How to Link Tables in Airtable 🔗 from beginner to intermediate linking

[@GarethPronovost]

Grab my *Free Airtable Crash Course* here garethpronovost.com/airtable-crash-course

[@the21guns61]

Bro is actually so good at teaching.

[@stevehazeltine6487]

I'm addicted to your Airtable content. Wondering if you might be able to do some follow-up videos on suggested workflow and automations for some of these tables that you create. This video is a perfect example -- seeing the table structure itself is a super helpful first step, but I'm still left with some questions: 1. What mechanism(s) should be used to input data. A form from the order view? A form from the line item view? 2. What automations could be layered on top of the form to ensure easy/automated input, and the creation of linked records? I think fleshing out those questions would be really helpful to your audience (At least... very helpful to one member of your audience :P)

[@GabeGibitz]

Thank you!! Exactly what I needed. I couldn't see how tables were connected in my head. You made it all "connect." :)

[@GarethPronovost]

glad this helped!

[@AdelTaherMani]

Thanks for your great support🤗

[@DarrenPinder]

This was awesome, explained well to understand 🙌🏼

[@darrenricketts2685]

Precisely what I was looking for. Fantastic video! 👍

[@GarethPronovost]

Glad this helped!

[@automateXYZ]

Great video. Just bought the course.

[@Manish_1881]

Amazing video, learned a lot🙏 Namaste, Dhanyavaad (Gratitude) from India!

[@GarethPronovost]

Thank you!

[@HealthandBeautyAP]

Time Stamps 3:02 add field and link companies to clients tables 8:16 Junction table- more advanced linking 9:43 how not to connect orderes to inventory 10:48 build intermediary table 1:06 add integer column 12:25 primary column formula 12:49 add inventory column 13:42 Roll up demo (use orders table) connect Orders table to "line items" table 14:38 recap

[@automateXYZ]

Bravo. 👏 amazing work.

[@ezeqkr]

Muchas gracias!! Muy buena la explicación!

[@GarethPronovost]

Thanks for watching!

[@LarryMilligan]

Excellent presentation. Was just hoping it would touch on linking imported tables already populated. When I link an existing field in an imported table, it creates a duplicate field (column) and both the original and duplicated field are linked. What's that about?

[@GarethPronovost]

Hey Larry, thanks for watching. Are you trying to import using the import app in Airtable, or are you importing data by copy/pasting? Either way, typically when you add text to a linked record field, if a record already exists with that "name" (as determined by the primary or left-most field) it will automatically link to it, but the text must exactly match the record name (case sensitive, no trailing spaces, etc.) If you don't already have a record with that exact name, then the record will be created and linked. UNLESS your name is derived by a formula. In this case, the new record cannot be created with the text you imported into the liked record field because the formula determines the name, not independent text. In this case, the import will be more difficult and you will need to first create all the records before you can link to them. Hope this helps!

[@LarryMilligan]

@@GarethPronovost Hi Gareth, thanks so much for taking the time to reply. I figured out the problem (user error, lol). When you create a linked field it automatically asks you to create an additional lookup field and I thought it was just a confirmation pop up. Just skipping that solved the issue. I should've just taken the time to read the pop up in the first place. Thanks again.

[@GarethPronovost]

@LarryMilligan perfect!

[@RDP-i4f]

curious - what happens when the price changes, will the totals on previous orders change as well? How do you maintain historical accuracy?

[@GarethPronovost]

Absolutely - if you change prices then all calculations will not reflect accurate historical data. To overcome this, we suggest creating new records when price changes are implemented. This way the historical data will still be accurate but you can now link to the updated price moving forward. To make this more robust, consider archiving or deactivating the old price records so that it is filtered out for future use.

[@PM-st6vu]

thanks for the video! Do you have a specific way/methodology to understand the relationship aka design the database schema ?

[@GarethPronovost]

Yes, we've worked at this over the past 5 years or so. Our team completes discovery sprints before working with a client, where the aim is to map out the workflow, process, and subsequent data schema requirements. We've developed our own methodology for this over time.

[@PM-st6vu]

@@GarethPronovost thanks!

[@JacobTaff-r5o]

I simply want to be able to make a selection on a multi select eg Skip Bins size. and then automatically fill out the Skip Bin Price? Ive tried to make it an automation but it doesnt seem to work

[@fredericwetta7888]

Hi Gareth, thank you for your inspiring videos! A question, how do you sell an airtable base with automations to a client? when I share my database, the automations disappear... Do you have an idea how to do it well? Thanks

[@GarethPronovost]

Automations should stay with the database when you create a copy. I'm stumped as to why that isn't happening for you, unless Airtable removed this feature. 🤷‍♂️

[@fredericwetta7888]

@@GarethPronovost thank you ! Could this be due to having a pro package on airtable?

[@roulaal2617]

Brilliant 👏🏻

[@AdelTaherMani]

Excellent

[@agoogleuser6937]

What are the pros and cons of linking records with a script vs with a non-scripted airtable automation?

[@GarethPronovost]

It really depends on your use case. Most of the time we will default to linking with automation wherever possible. We'll typically use a script as a last resort, especially now that Airtable has enabled looping automation that will perform multiple links.

[@brown5363]

Effing amazing!

[@RachelDuch]

Thanks for the great video. I've watched it several times for different needs. Does this apply for splitting a bill among several friends at dinner? I'm part of a book club and each month we get together to share drinks and food. It's always a mess once the bill comes - who ordered what, who split what with whom, each person's total... Do I need 4 different tables to use a junction and to find out the total for each person with their own orders and split items? For example between 4 people, a bottle wine is split 4 ways, a salad 2 ways, an appetizer 3, a lemonade one. Thanks for your help!

[@homahealthcarecenter]

first this is database, we are thinking like excel, you dont need 4 tables, firsst primary unique id is important,food order is same, just add names and amount and dates

[@RESPINALD]

hi!!!! I'm trying to do a form. Here's the situation: We have teachers and students. Every teacher may have more than 1 student and the same happens to the students. So In a form, once I pick the field teachers, the next field (students) just shows me the students vinculated to that teachers. I'm new in airtable and i'm going in circles with that. Thanks!!!!!!

[@GarethPronovost]

This is a more advanced use case that native Airtable forms can't handle. However, there is 3rd party form software that can handle this based on the dependencies in your Airtable base! Check out Fillout - we've done videos on them here on our channel and they can help with this!

[@RESPINALD]

@@GarethPronovost Thanks for taking the time to answer. Really appreciate it.

[@skkrawczyk]

very useful! :)

[@erenn.yeagerr6260]

then how to unlinked ?

Fast and helpfull

[@GarethPronovost]

Thanks for watching!

[@marketingplanformula]

Possibly an ode to John Galt behind you?

[@GarethPronovost]

Hmmm, who is John Galt?

[@homahealthcarecenter]

FUNNILY, everything he can confuse, this video can be broken into 5 parts,1. primary key or left most important, primary table unique ID.2. lastly further confused with Roll up 3. Explained about formula4. intially started with link up 5 class on junction table, so mixed and messed up in a very short time with exuberant enthusiasm and lighting speed, anyways,good. for advanced users it will be good, basically excel and database are different.for beginners it is hell .

[@senyk1]

good video but at the end there you went so fast i lost you

[@GarethPronovost]

Sorry for the quick speed at the end

[@timporter7760]

No words, just likessssssss. Get to the top FAST = *Promo sm*.