoo Integration: Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Looker Studio

If your UAE business runs on Google Workspace instead of Microsoft 365, the Odoo integration options follow a similar pattern but with different tools. This article covers Gmail, Google Calendar, Drive, Sheets, and Looker Studio integration with Odoo.

Gmail + Odoo

Outbound Email

Configure Gmail (or Google Workspace) as Odoo’s outgoing mail server. Two approaches:

• SMTP relay: Standard SMTP using app passwords (requires 2-step verification on Google account)
• OAuth integration: Cleaner, more secure, doesn’t require app passwords. Configured in Odoo Settings → Technical → Outgoing Mail Servers with Gmail OAuth.

Inbound Email Capture

Forward customer emails to an Odoo alias address. Odoo creates leads or activities from the email. Setup: Google Workspace forwarding rule + Odoo incoming mail server configuration.

Email Sync to Customer Records

Conversations with customers logged automatically to the customer record in Odoo. Sales reps see full email history when viewing the opportunity.

Google Calendar + Odoo

Two-way calendar sync:

• Meetings created in Odoo CRM appear in user’s Google Calendar
• Calendar events created in Google appear in Odoo (where linked to a record)
• Field service appointments sync to technician calendars

Configure via Odoo’s Google Calendar sync (built into Enterprise) using OAuth.

Google Drive + Odoo

Document References

Files in Drive can be linked from Odoo records via shareable URLs. Customer contracts, project deliverables, large asset libraries stay in Drive (better for collaboration and large files); Odoo references them.

File Sync (Bidirectional)

Less common. Patterns exist via third-party connectors, but most UAE businesses find URL-based references sufficient.

Google Sheets + Odoo

Pulling Odoo Data into Sheets

Options:

• Sheets connector: Add-ons available that authenticate to Odoo and pull data via API
• Scheduled CSV export: Odoo cron job writes a CSV to Drive; Sheets reads it
• Google Apps Script: Custom script calling Odoo REST API on demand

Pushing from Sheets to Odoo

Less common pattern. Used for bulk data entry where Excel/Sheets is faster than Odoo forms.

Looker Studio (formerly Data Studio) + Odoo

Free BI tool from Google. Two integration paths:

• Sheets as intermediary: Odoo data exported to Sheets; Sheets is the Looker Studio data source. Simpler setup; works for moderate data volumes.
• BigQuery as intermediary: Odoo data piped to BigQuery via Airbyte or similar ETL; Looker Studio reads from BigQuery. Better for large volumes and complex modelling.

Google SSO (Sign in with Google) for Odoo

Users authenticate to Odoo with Google Workspace credentials. Configure via Odoo’s OAuth provider settings with Google as identity provider.

Google Meet + Odoo

Less native than Teams integration but workable:

• Calendar invites with Google Meet links generated from Odoo calendar events
• Meeting recordings in Drive, referenced from Odoo activity records

Why Google vs Microsoft for UAE Businesses

• Smaller, more agile UAE businesses often default to Google Workspace for cost and simplicity
• Larger enterprises and government-adjacent organisations tend to use Microsoft 365
• Choice often comes down to existing user familiarity rather than feature comparison

Implementation Priority for Odoo + Google Workspace

1. SSO (reduce password sprawl)
2. Gmail outbound email (immediate productivity win)
3. Calendar sync (immediate productivity win for sales / service teams)
4. Document references in Drive (convention-based, low effort)
5. Looker Studio for cross-system dashboards (when needed)

Common Pitfalls

• Gmail “less secure apps” deprecated — must use OAuth or app passwords
• Calendar sync conflicts when both systems edit the same event
• Drive document URLs breaking when files are moved
• Sheets data refresh failures when API rate limits are hit on large datasets