How to use Airtable
Airtable is a database that behaves like a spreadsheet: a base holds tables, tables hold records with typed fields, and views let each person see a filtered slice of the same data.
If you already live in spreadsheets, Airtable feels familiar for about ten minutes — until linked records and views appear. Those two features are the whole point, and they are what make a base outlive the spreadsheet it replaced.
What people actually use Airtable for
- Replace a shared spreadsheet that keeps getting broken
- Track inventory, content or applicants with typed fields
- Collect submissions through a form straight into a table
- Link customers to orders and roll up totals
- Give each teammate their own filtered view of the same data
Airtable in five steps
- 1
Create a base and name the tables as nouns
Customers, Orders, Products. One table per kind of thing. Resist the urge to keep everything in a single wide table.
- 2
Set real field types
Single select for status, Date for dates, Attachment for files, Checkbox for done. Typed fields are the reason filters and automations work reliably.
- 3
Link tables instead of retyping
Add a Link to another record field from Orders to Customers. Then add a Rollup or Count so each customer shows their order total automatically.
- 4
Build views, and keep the grid clean
Create a filtered view per use case — My open items, This week, Ready to ship. Views are personal lenses; the underlying data stays shared.
- 5
Add a form and one automation
A form view collects clean data from anyone. One automation — Slack or email on new record — is usually enough to stop people checking the base manually.
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Teach me AirtableCommon Airtable mistakes
One giant table
Everything in one table means duplicated customer names and no reliable rollups. Split by noun and link.
Text fields where selects belong
Free-typed statuses drift into "Done", "done" and "DONE", and every filter you build afterwards is wrong.
Editing shared views by accident
Changing filters on a collaborative view changes it for everyone. Use personal views for your own filtering.
Ignoring record limits
Plans cap records per base. Discovering that mid-migration is painful — check before you import 100,000 rows.
Airtable FAQ
What is the difference between a base and a table in Airtable?
A base is the whole database for one project. Tables are the collections inside it — one per type of thing — and records are the rows within a table.
Is Airtable better than Google Sheets?
For structured, relational data shared across a team, yes: typed fields, linked records and views prevent the breakage spreadsheets suffer. For free-form calculation, Sheets is still better.
Can Airtable handle large datasets?
Bases are capped by plan, and very large tables slow down in the browser. Beyond a few hundred thousand records, a real database is the better home.
How do linked records work?
A link field points at records in another table. Once linked, Lookup, Rollup and Count fields pull values across the relationship without copying data.
Is Airtable free, and what are the limits?
The free plan allows unlimited bases with a low record cap per base, limited automation runs and no advanced field types. Teams usually move up when they pass the record cap or need more automation runs, not because of features.
How do I import a spreadsheet into Airtable without breaking it?
Clean the sheet first: one header row, no merged cells, one kind of thing per sheet. Import, then convert the status and category columns to Single select and the dates to Date fields before you build any view or automation on top.
What is the difference between a lookup, a rollup and a count in Airtable?
A lookup shows values from linked records, a rollup runs a formula across them (sum, max, average), and a count just counts them. All three need a link field first — that link is what they read through.
Can Airtable replace a CRM?
For a small pipeline, yes: a Customers table linked to Deals with a status select and a Kanban view covers most of it. Once you need email sequences, call logging and reporting, a real CRM costs less than maintaining the base.
How do I share an Airtable base without letting people edit it?
Share a view rather than the base, and set the link to read-only. Anyone with the link sees only the fields and rows in that view, and cannot reach the other tables.
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