QA & Introduction
What is Airtable?
- A user friendly database
- Long term storage of data
- A place for your "single source of truth"
- A central place for automations
- A place for reports / dashboards
- + Formulas, Rollups...
Database
- Long term storage of data
- Data strictly structured into columns & rows (fields & records)
- Data reference each other (tables are linked)
- Advanced filtering & sorting (querying)
- Each column (field) has a defined structure
Spreadsheet
- Preferably short term storage
- Data freely exist in cells
- Cells can lookup other cells only
- Limited filtering & sorting
- Cells can "inherit" structure from above, but don't have to
Education base
Feedback base
Other bases...
Airtable views
- A named configuration of filters, sorts, columns that serves a specific purpose
- All views in the same table refer to and change the same data
- Create and use views often
- It's better to create a temporary view than to change someone elses view
Automations
- Meant to remove repetitive work
- Or improve data quality
- Or make things more organized
They run...
- 🕒 In a time interval (weekly feedback forms)
- ✅ When record matches conditions (Student has graduated ➡️ Send to ATS)
- 📩 When other system contacts Airtable (ActiveCampaign, TypeForm...)
What do they do...
- ➕ Create new records (feedback forms)
- ✏️ Update existing records (syncing data between AC and Airtable)
- 🔔 Send notifications (Slack, email)