Last modification: 2025-04-24 (View source)
Airtable is a powerful, flexible database tool that combines the simplicity of a spreadsheet with the advanced functionality of a relational database. It allows users to organize, store, and manage data efficiently while enabling collaboration across teams. Each base in Airtable acts as a workspace containing tables, which hold structured data similar to spreadsheets. However, unlike traditional spreadsheets, Airtable supports linked records, custom field types (such as attachments, checkboxes, and dates), and automations to streamline workflows. Users can also create forms to collect data, apply filters and views to customize how information is displayed, and set up automations to send emails, update records, or trigger actions based on predefined conditions. Whether managing projects, tracking inventory, or planning events, Airtable provides a user-friendly yet powerful way to structure and interact with data.
A Base in Airtable is like a relational database. It holds all your tables, views, forms, and automations for a project. A single base can contain multiple tables, forms and automations. In R-Ladies global team, we usually will have one base per team, to coordinate team tasks.
graph TD
A[Airtable Workspace] --o B[Base 1]
A --o C[Base 2]
A --o D[Base 3]
B --o B1F1[Form 1] -->|populates| B1[Table 1]
B --o B1F2[Form 2] -->|populates| B2[Table 2]
B1F2 -- triggers create record automation --o B3[Table 3]
C --o C1F[Form 1] -->|populates| C1[Table 1]
C --o C2F[Form 2] -->|populates| C2[Table 2]
D --o D1F[Form 1] -->|populates| D1[Table 1]
D --o D2[Table 2]
C2 -.-> |synced| D2
Airtable is built around four main components: Data, Interface, Forms, and Automations. Each serves a different purpose in organizing and managing information efficiently.
graph TD
A[Airtable Data Tables] --> B{Interface Builder};
B --> C{Components Forms Lists Charts etc};
C --> D[Layout Design and Customization];
D --> E{Published Interface};
E --> F[Interface Users View and Interact];
F -- Data Input --> A;
A -- Data Display --> E;
These components together make Airtable a powerful system for organizing and streamlining workflows.
Each base has Tables, which store data in a structured way.
You can create different Views of a table to organize and display data:
Each table may have many different view, as many as you like. Views are a great way to organise the underlying data into more manageable sizes for easier management. Look at views as way to create subset of the data you often want to look at. Filtering, grouping etc. in Airtable are not seen as dynamic things you do many times to inspect the data. Rather, you are expected to create views you come back to over and over again. You can also use views to sync partial data into another base, like syncing all members of the curator team into the RoCur base from the Global Team Overview base.
There are for example ways to use views when choosing linked records that create more simple data input. For instance, you might want:
Setting the correct field type in Airtable will enable you to use data in meaningful ways in automations etc. In addition, special field types will run simple validations in a form, so that only meaningful data can be entered (like the email format makes sure what is entered is an actual email). Choosing the right field type therefore makes sure the data flow is a smooth as possible.
Some useful tips:
Airtable Forms let users submit data directly into a table.
Airtable Automations help reduce manual work by automatically performing actions.
graph TD
A[Trigger] --> B{Action};
B -- Met --> C(If Condition);
C -- Met --> D[If condition are met, then run these actions:<br>Action];
C -- Not met --> E{Otherwise, if Condition};
E -- Met --> F[If condition are met, then run these actions:<br>Action];
E -- No conditions met --> G[If no condition are met, then run these actions:<br>Action];
D --> H{{End of automation<br>run}};
F --> H;
G --> H;
There are many types of triggers for automations, you can create extremely complex custom conditions, or run on a schedule.
** Examples**
Airtable’s functionality can be significantly enhanced through the use of Extensions. These are additional tools and applications that you can add to your bases to perform a wide variety of tasks, from visualizing your data in new ways to automating complex workflows and integrating with other services. Extensions allow you to customize your Airtable experience to meet your specific needs and go beyond the core features of tables, forms, interfaces, and automations.
The Airtable Marketplace offers a diverse range of extensions, catering to various needs. Some common types include:
One particularly useful extension for understanding the structure of your Airtable bases is the Base schema extension. This extension provides a visual overview of all the tables within your base and, crucially, illustrates how these tables are connected through linked record fields. By visualizing these relationships, you can gain a clearer understanding of your database design, making it easier to navigate and manage complex bases. The Base schema extension is invaluable for documentation purposes and for onboarding new team members to an existing Airtable setup.
You can access and add extensions to your Airtable base by clicking on the “Extensions” button located in the top right corner of your base. This will open the Extensions panel, where you can browse the Marketplace, install new extensions, and manage the extensions already added to your base. Many extensions offer configuration options to tailor their functionality to your specific data and workflows.
By leveraging the power of Extensions, you can significantly expand the capabilities of your Airtable bases and create more efficient and integrated workflows for your team.
The “Tools” menu in Airtable, typically found in the top right corner alongside the “Share” and “Extensions” buttons, offers a collection of utilities and features to help you manage your base. These are simple tools to help you manage the tables and records in the base in various ways.
This tool allows you to edit the settings of your existing fields and inspect field dependencies. Understanding field dependencies is crucial for making changes to your base structure without unintentionally breaking formulas, lookups, or other connected elements. This tool likely provides a visual way to see which fields are used in formulas, lookups, rollups, and linked records throughout your base.
With “Record templates,” you can create pre-filled templates for new records. This is incredibly useful for ensuring consistency and saving time when adding records that frequently share the same information. You can define default values for specific fields within a template, and then easily create new records based on these templates.
This newer tool helps you configure how dates shift between dependent records. If you have records with dates that are related (e.g., a project start date and dependent task due dates), this tool likely allows you to set up rules so that if one date changes, the related dates are automatically adjusted accordingly. This can be very helpful for project management and other time-sensitive workflows.
✅ Use structured field names (avoid special characters).
✅ Set up filters & views to organize data effectively.
✅ Automate repetitive tasks to save time.
✅ Use forms for easy data entry without messing up table structure.