How to Implement rollback() in Odoo?


✅ What is rollback()?

In Odoo, rollback() is a low-level PostgreSQL transaction control method used to discard uncommitted changes made in the current database cursor (self.env.cr).

It is especially useful when:

  • An operation must not persist in the database.
  • You are manually handling exceptions or validations.
  • External integrations fail and partial changes should be undone.


🔧 Technical Definition

self.env.cr.rollback()

  • cr is the database cursor.
  • rollback() tells PostgreSQL to discard all changes since the last commit.


⚠️ Important Notes

  • It does not raise an exception — it silently rolls back.
  • Use with caution, as it rolls back the entire transaction, including unrelated changes in the current request lifecycle.


✅ Realistic Example in Odoo

Scenario: External API Fails

You are pushing an invoice to a third-party service. If the API call fails, you rollback the transaction so nothing is saved in Odoo either.


class AccountMove(models.Model):

    _inherit = 'account.move'


    def action_post(self):

        res = super().action_post()

        for invoice in self:

            try:

                # Call external API

                response = requests.post('https://api.example.com', json={

                    'invoice_number': invoice.name,

                    'amount': invoice.amount_total

                })

                if response.status_code != 200:

                    raise Exception("Failed to sync with external system.")

            except Exception as e:

                _logger.error(f"API Sync Failed: {str(e)}")

                self.env.cr.rollback()  # Revert invoice posting

                raise UserError("Invoice sync failed. Transaction cancelled.")

        return res

​


  • 🎯 In this example, if the external call fails, Odoo's action_post() effect is undone using rollback().



    • 🧠 When to Use


    Use Case

    Use rollback()?

    External API failed

    ✅ Yes

    Custom validations failed

    ✅ Yes

    Soft errors (no rollback needed)

    ❌ No

    Standard ORM logic

    ❌ No (ORM handles rollback on error)



    ❗️ Caution


    • Don’t mix rollback() with ORM operations carelessly.
    • Avoid in multi-record operations unless you intend to rollback everything.


    ✅ Summary


    Feature

    Description

    Purpose

    Discard uncommitted DB changes

    Scope

    Entire current DB transaction

    Use With

    self.env.cr.rollback()

    Typical Use Case

    API failure, custom validations, external syncs